The Dangerous Christian No One Suspects

“These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” (Jude 1:19)

When you see the word sensual in Scripture, where does your mind go?

For most of us, it lands immediately on physical appetites. Maybe moral compromise. The obvious stuff—the kind of sin that gets people removed from leadership or whispered about in church hallways.

But here’s the problem: that’s not what Jude is talking about at all.

The people Jude warns about aren’t the ones caught in scandal. They’re not the ones living double lives or indulging secret sins. They’re far more dangerous than that. Because they look spiritual. They sound anointed. They might even be the most gifted people in the room.

So who are these “sensual persons” that cause divisions?

The Greek Word Changes Everything

The English word sensual completely misses what Jude is actually saying. The Greek word he uses is ψυχικοί (psychikoi). It comes from ψυχή (psychē). You’ve heard this word before—it’s where we get psychology, psychiatry, psychosomatic. It means the soul. Your mind. Your emotions. Your reasoning capacity. Your instincts. Your personality. Everything that makes you distinctly you.

Now watch what happens when you understand that.

Jude isn’t warning about people driven by their bodies. He’s warning about people driven by their souls. By themselves. By their own thoughts, feelings, logic, preferences, and instincts—all operating independently of the Holy Spirit. These aren’t carnal people in the way we typically use that word. These are soulish people. Self-governed people. People running on their own internal operating system instead of being led by the Spirit.

And here’s what makes this so dangerous: they don’t look broken. They look brilliant.

James Uses the Exact Same Word

If you’re wondering whether this interpretation holds up, James removes all doubt. When he describes earthly wisdom—the kind that causes trouble in the church—he uses the exact same Greek word: “This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual (psychikē), demonic.” (James 3:15).

Same word. Same problem.