²²And have mercy on some, who are doubting; ²³save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

Jude’s heart shines through as he concludes his severe rebuke of the pseudo-believers who distort the doctrine of grace, manipulating it to justify sinful living. He is fully aware of this invective’s effect on some Christians who are weak in their faith. Even today, some Christians worry about their salvation. “Did I really believe enough?” “Does my besetting sin that I struggle with mean that I am not a genuine believer?”

We do not have a definitive biblical answer to give for every form of doubt, but our attitude should be one of mercy. Chastising doubting Christians, or even treating them as though they are unsaved, is not good. Instead, we should encourage them to continue reading the Word and submitting to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. The struggle with doubt is evidence of faith. Those who live sinfully and never doubt their salvation might do well to reread the book of Jude and examine their presumed “faith.” But for the doubting Christian, we would refer them to 1 John 5 for assurance.

Even for the false teachers and those who have given themselves over to sinful living and distorting grace, Jude does not end on a final judgment. Just as with doubting Christians, we should have mercy on them likewise. We should never wish on them eternal damnation, for final judgment belongs to the Lord only. But having mercy on people like this is a form of loving our enemies, as Jesus commanded us to do (Matt. 5:44, Luke 6:35). We want for them what we discovered for ourselves, that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). They are, like we were, sinners in need of God’s mercy, which He expressed by giving Jesus to take the judgment on the cross that was ours. Just as He did for us, we want God to “snatch them out of the fire” of eternal torment in hell. Skeptics mock the idea of everlasting punishment, but Jude (and genuine believers) are motivated by that thought—to seek God’s mercy on them.

Mercy does not mean we do nothing about false teachers, for it is right to hate their sin. In the phrase “hating even the garment polluted by the flesh,” we see an expression of disdain for sinful behavior. We need to confront all false teaching and expose pseudo-Christians, not intending to get rid of them but to “save” them.

Lord, help me know how best to love those who undermine Your truth. I don’t want them to be condemned but to repent and be saved.