THE 5 SHORT BOOKS OF THE BIBLE: JUDE

COMMENTS

General:

• The short epistle was written by Jude (Judas), one of the four brothers of Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:55-56), and warns against the godlessness of false teachers espousing libertinism.
  • Notice the humility in the heading: Jude's self-description as "servant" of his brother (v.1). 
  • The faith entrusted to the saints refers to the body of evangelical teaching, more than personal faith in God. The implication: the end of the revelatory process.
• The false teachers pervert grace, deny Christ as Lord, and reject his sovereign claim on their lives (v.4). A common combination among opponents of the truth (2 Peter, 2 Timothy 3) is rejection of authority and "freedom" to engage in sensuality (also v.8).
• A series of examples illustrates the dangers of succumbing to these teachers.
  • The Israelites were rescued from Egypt, but later destroyed as they did not persevere in faith (v.5). 
  • The rebellious angels are now "bound with everlasting chains" (v.6). 
  • Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19) are a third illustration (v.7).
  • The reference to Michael and the argument over Moses' body (v.8) builds on a popular Jewish story. If even Michael refused to slander Satan, how should we think and speak about the evil one? (Not flippantly, as many are prone to do!)
• The enemies against which Jude warns (v.10) are on the carnal, animal level rather than the spiritual, godly level. They strongly resist true Christianity and its adherents. Jude then supplies three more analogies (v.11):
  • Cain (Genesis 4) -- offering an inferior sacrifice, he kills his brother.
  • Balaam (Numbers 22-24) -- lured by financial gain, he considers cursing the people of God, and in fact influences Israelites to engage in sexual sin.
  • Korah (Numbers 16) -- rejecting the call to holiness, he and his followers dilute God's standard of righteousness and severely criticize Moses and others who uphold it.
• Following are five further analogies from nature (vv.12-13):
  • Reefs (NIV "blemishes") -- constituting a menace to navigation and causing potential shipwreck.
  • Wind-blown clouds (see Proverbs 25:14) -- promising but not delivering.
  • Fruitless trees -- bearing no fruit for God because their roots have rotted.
  • Wild waves -- impossible to control and lacking all civility, subtlety, and sobriety.
  • Wandering stars -- creating their own path, deviating from the ways of God. 
• Jude warns further about these godless men:
  • Enoch (v.14) has already spoken of them.
  • These are egotistical and manipulative leaders (v.16), like Diotrephes of 3 John.
  • They are carnal (v.19); they do not think as the Spirit thinks (Romans 8). "Natural instincts" suspiciously resonate with modern catchphrases like "spontaneity" and "being yourself."
• In light of this threat, how ought we to live?
  • We are to take responsibility for building ourselves up in the faith (v.20).
  • We are to pray in the Spirit. 1 Cor 12:30 says 'tongues' wasn't for all; therefore praying in the Spirit is different.
  • We are to "keep ourselves" in God's love (v.21). Since salvation is dependent on the mercy of Christ, eternal life is our goal (though also a present reality [John 5:24]).
  • Finally, we are to be discerning in how we approach others;
    • Doubters, as well as those "in the fire," are to be helped.
    • And yet a healthy distance is to be kept from those who are corrupted or are agents of corruption.
• Jude closes his power-packed epistle with a doxology, or word of praise (vv.24-25).
  • The Lord can preserve us without fault and with great joy! See 1 John 2:28.
  • God is our Lord and Savior; Jesus is Lord and Savior (2 Peter 1:11; 2:20;  3:18; thus Jesus is divine.
  • His is the true authority.
• Jude offers us several crucial lessons:
  • Beware leadership whose message appeals to the world (1 John 4:5), with its false notions of freedom.
  • The evidence of such leadership: unspiritual lives; negativity; selfishness; arrogance and boasting; flattery; manipulation.
  • Though grace and mercy may be underemphasized in our fellowship, we must still reject the opposite extreme ("license for immorality").
  • Contempt for authority has perilous effects, as does following the wrong sort of authority.
  • We must trust in Christ to protect us from stumbling, sin, and stain. He is infinitely more than able to meet our need.

Advanced:

• What was the original purpose of the letter? The answer depends on the translation of verse 3. It was either to expound upon the theme of salvation, or to urge the people to strive for the faith and watch out for certain enemies of the faith. 
• Jude is an anglicized version of Judas, a latinized form of Ioudas, the Greek form of Yehudah, the Hebrew name of the biblical patriarch and southern Israelite tribe Judah. 
• As you will see by closely comparing the two, either 2 Peter is an expansion of Jude, or Jude is a condensation of 2 Peter.
• If Sodom is an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire," in what sense is their destruction "'eternal"? Eternal may mean everlasting (infinitely long), but it also has another meaning: pertaining to the next age. (Latin: aetas = age, aeternalis = pertaining to the age.)
• What are these "last times" (v.18)? See 2 Timothy 3:1.
• "Praying in the Spirit " (v.20) is praying spiritually. Against the claims of the neo-pentecostals, it is not glossolalia. 1 Corinthians 12:30. after all, says "tongues" weren't for all. Therefore praying in the Spirit must be something different than the miraculous gift of languages.
• Re: v.21: Those who believe in "once saved, always saved" have no answer to this objection to their claim, based on their misinterpretation of Romans 8:39. Clearly nothing can separate us from God's love; only we have the power to ruin our own salvation.

For more, please see the chapter on Jude in my James, Peter, John, Jude.

This article is copyrighted and is for private use and study only. © 2003. Reprints or public distribution is prohibited without the express consent of Douglas Jacoby.