Jude (Judah) Jude (Judah)
Jude (Judah)
Introduction
At a Glance
Author: The apostle Judah, also known as Jude
Audience: Eastern Mediterranean Christians, all God’s lovers
Date: AD 58–60
Type of Literature: A letter
Major Themes: Christian faith, Christian life, God’s character, salvation, and judgment
Outline:
Letter Opening — 1–2
Judah’s Reason for Writing — 3
Judah’s Arguments against the False Teachers — 4–16
Judah’s Call to Persevere — 17–23
Letter Closing — 24–25
About Jude (Judah)
The name of this book from the Greek text is Judas, which is taken from the Hebrew/Aramaic name Judah. The actual name of this book is Judah! One of the most neglected letters in the New Testament, Judah carries a message for every believer today: there is a truth worth fighting for. It is not only written to you, as one who loves the truth; it is also entrusted to you—to preserve, defend, contend, and struggle for.
Though Judah wrote to a specific community who had been influenced by false teachers and foreign ideas to the gospel, his warning to persevere in both believing in our faith and living out our faith is timeless—for the church has always had to contend with false teachers who have tried to pervert the message of God’s grace and distort the nature of our salvation.
The one striking fact you’ll discover in reading Judah’s letter is that he likely refers to two extrabiblical books, The Assumption of Moses (v. 9), and the Book of 1 Enoch (vv. 14–15). (Or “The Testament of Moses.” Some scholars believe The Assumption of Moses and The Testament of Moses are one in the same. Others see them as different pseudegraphical books.) This has led some to reject Judah entirely, but there is no law against quoting from non-inspired books or borrowing thoughts and including them in an inspired text. They teach us some important revelation-truths about corruption and ungodliness.
By the last half of the first century there were already many false teachers who had infiltrated the ranks of the believers. Judah writes to warn and identify them as those who cause divisions and distort the truths of our faith. Yet you’ll find some of the most beautiful treasures in his book, such as praying in the spirit, and the duty of keeping our hearts burning with passion for Jesus. Today, almost two thousand years after Judah wrote his short letter, we still need to guard our hearts and our churches from being led astray from the simplicity of the gospel. After all, these are truths worth fighting for!
Purpose
Judah’s reason for writing his letter is clear: he needed to urge believers “to vigorously defend and contend for the beliefs that we cherish” (v. 3). Intruders had sown the seeds of false teaching among the believers, creating chaos and confusion. So Judah urged them to preserve, contend for, struggle for, and defend the body of truth we’ve received from the inspired Word of God, through the teaching ministry of the apostles.
Perhaps to combat and prevent the dangers of the sown heresy from fully blooming, Judah ended his letter by giving seven commands: (1) Keep building up your inner life on the foundation of faith. (2) Pray in the Holy Spirit. (3) Fasten your life to the love of God. (4) Receive more mercy from our Lord Jesus Christ. (5) Have compassion on the wavering. (6) Save the lost. (7) Hate any compromise that will stain our lives. It’s when we live the truth of the gospel that we are sure to defend and contend for it most effectively.
Author and Audience
Jude (Judah) is one of the two New Testament books written by half brothers of Jesus—Jacob and Judah. Judah was possibly the youngest of the four brothers of Jesus (Matt. 13:55). Many scholars believe that Judah may have written his letter only twenty to twenty-five years after the life and resurrection of Jesus (AD 58–60). Although the exact audience is unclear, he most likely was addressing believers who lived in a Greek-speaking area not far from Palestine in the eastern Mediterranean region, including Syria and Egypt. All we know is they had received the gospel from the apostles, and were being disrupted by outsiders who brought ideas foreign to that received teaching.
Major Themes
Defend and Contend for the Faith. Judah’s message reminds us to defend and contend for the faith entrusted to us. It is clear that he is not speaking of faith as simply believing in God, but the (Christian) faith. This encompasses the body of truth we receive from the inspired Word of God, delivered by the apostles—the gospel. Judah used an athletic metaphor to drive home the point that we need to struggle as in a great contest, exerting great effort to promote the noble cause of the gospel’s advance—while defending these core beliefs (transmitted through generations of Christians) from the threat of false teachers.
Live the Faith. Not only is Judah concerned about the content of the believer’s faith, he’s also concerned about its expression—for right beliefs and right living go hand-in-hand. The false teachers who had sneaked into the churches were teaching a faith that had “perverted the message of God’s grace into a license to commit immorality” (v. 4). Judah feared this perverted message would destroy their beliefs, which would in turn cause them to live ungodly lives. After warning of such examples, he urged believers to live their faith through discipleship, prayer, remaining in God’s love, accepting Christ’s mercy, being compassionate, evangelistic, and with discernment. Living our faith by showing it is the surest way to preserve and contend for it!
The Character of God. Judah offers us a rich understanding of the character and person of God—beginning with the words “chosen,” “wrapped in the love,” and “kept and guarded.” This is what God has done for us who have believed! He is also the God who reveals, for he has entrusted to us revelation-truths through his apostles, leading to our salvation. Then there are shades of the Trinity: he urges believers to pray in the Holy Spirit, remain in God’s (the Father’s) love, and receive the mercy of Jesus Christ (vv. 20–21). Finally, we find one of the most vibrant, almost hymnic descriptions of God at the end in vv. 24–25: God keeps us from sin, revealing us as faultless; is heralded as Savior; and possesses endless glory and majesty, power and authority.
Coming Salvation and Judgment. Judah had wanted to write to the believers “about our amazing salvation we all participate in” (v. 3) for that is what we possess right now! Yet we are also waiting for our final salvation when Christ comes bearing eternal life. This is why Judah’s theme of defending and contending for the faith is so important, for we are to preserve and persevere in our salvation until the end. There’s another reason: judgment. For along with his salvation, the Lord will bear judgment for all the ungodly. Judah reveals that God destroys those who are guilty of unbelief and who give themselves to immorality, slander heavenly beings, and corrupt his church. Judgment makes the issue of false teaching that much more important, for such people sow seeds of division and doubt. This is why we’re called to come alongside those who doubt their salvation and offer Christ’s saving work in order to snatch people from the fires of judgment.
Jude (Judah)
Truth Worth Fighting For
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Jude (Judah) Jude (Judah): TPT
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