Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.
This letter was likely written around AD 65, by the half-brother of Jesus Christ, and full brother of James. Like his brothers, Jude didn’t believe in Jesus during his earthly ministry (John 7:5), but came to believe after he rose from the dead.
The recipients were probably Jewish Christians, since Jude quoted freely from the Old Testament and other Jewish sources. He wrote to combat the idea that God’s free forgiveness in Christ includes the freedom to sin without restraint. Due to the subject’s serious nature, the tone of this letter is severe.
Jude’s letter is often overlooked because of its brevity, but it’s remarkably cogent, well written, and carefully constructed. It shares much in common with Second Peter, but it’s not clear if Peter relied on Jude, if Jude relied on Peter, or if both relied on a third source. This kind of sharing was commonly accepted in the ancient world.
Jude 1:1b To those who have been called . . . .
We should make a distinction between the general call of God and the effective call of God. Jesus spoke of the general call when he said many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14, ESV). When the gospel is preached, people are invited to come to the Savior. This is the general call of God to salvation.
The effective call of God is that by which he converts a sinner to himself. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Romans 8:30), wrote Paul.
God’s effective call is seen in the conversion of Lydia. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message (Acts 16:14), wrote Luke. It isn’t said that Paul opened her heart, or that Lydia opened her own heart, but that The Lord opened her heart. Others were also there, but it’s not said that the Lord opened their hearts, only Lydia’s heart.
Before you believed in Jesus Christ, you we’re dead in your sins (Colossians 2:14), wrote Paul. Dead people can’t make themselves alive, but the call of God can. Jesus went to the tomb of his dead friend and said, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen (John 11:43-44), wrote John. The word of God raised Lazarus from the dead, and raises dead sinners to life. When we understand the effective call of God, we give glory to him for our conversion, and take none of the credit ourselves.
Jude 1:1c . . . who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
God is the one who saves, and God is the one who keeps. We must believe and obey, of course, but God is the one who keeps us for his Son. We are kept for Jesus Christ, wrote Jude.
Not long after I came to Christ I strayed from him and, for months, showed no evidence of being a Christian. God could’ve turned his back on me, the way I did on him, but he graciously called me back by the power of his Spirit. If I wasn’t kept by God, I wouldn’t be in the faith today.
This idea is called preservation, and is seen in the following verses. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand (John 10:28-29), said Jesus.
He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8), wrote Paul. And, [H]e who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6), wrote Paul again. By understanding the doctrine of preservation we give glory to God for keeping us, and take none of the credit ourselves.
Jude 1:3 . . . contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
The Christian faith, as taught by the apostles, was being eroded by false teachers. If believers didn’t reject the false teaching, they’d soon belong to a false church. Jude rang the alarm to awaken the church to the danger it faced.
Christians should contend for the faith, but shouldn’t be contentious. Churches have been hurt by contentious leaders who want others to agree with them on every point. If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15), wrote Paul.
It’s helpful to distinguish primary doctrines of Christianity from secondary doctrines of Christianity. Primary doctrines include the Trinity (Matthew 28:19), the person and work of Christ (John 1:1, 14), and the authority of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). Secondary doctrines include things like the nature and role of angels. Everything is important, of course, but everything isn’t equally important. Contending for the faith is good; being contentious for the faith is bad.
Jude 1:4 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.
This is the heart of the problem Jude wrote to correct. The offer of forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ was being perverted to mean that Christians can sin, without restraint, and still be saved. But, in doing so, they [denied] Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Jesus said, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell (Matthew 5:28-29). To argue that Christians can live immorally is to deny the authority of Jesus Christ.
The heresy of antinomianism continues to flourish in many churches. Some teach that people can accept Jesus as their Savior without accepting him as their Lord. They can accept his forgiveness without accepting his commands. Other churches flatly reject Jesus’ teaching on morality and condone the very behavior he condemns. But, in doing so, they deny the authority of Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Reflection and Review
How has Jesus kept you in the faith?
Should Christians be argumentative?
What should we do if God’s commands seem too hard for us?
