PART I.
Jude, or as it
appears in the Greek “Ioudas” was one of the
half-brothers of our Lord Jesus Christ, and brother of James (Matt.
Jude begins his epistle with, “Jude, the servant of
Jesus Christ…” The term “servant” in the Greek is, “doulos” which
is a bondslave; someone bought from a slave-market. We as believers know that,
we were lost and undone; slaves to sin and death, but after that the love of
God our Savior appeared in the person of his Son Jesus Christ, we were redeemed
by his precious blood; bought back from the slave-market of sin and death.
Jude, out of true humility, would not identify himself as the brother of our Lord,
but chose rather to refer to himself as his “servant” demonstrating
that though he was aware of his earthly relationship to our Lord, he realized
that Jesus Christ was indeed God manifest in the flesh, and therefore his
personal Lord and Savior. Jude then proceeds to identify himself as “brother of James,” the other half- brother of our Lord. According to the
internal evidence, Jude wrote primarily to Jewish believers; perhaps the same
Jewish believers to whom the apostle Peter wrote. We know that they were, “sanctified by God the
father and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace and love be multiplied” Jude tells his readers that his first intent was to write
concerning the “common salvation” a positive presentation of the Christian faith. But felt moved by the Holy Spirit, that it was more needful
for him to write a powerful, and stirring exhortation to, “. . . earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” It is the faith
that we are to contend for; not our denominational dogmas, and creeds; not our
church affiliations, not some political party, or some ecclesiastical council;
but the faith that was once delivered to all the saints. The word in the Greek
for “earnestly
contend” is, “epagonizomai”
this is the only place in the New
Testament where this Greek verb is found. This word speaks of athletes
contending in the athletic contests; it gives us the image of the vigorous,
intense, determined struggle to defeat the opposition. Our word “agony” is the English
spelling of the noun form of this word. The Greek athlete exerted himself to
the point of agony in an effort to win the contest. This is the exact kind of
effort we as believers in Jesus Christ should put forth in the defense of the
faith. It is imperative to note that, in order to contend for the faith, we
must with all boldness falsify all others. Paul, writing to the Ephesians
said in chapter 4:4-6, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in
one hope of your calling; One Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and
though all, and in you all.” Notice the repeated use of the term “one” not two, or three, or
four, but one. When Jude writes concerning the “faith” he isn’t referring to the ability to believe as in saving
faith, but the system of Christian doctrinal truth, built upon the foundation
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why did Jude write with such urgency, why such
emergency, why such an alarm? Jude tells us why in verse four “For there are certain
men crept in unawares.
. ” The
phase “. .
crept in unawares” is “pareisduno” duno, “to enter,” eis, “into,” para, “beside,” Thus, “to enter alongside”
“ to slip in stealthily,” “to enter secretly as by a side-door” These false teachers would feign themselves as disciples
of Christ, but were actually wolves in sheep’s clothing. They had a form of
godliness, but they denied the power to live godly. Many of these false
teachers had already infiltrated the body of Christ before the end of the first
century. These are imposters, and enemies of the cross who will be in the
professing church until the end of the church age. This means that the warnings
to the first century church are warnings that echo down through the centuries.
We in the 21st. century have a greater responsible to keep the faith
than they who lived in Jude’s day. For now is our salvation nearer than when we
first believed. Peter said in his first epistle, chapter 3:13-15 that even in
the face of death and persecution, we should “be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a
reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” The apostle here in
chapter 3:13-15 is not speaking of answering a question when someone asks you
something about Jesus. He is telling us to be ready to give a defense (Gk. Apologiea) for the faith,
especially in the face of opposition. The Greek word here for “give an answer” means, to give a verbal defense. Paul tells us In
Philippians 1:7-17, he tells the Philippians that he stood in, “. . the defense and confirmation of
the gospel” (vs.7) While he stood in the defence of the gospel, there were
others who only preached Christ in order to add to Paul’s afflictions. Some
were preaching Christ out of envy and strife, but there were others who
preached Christ for the right reason, “. . of love, knowing that I am set for the
defence of the gospel.” (vs.17) we, the
true church who live in the closing hours of this age, must be ready to give a
defense (Gk.
Apologeia) for
the faith. It isn’t enough for us to give a positive presentation of the
gospel; we must give a bold, authoritative stand against heresies. The
apostle Paul demonstrated this in Acts 15:1-2. He and Barnabas stood up against
the judaizers who came down from
These are two
of many examples in the Holy Scriptures of how we are to content for the faith.
Notice the first scripture reference, how the dangerous opposition was from
within the church. The second reference had to do with the opposition that
comes from without. The lesson we must glean from this is, when opposing the
false religious systems from without with the truth of the gospel; it is for
the purpose of evangelizing the lost, to see men and women come to a saving knowledge
of Jesus Christ. For example, we cannot evangelize the Muslims with the false
premise that we are serving the same God, just under a deferent name. We must
expose Islam as false by the light of the truth of the gospel. All faiths do
not lead to God, for there is but one true faith, Jesus Christ and him
crucified.
