In November 2010, Ingrid Betancourt described her harrowing 6-year-long ordeal as a guerilla war
captive in the jungles of Colombia. She had been captured during a trip with government aides to a
remote town and now was wasting away in a jungle camp while being viciously abused by her captors.
She talked about how she barely kept her will to stay optimistic and self-respecting even under
gruesome conditions and great suffering. She never lost her will to escape thankfully and that resolve
kept her alive until Colombian forces were able to trick the guerilla warriors and sneak her away by
helicopter. In the TV interview afterwards, she described the psychology behind her captors. She said, “I
think we all have, you know, human condition, light and shadow. And this shadow is like a little monster
that it's locked inside of us and that we keep there. But, when you met -- meet some conditions, that
monster can be unleashed. I could see people that, in the first days, where they would come and meet
us, they would encourage us to be who we are -- were, and they would try to be nice. But the weeks
passing by, they would turn themselves into these horrible persons, abusing, being very cruel, and
having a satisfaction in their cruelty, which was sadistic.”
I couldn’t help but connect this description with Jude’s stark take on humanity’s dark side in his epistle.
He says, “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped
in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality
and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord….These people are blemishes at your love
feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are
clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice
dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest
darkness has been reserved forever.”
Jude here talks about how natural human instincts are on display. He draws a distinction between the
corrupt instincts that humanity so often falls into and the God’s beautifully loving, merciful character. At
first, he makes this point by speaking in more general terms about the moral decline in the surrounding
world. But then he brings it much closer to home. Notice, he doesn’t scold his hearers, he just warns
them: But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you,
“In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people
who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” And then he pleads with
them: “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy
Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to
eternal life.” (Jude 20, 21) We’re all dealing with a sinful nature that’s trying to derail our commitment
to God. The devil uses foul means left and right to entice us into defiant sin or subtly draw our attention
away from God. But here’s the key to staying faithful—“Keep yourselves in God’s love” and “Wait for the
Lord’s mercy.” Jude doesn’t offer a 12-step program to stop sinning and he doesn’t give a pat answer
about hanging onto to some vague promises. He just gives these two keys: Keep on strengthening your
friendship with God (this is where prayer, Bible study, reflection, claiming promises, and worship come
in) and live every day with the expectant anticipation of Christ’s coming. This journey isn’t always easy,
in fact, it can become agony some days. But when the sinful nature starts clamoring within, we can learn
to take a deep breath, send up a quick prayer, quote the Bible, and keep looking to Jesus.
Warner, Margaret. “Former Captive Ingrid Betancourt on the ‘Light We Have Inside.’” World: PBS
Newshour. 4 November 2010. Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/ingrid-
betancourt