Joseph Prince’s Hypocrisy is Unveiled as He Falsely Accuses Commentators of Twisting Jude 4 when He is the Real Culprit – By Rev George Ong (Dated 23 Feb 2021)
For the background to this article, it is necessary that you view what Asher Chee has covered against Joseph Prince’s teaching on Jude 4 in the video (click to view).
Joseph Prince said in the video:
“You know the thing is this; there is always someone who will try to twist this verse (Jude 4). And I have seen even commentators twist this verse into how the grace of God has dwindled into license. When actually the original Greek says – it’s transposed. It’s when grace is removed, licentiousness rules.”
Joseph Prince has committed a revolting act of falsely accusing other commentators of twisting Jude 4, when the truth is, he is the real culprit who has twisted it. What do you call a person who accuses others of the same act he is guilty of? – A hypocrite!
To unveil Joseph Prince’s hypocrisy and false accusations against other commentators, I have personally combed through 57 translations of the Bible as follows:
KJ21, ASV, AMP, AMPC, BRG, CSB, CEB, CJB, CEV, DARBY, DLNT, DRA, ERV, EHV, ESV, ESVUK, EXB, GNV, GNT, HSCB, ICB, ISV, Phillips, JUB, KJV, AKJV, LEB, TLB, MEV, MOUNCE, NOG, NABRE, NASB, NCV, NET, NIRV, NIV, NIVUK, NKJV, NLV, NLT, NMB, NRSV, NRSVA, NRSVACE, NRSVCE, NTE, OJB, TPT, RSV, RSVCE, TLV, VOICE, WEB, WE, WYC, YLT.
All 57 translations have translated Jude 4 along this line – that the grace of God has been turned or distorted or perverted into licentiousness or lasciviousness, or the grace of God has been used as an excuse for sexual sins, etc.
The eight examples of these 57 translations are appended below:
“…for they distort the grace of our God into decadence and immoral freedom…” (Jude 4 AMP)
“…ungodly people who pervert God’s grace into a license for debauchery…” (Jude 4 CJB)
“… They have used the grace of our God in the wrong way—to do sinful things…” (Jude 4 ERV)
“…ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality…” (Jude 4 ESV)
“…persons who distort the message about the grace of our God in order to excuse their immoral ways…” (Jude 4 GNT)
“… They misuse the grace of our God as an excuse for sexual sins…” (Jude 4 NIRV)
“…saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives…” (Jude 4 NLT)
“… Depraved souls who stand condemned have made a mockery of the grace given to us, using it as a pretext for a life of excess…” (Jude 4 VOICE)
None of these 57 translations are anywhere near the view of Joseph Prince – that the grace of God is completely removed or replaced.
If Jude 4 really means what Joseph Prince has postured, there must at least be a few translations that could have translated somewhere near that view, but none did.
This means Joseph Prince is falsely accusing the hundreds of Bible scholars behind the 57 Bible translations of twisting Jude 4 to something which is false.
Next, I have also personally checked 19 commentaries on Jude 4:
Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
Adam Clarke Commentary
Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible
Benson Commentary
Meyer’s Bible Commentary
Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary
Coffman Commentaries of the Bible
Expositor’s Greek Testament
Expositor’s Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
The Biblical Illustrator
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Justin Edwards’ Family Bible New Testament
Bengel’s Gnomen (commentary)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Pulpit Bible Commentary
Matthew Poole’s Commentary
John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible
Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary.
All 19 commentaries share the same view that Jude 4 refers to people who have abused God’s grace for licentiousness. None is of the view that is anywhere close to what Joseph Prince has postured – that licentiousness has resulted because God’s grace has been totally replaced.
Just imagine – Joseph Prince is accusing John Calvin, one of the most prominent Reformation Fathers, Matthew Henry, a known figure in Bible commentary, and the 17 other Bible commentators of twisting the text of Jude 4.
Let me highlight two of the 19 Bible commentaries:
Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible:
‘The grace of our God’ in Jude 4.
“He (Jude) now expresses more clearly what the evil was; for he says that they abused the grace of God, so as to lead themselves and others to take an impure and profane liberty in sinning.”
Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible:
Jude 4
“Turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness – Abusing the doctrines of grace so as to give indulgence to corrupt and carnal propensities. That is, probably, they gave this form to their teaching, as Antinomians have often done, that by the gospel they were released from the obligations of the law, and might give indulgence to their sinful passions in order that grace might abound. Antinomianism began early in the world, and has always had a wide prevalence. The liability of the doctrines of grace to be thus abused was foreseen by Paul, and against such abuse he earnestly sought to guard the Christians of his time, Romans 6:1, following.”
The commentaries of John Calvin and Albert Barnes clearly indicate that the grace of God has been abused for sinning. They both do not share the same view as Joseph Prince does – that the grace of God has been totally removed, resulting in licentiousness.
Furthermore, to uncover Joseph Prince’s false accusation of other commentators, I have read/browse through the entire book of the following seven commentaries, not just on Jude 4 but the entire book of Jude:
– The MacArthur New Testament Commentary by John MacArthur on 2 Peter and Jude
– The New Testament Application Commentary on 2 Peter and Jude by Douglas J Moo
– David Pawson, Unlocking The Bible, on Jude
– Michael Green Tyndale New Testament series, 2 Peter and Jude
– William Barclay The Daily Study Bible, The Letters of John and Jude
– Christ-centred Exposition Exalting Jesus in 2 Peter and Jude by Jim Shaddix & Daniel L Akin
– Richard J Bauckham, Word Biblical Commentary on 2 Peter and Jude.
Each of these seven commentaries is of the same view that Jude 4 is about the grace of God being perverted, distorted, and turned into licentiousness by false teachers. None of the seven commentaries share the same view as Joseph Prince does.
So, Joseph Prince, is falsely accusing these seven scholars, most of them who are well-known International Bible teachers such as John MacArthur, David Pawson, Douglas J Moo, and the rest of twisting the scripture in Jude 4.
Why is Joseph Prince so adamant about pushing his interpretation that grace has been completely removed in Jude 4?
This is because he is anxious to remove this damaging criticism against his Pseudo-grace doctrine – that it has actually been distorted and perverted by people for licentiousness and unholy living.
And if he can convince the people that it is because grace has been totally removed that has led to licentiousness, his grace theology would be seen as vitally important and must be preached to avert the disaster.
Finally, it is already a severe matter for one Bible teacher to falsely accuse another Bible teacher of twisting the scriptures.
But to have the unholy guts to falsely accuse the hundreds of Bible scholars behind the 57 Bible translations and the 26 (19 plus 7) Bible commentators, most of whom are renowned Bible scholars/teachers of twisting the interpretation of Jude 4 – that certainly must be the work of a false teacher.
Joseph Prince is also falsely accusing every true Bible teacher and commentator throughout the last 2,000 years of Christianity of twisting Jude 4.
But the most despicable and hypocritical act of Joseph Prince is that he has the audacity to falsely accuse others of twisting Jude 4 when he is the real culprit! How can a man who commits such hypocritical act in broad daylight not be a wolf in sheepskin?
Rev George Ong