This letter was likely written around AD 65, by the half-brother of Jesus Christ, and full brother of James. Like his brothers, Jude didn’t believe in Jesus during his earthly ministry (John 7:5), but came to believe after he rose from the dead.
The recipients were probably Jewish Christians, since Jude quoted freely from the Old Testament and other Jewish sources. He wrote to combat the idea that God’s free forgiveness in Christ includes the freedom to sin without restraint. Due to the subject’s serious nature, the tone of this letter is severe.
Jude’s letter is often overlooked because of its brevity, but it’s remarkably cogent, well written, and carefully constructed. It shares much in common with Second Peter, but it’s not clear if Peter relied on Jude, if Jude relied on Peter, or if both relied on a third source. This kind of sharing was commonly accepted in the ancient world.
Jude 1:1b To those who have been called . . . .
We should make a distinction between the general call of God and the effective call of God. Jesus spoke of the general call when he said many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14, ESV). When the gospel is preached, people are invited to come to the Savior. This is the general call of God to salvation.
The effective call of God is that by which he converts a sinner to himself. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Romans 8:30), wrote Paul.
God’s effective call is seen in the conversion of Lydia. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message (Acts 16:14), wrote Luke. It isn’t said that Paul opened her heart, or that Lydia opened her own heart, but that The Lord opened her heart. Others were also there, but it’s not said that the Lord opened their hearts, only Lydia’s heart.
Before you believed in Jesus Christ, you we’re dead in your sins (Colossians 2:14), wrote Paul. Dead people can’t make themselves alive, but the call of God can. Jesus went to the tomb of his dead friend and said, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen (John 11:43-44), wrote John. The word of God raised Lazarus from the dead, and raises dead sinners to life. When we understand the effective call of God, we give glory to him for our conversion, and take none of the credit ourselves.
Jude 1:1c . . . who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
God is the one who saves, and God is the one who keeps. We must believe and obey, of course, but God is the one who keeps us for his Son. We are kept for Jesus Christ, wrote Jude.
Not long after I came to Christ I strayed from him and, for months, showed no evidence of being a Christian. God could’ve turned his back on me, the way I did on him, but he graciously called me back by the power of his Spirit. If I wasn’t kept by God, I wouldn’t be in the faith today.
This idea is called preservation, and is seen in the following verses. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand (John 10:28-29), said Jesus.
He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8), wrote Paul. And, [H]e who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6), wrote Paul again. By understanding the doctrine of preservation we give glory to God for keeping us, and take none of the credit ourselves.
Jude 1:3 . . . contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
The Christian faith, as taught by the apostles, was being eroded by false teachers. If believers didn’t reject the false teaching, they’d soon belong to a false church. Jude rang the alarm to awaken the church to the danger it faced.
Christians should contend for the faith, but shouldn’t be contentious. Churches have been hurt by contentious leaders who want others to agree with them on every point. If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15), wrote Paul.
It’s helpful to distinguish primary doctrines of Christianity from secondary doctrines of Christianity. Primary doctrines include the Trinity (Matthew 28:19), the person and work of Christ (John 1:1, 14), and the authority of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). Secondary doctrines include things like the nature and role of angels. Everything is important, of course, but everything isn’t equally important. Contending for the faith is good; being contentious for the faith is bad.
Jude 1:4 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.
This is the heart of the problem Jude wrote to correct. The offer of forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ was being perverted to mean that Christians can sin, without restraint, and still be saved. But, in doing so, they [denied] Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Jesus said, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell (Matthew 5:28-29). To argue that Christians can live immorally is to deny the authority of Jesus Christ.
The heresy of antinomianism continues to flourish in many churches. Some teach that people can accept Jesus as their Savior without accepting him as their Lord. They can accept his forgiveness without accepting his commands. Other churches flatly reject Jesus’ teaching on morality and condone the very behavior he condemns. But, in doing so, they deny the authority of Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Reflection and Review
How has Jesus kept you in the faith?
Should Christians be argumentative?
What should we do if God’s commands seem too hard for us?