However, the
greatest danger to the “. . . faith once delivered to the saints” is not from without,
but from within. This fact is so attested to in the Holy Scriptures that time
and space would not allow me to examine all that the Scriptures have to say on
this subject. Nevertheless, I believe it would be in the interest of truth to
examine briefly some references concerning this present and real danger to the
faith within the
Paul said of
those who preached this false gospel, or any other gospel would be accursed by
God. Another reference is found in II Corinthians 11:3-4, here Paul feared that
the Corinthians would be deceived by “false apostles” and “deceitful workers” (vs.13-15) Once again
Paul warns of the danger to the church, from within the church. By virtue of
these false teachers preaching “another jesus” by “another gospel” energized by “another spirit” the Corinthians would be in danger of apostatizing from the
true faith; “the
simplicity that is in Christ” (vs.3) The Corinthians would
have to earnestly content for the faith once and for all delivered to the
saints. Just as the Church in Jude’s day, we have a solemn responsibility to
content for the faith; we have the same mandate laid upon us in the 21st
century. It is imperative that we wrestle, agonize, and strive for the faith of
the gospel. (Philippians 1:27) Unfortunately, the modern church is in the
greatest apostasy since the first century. We are also experiencing the great
falling away spoken of in scripture. This is not a falling away from church
attendance, crusades, conferences, convocations, and seminars, etc. but a
falling away from the faith once delivered to the saints. There will be more
people in the last days, which will flock to hear much preaching and teaching,
but it will not be based on the word of God, but on doctrinal mythology. 2
Timothy 4:3, “for the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned
unto fables.”
(vs.4) “for there are certain
men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the
only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus”
Jude said of
these evil libertines that were “. . . ordained to this condemnation” That is, their
condemnation and destruction have already been foretold. God does not
predestine some for condemnation in particular. He warns us in his holy word,
what would cause men to be judged and condemned. He also tells us in his word
how we can be saved, and delivered from the wrath to come. It is for us to
repent toward God, if we are to escape his wrath. It is not his will that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Instead of these false
teachers repenting of their sensuality, they have instead “. . turned the
grace of our God into lasciviousness” That is, they turned the grace of God into a license for
immorality. This is known as the doctrine of the Antinomians. They were those
who rejected the moral law as binding on the Christian. Some go farther than
this, and say that good works hinder salvation, and that the child of God can
not sin; that the moral law is altogether abrogated as a rule of life; that no
Christian believes or does good works, but that Christ believed, and did the good
works for us. Wesley defines antinomianism as “the doctrine that makes void the law through faith.” Its roots lie in a
false view of the atonement; its view of the imputation of Christ’s
righteousness implies that he performs for men the obedience they ought to
perform, and therefore that God, in justice, can demand nothing further from
man. As a consequence of this doctrine, Antinomianism affirms that Christ
abolished the moral law; that Christians are no longer obliged to observe it;
that a believer is not obliged to use its ordinances, and is freed from “bondage of good works;” and that
preachers ought not to exhort men unto good works: not unbelievers, because it
is hurtful; not believers, because it is needless (Wesley, Works, 5’196) McClintock and Strong
encyclopedia
When
men teach a grace that allows us to
live in sin with impunity, they are indeed denying the Lordship of God, and of
Jesus Christ. Paul writing to Titus in chapter 2:11-12, said, “For the grace of
God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in
this present world;” This is the true
grace of God, and any other is really no grace at all. (vs.5) “I therefore put you
in remembrance, though ye know this. . .” Jude brings to our attention some past examples of divine
judgment, that by these we may know that God intents to punish with eternal
fire those who practice ungodliness.
(1) The
murmuring of the Israelites
(2) The fallen
angels
(3) Those
of
“. . . how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the
Here we have an account of the children of
(vs.6) “And the angels
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” The sin of these angels is horrific in
nature. As a matter of fact, their sin resulted in the flood of Genesis 6. The
word for “first
estate” in
the Greek is, “arche” it means, “beginning,
origin.” The second meaning of this word is, “sovereignty, dominion, magistracy.”
These angels left the original position of their created purpose, and violated the
laws of God that separated the celestial beings from terrestrial beings; namely
human beings. This is perversion of the highest sort; that of unifying two
separate categories of created intelligence into that which is against nature.
Jude, like Peter points us to Genesis 6 where these angels came down to
co-habit with the daughters of men. We read in Genesis chapter 6:1-2, “And it came to
pass, when men began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born unto
them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and
they took them wives of all which they chose.” Down in verse 4, it tells us the result of this unholy
union; “There
were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of
God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same
became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” This sin of co-habitation with “the daughters of
men” committed by these angels help bring
about the conditions, that brought the judgment of the flood. Just as God
poured out his judgment on Noah’s generation, and imprisoned these celestial
fornicators; so will he also bring his holy wrath to bear on those who turn his
grace into a license to allow such deeds. (See also 2 Peter 2:4)
(vs.7) “Even as Sodom and
Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to
fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” In
the same manner as the angels of verse 6, the inhabitants of
The apostle Paul
writing to the Corinthians in chapter
As a result of
their fornication, the inhabitants of
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