Jude 4a; II Pet. 2:1a,b,c

Jude now comes to the purpose for contending for the faith. "For there are certain men crept in unawares..." While many verses, including the rest if verse four, are devoted to describing these men, this phrase gives their M.O. Unlike Satan's description as a roaring lion (I Pet. 5:8), these men are much more subtle, such as the serpent in Genesis 3. They come into homes through television, into churches, and are all around us. They seem like Christians, look like Christians, may even act the part, but they are not. Peter in II Peter 2:1 tells of them being false teachers who PRIVILY bring in damnable heresies. (He mentions back from chapter 1 that this is not new.) These people are not open in their rejection, nor open in recruiting others. But this is what makes them so dangerous. They are difficult to spot. They are more as leeches than lions. But the Bible says that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (I Cor. 5:6). These men can destroy a church. But the Bible also says that they are "certain men". While they are hard to spot, by hearing their convictions and doctrine they can be found out. We must pray for discernment, that God would help us weed out these "certain men" (I Kin. 3:9).