A Description of a Christian Without Christ

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Jude 12-13 (KJV)

12. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13. Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

1. What these people without Christ believe . . . "feeding themselves without fear . . ." (v.12).
   These professing Christians attend the "agape feasts" or "feasts of charity" in the church. These were dinners held by the early church to help feed the poor, to fellowship with each other in a spirit of love, and to conduct some of the business matters of the local church.
   1. These people believe they alone are important . . . "feeding themselves . . ." (v.12).
      It is the "I" in everything. It is what I want. It is what I need. It is what I must have. The individual, not the church, the family, the poor, God, or anyone else is considered.
   2. These people believe they sin with impunity . . . "while they feast with you, their eyes are full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable" (II Peter 2:14). This is similar to the earlier statement that they believe they have a license to sin (v.4).
2. How these people without Christ behave . . . "clouds . . . trees . . . waves . . . stars" (v.12-13).
   Jude uses four metaphors to describe the behavior of those Christians who live without Christ:
   1. They are clouds without water . . . they drift from one doctrine to another.
      People in Jude's day feared one thing more than any other -- drought. A cloud without rain does not soften the earth, refresh the people, or nourish the crops. These clouds are "carried about of winds" referring to people whoa re carried away by "false doctrine."
   2. They are trees without fruit . . .they decline in morality over time.
      The evidence of grace within a life is the presence of the Holy Spirit and His fruit. The person without grace does not exhibit the fruit of the Spirit because he is "twice dead." There is no spiritual life. There is no indwelling Spirit. As a result, this person decays spiritually.
   3. They are waves without boundaries . . . they despise the authority of others.
      "Raging waves . . . foaming out their own shame." Dr. John Gill says, "They are called this because of their swelling pride and vanity; and this shows that they had not received the doctrine of grace in truth, for that humbles." Nobody tells this person how to live.
   4. They are stars without permanence . . .they deceive others only for a season.
      "Wandering stars" are shooting stars or meteors in the sky. They show the brilliance of fixed stars, but only for a while, and then they pass, darkening and losing their luster. The true Christian perseveres in the faith. He is the one who is preserved by God's grace.
3. Where these people without Christ belong . . . "the blackness of darkness forever" (v.13).
   The judgment of God will fall upon those who pretend to be followers of Christ, but in reality have never tasted of God's transforming grace. This judgment is spelled out:
   1. It is prepared . . . "for whom is reserved . . ."
   2. It is painful . . . "the blackness of darkness"
   3. It is permanent . . . "forever." May God by His grace cause your heart to love Christ.