My question:
In the book of Jude, verses 8 through 11, it talks about encouraging the reader to not blaspheme the glorious ones. In my experience in some church circles, they encourage rebuking the devil or bad spirits. Could this part of the book of Jude give us some insight as to how not to address even bad spirit beings as Christians, but instead to respond as the writer of Jude describes how the angel Michael responded, or are we better to just leave it in God’s hands completely?
ChatGPT response:
Yeah—this is a great question, and Jude is one of those small-but-loaded books where every line is doing a lot of work.
Let’s slow-walk Jude 8–11 and then circle back to modern “rebuking spirits” language.
The Text in View (Jude 8–11)
Jude warns that certain false teachers:
“reject authority and blaspheme the glorious ones” (v.8)
The key phrase is “the glorious ones” (δόξας / doxas). Jude then immediately gives a counter-example:
“But when Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’” (v.9)
Then Jude contrasts this again:
“But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand…” (v.10)
So the logic flows like this:
False teachers → arrogant speech toward spiritual beings
Michael → restrained, delegated speech
Therefore → imitate Michael, not the rebels
Who Are “the Glorious Ones”?
Jude is deliberately vague, but the term almost certainly refers to spiritual beings with delegated authority, whether loyal or fallen.
That would include:
Angels Powers / authorities
Even rebellious spirits who still occupy a place within God’s ordered cosmic administration (cf. Job 1–2; Daniel 10)
The issue is not moral approval, but ontological status—they are still powerful created beings under God’s jurisdiction.
Michael’s Posture Is the Key
Michael is doing something very important:
He does not deny the devil’s rebellion
He does not engage in trash talk
He does not assert his own authority
He appeals upward
“The Lord rebuke you.”
That phrase matters.
Michael could act—he’s an archangel—but he refuses to usurp judgment.
Jude’s point is not “don’t oppose evil,” but:
Don’t confuse resistance with presumption.
Why Jude Thinks This Matters
Jude links arrogant spiritual speech with:
Korah’s rebellion (v.11) → rejecting God’s appointed order
Balaam’s error → treating spiritual power as manipulable
Cain’s way → self-assertion over trust
All three are about seizing authority rather than submitting to it.
So when people casually say things like:
“I rebuke Satan”
“I bind this spirit”
“I command you in my authority”
Jude would likely say:
Careful. That tone assumes more than Scripture grants.
Does This Mean Christians Do Nothing?
No—but notice where agency is located in the New Testament.
Believers are told to:
Resist the devil (James 4:7)
Stand firm (Eph 6)
Pray for deliverance (Matt 6:13)
Entrust judgment to God (Rom 12:19)
But resistance ≠ railing accusation.
Even Jesus, in the wilderness, quotes Scripture and refuses dialogue, rather than theatrically rebuking Satan.
So What Is the Jude-Shaped Response?
Jude seems to commend a posture like this:
Acknowledge evil as real
Refuse to mock or verbally dominate spiritual beings
Appeal to God’s authority, not your own
Remain within your vocation as a human witness, not a cosmic enforcer
In other words:
Prayer, trust, and obedience—
not taunts, commands, or bravado.
Bottom Line
Yes—Jude absolutely gives us insight here.
He is pushing back against a spirituality that is:
Overconfident
Verbally aggressive
Unaware of cosmic order
And he offers Michael as the model:
Even the strongest servant of God knows when to say,
“This is not my judgment to pronounce.”
So if you’re asking whether we’re better off leaving it in God’s hands—Jude would say:
Yes… while faithfully standing where God placed you.
I then asked:
You referenced:
Resist the devil (James 4:7)
What might this piece of advice look like in practice according to the Bible, and is it counter to what Jude describes?
ChatGPT response:
Short answer: James 4:7 and Jude are not in tension at all—they’re aiming at the same posture, just from different angles.
Longer (and more interesting) answer below.
James 4:7 in Context (this really matters)
James doesn’t say only “Resist the devil.” He says:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
That’s a single movement, not two unrelated commands.
Submission comes first.
Resistance flows out of submission.
If you skip submission and jump straight to “resisting,” you end up with exactly the kind of presumption Jude is warning about.
What “Resist” Does Not Mean Biblically
James is not describing:
Yelling at spirits
Issuing commands into the air
Verbally rebuking unseen beings
Asserting personal authority over cosmic powers
Notice James gives no words to speak to the devil at all.
That silence is telling.
So What Does Resistance Look Like in Practice?
When you let Scripture interpret Scripture, resistance looks surprisingly… unflashy.
1. Submission to God (James 4:7a)
This is the core act.
In context, James defines submission as:
Humility (4:6, 10)
Repentance (4:8–9)
Turning away from divided loyalty (4:4)
👉 Resistance begins with allegiance, not confrontation.
2. Refusing the Devil’s Leverage
In the Bible, the devil’s power is almost always accusatory and deceptive, not coercive.
So resistance looks like:
Refusing lies (John 8:44)
Rejecting accusations (Rev 12:10–11)
Not giving “place” or foothold (Eph 4:27)
You don’t have to speak to the devil to resist him.
You resist him by not agreeing with him.
3. Embodied Obedience
James is relentlessly practical.
Resisting the devil looks like:
Doing justice instead of exploiting others
Controlling the tongue
Loving neighbors instead of rivaling them
Choosing patience instead of rage
Why?
Because obedience dismantles temptation’s platform.
The devil flees not because he’s been shouted at—but because there’s nothing left to work with.
4. Prayer That Appeals Upward (not outward)
This is where James and Jude line up perfectly.
James emphasizes prayer all over his letter:
Asking God for wisdom
Crying out in suffering
Confessing sin
Jude’s Michael example does the same thing:
“The Lord rebuke you.”
In both cases:
Judgment is appealed to, not seized
Authority is invoked, not performed
That’s not passivity—that’s proper placement.
Is This Counter to Jude?
Not at all. It’s actually the same theology, just applied to different errors.
Jude warns against:
Arrogant spiritual speech
Presuming authority over cosmic beings
Treating the unseen realm casually
James warns against:
Pride
Double-minded loyalty
Thinking resistance is external instead of internal
Both are correcting the same instinct:
“I will deal with this myself.”
And both redirect us to:
“God is the one who judges, restrains, and defeats.”
A Simple Way to Put It
Jude tells you how not to resist.
James tells you how to resist.
Jude:
Don’t rail.
Don’t mock.
Don’t presume.
James:
Submit.
Obey.
Stay loyal.
Pray.
Put together, resistance looks like this:
Quiet faithfulness under God’s authority
is more dangerous to evil than loud spiritual bravado.
Final Takeaway
Biblically speaking:
You resist the devil by clinging to God
You don’t address him directly
You don’t need to out-talk him
You outlast him by faithfulness
And that’s why James can say:
“Resist the devil, and he will flee”
without ever contradicting Jude’s warning—
because both assume that God, not humans, is the active enforcer.
It makes me think of this…
Proverbs 4:7 (HCSB) – Wisdom is supreme — so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding.
Godspeed, to the brethren!
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