Stealthy

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude 1:3-4

How could one sneak into a group of believers and subvert their faith over time so that eventually there would be a different message preached than what was originally once delivered?  That is a very important question; consequently, it is one that demands an answer if vigilance is the goal.  It is also the very thing that Jude is warning the church about--those who would stealthily creep into the church and alter the message of Christ crucified for sin, resurrected as our Great High Priest, and coming again to reign as King of Kings.  This inspired message warns that the end result would lead to "turning the grace of our God into laciviousness" while "denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."

First, what is laciviousness?  Simply put--it is living in gross immorality while masquerading as being forgiven. It is certain that we are not saved by our actions.  Not now nor ever.  Who could ever do enough good to match the atoning work of Christ?  However, so many seem to feel there is no power in the grace of God in Christ to overcome sin.  As a result they never press through to live a life that reflects the power of Christ over sin.  Add to this those who redefine what is good and right as opposed to what is wicked and sinful and we begin to realize that we might just be living in the very time that Jude (as well as other New Testament writers) warned us about.



In an old post from 2011, the story of the Carelessness of Sardis was considered.  Here is a paragraph from that article:

"The ancient city of Sardis was strategically located on an escarpment at the base of Mt. Tmolus about 1000 feet above the valley of Hermus.  This location gave the inhabitants of this community a false sense of security.  History tells us that this distorted view of their invulnerability led to disaster when Cyrus the Great attacked the city circa 549 to 546 BC.  King Croseus of Lydia decided not to guard the cliffs on three sides of Sardis, his capital, as he assumed that the Persians would not be able to scale the sheer faces and attack.  The story goes that a soldier of Sardis accidentally dropped his helmet over one of the cliffs.  He then used a path known to the locals to recover the helmet, but his actions were observed by a Persian warrior named Hyeroeades.  The next night, Hyeroeades and an assault team used the path on the unguarded side of the cliffs thus gaining access to the city.  Sardis was soon overrun."

The fact that the town folk of Sardis did not believe that an attack could come from a certain direction  took them off guard and was the reason the invasion was so successful.  Now, if you were an insidious enemy who longed to subvert the truth of the Gospel while effecting large numbers, where might you start where no one might first suspect?  Where could an invasion begin that would not be looked for?  Maybe with the pulpit.

It would be hard to get a seasoned veteran who has walked closely with Christ to start sharing heresy so why not start with the next generation.  The enemy is patient and will take as long as necessary to destroy.  He would probably start elsewhere.  How about fill Bible schools with unbelieving professors who would corrupt the impressionable minds of young men called to preach and defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

One would first need to get them to deny the inspiration of scripture.  Maybe classes could be taught that show that the first 11 chapters of Genesis are Hebrew myths and fairy tales.  Then, "science" techniques could be used to teach that the books attributed to Moses were written over time by several different men with different ulterior motives.  One could even say that books like Isaiah were written by two, three, or even more men.  Methods courses on how to critique the scriptures could be taught which would sound legitimate but would cause the students to become critics and not students of the Word.  Prophecy--how could one cover up the Bible's unfailing record on prophecy?  Maybe it would be possible to re-date the books to a post event date so that they are actually telling what happened in a form that makes them appear to be predictions.  But we know that his could not be done.  It would mean that godless men with deluded agendas would be overtaking the institutions that prepare ministers.  Of course, if you could turn out a generation of unbelieving "ministers" whole churches could be overrun with unbelief.  Of course, this is all but speculation.

Every core doctrine would need to be considered suspect:  Christ's deity, the virgin birth, the inspiration of scripture, the need for salvation through a vicarious atonement.....  Yes, every doctrine would need to be destroyed; but again, this is all but speculation.

Unbelieving preachers get help to 'come out' as open atheists – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs
Closeted Atheist Pastors Converge in Secretive Online Community — and This New Program Will Help Them Escape Ministry | TheBlaze.com

Atheists in closet: Rabbis who lost God - Israel Jewish Scene, Ynetnews

Documentary hypothesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Deutero-Isaiah Hypothesis | Frames of Reference

Or is it?

One thing is certain--Jesus Christ is Soon2Come, so  earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints!  

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come... Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 1:1 & 5-7