As we have done previously in our study of the New Testament epistles, we are going to mix it up a little bit by studying the book of Jude before we continue on with the letters of Paul.
Jude is widely believed to be a brother of the Lord Jesus. The gospels of Matthew and Mark identify the brothers of Jesus as James, Joses, Judas, and Simon. (When translated into English, the translators shorted "Judas" to "Jude" for obvious reasons. No one, then or now, wants to be associated with the man who betrayed Christ.) Jude identifies himself as a brother of James, and there was no other well-known James in his day except James the brother of Jesus. Jude mentions James as if everyone will know who James is, and the only James whose name everyone would immediately recognize is the James who was the brother of Jesus, who was the leader of the church at Jerusalem, and who was the author of the Book of James.
Setting a place and date for the writing of Jude's letter is more difficult than establishing his identity. Many scholars believe he wrote it at about the same time the Apostle Peter wrote his second epistle, which was in the mid to late 60s AD. We don't know where Jude was when he wrote it. According to the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:5, the brothers of the Lord and their wives undertook missionary journeys. Since James was heavily involved in church matters at Jerusalem and may not have been free to travel, it could be that Paul was referring to Jude and Joses and Simon when he said that the brothers of the Lord traveled with their wives as they taught the gospel message. Jude could have been anywhere in the early Christian world when he penned the words we are going to study this week.
We don't know which specific group of readers James was addressing in this letter. I think it could be that he intended for his letter to be circulated among as many believers as possible because he simply addresses his readers as those who have been "called" and as "friends" and as "dear friends". The purpose of his letter is to warn them about the false teaching that is creeping into the church. From the moment the gospel message began to be preached, Satan was at work trying to remove its saving power by changing the message. In today's portion of James' letter he is going to tell his readers to "contend" for the faith. He's saying, "Fight for it! Stand up for what you believe in. Don't waver. Don't turn to the right or to the left. Don't give an inch to the enemy."
"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance." (Jude 1:1-2) Like James, Jude doesn't make a big deal of himself because he is the brother of Jesus. Jude, like James, merely calls himself "a servant" of Jesus Christ. This is because being biologically related to Jesus doesn't make Jude "more saved" than anyone else. Before the crucifixion and resurrection, none of Jesus' brothers believed in Him. (John 7:5) At one point in Jesus' ministry His brothers thought He must be having a mental and physical breakdown, so they tried to get Him to come out of the house where He was teaching so they could force Him to go home with them. (See Mark 3:20-21, Mark 3:31-34) It wasn't until after the resurrection when, faced with the fact that Jesus had risen from the grave, that His brothers believed He was the Messiah.
Jude also doesn't make a big deal of himself for being a brother of James. He says he is a brother of James, not the brother of James; James has more than one brother. He mentions their familial relationship so his readers won't confuse him with any other Jude of his day. Another reason he mentions it is because his relationship to James the leader of the Jerusalem church lends authority to the words of the letter, for he's not saying anything James himself wouldn't say about the false teachers who are perverting the gospel of Christ.
"Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's holy people." (Jude 1:3) He tells them, "I was in the mood to write a letter in which we could rejoice about our mutual salvation. I wanted to talk about the hope we have in Christ. I intended to encourage you by telling you how much Christ loves you and how much I love you. But the Holy Spirit led me in another direction. He showed me that I must warn you about the false teachers who are perverting the gospel of our Lord Jesus. You have to be on your guard against falling for these lies. The true gospel message is what you heard and believed. It's what saved you! You must fight for what you know to be true. Stand firm on the foundation of your faith. Don't listen to falsehoods or allow falsehoods to creep into your congregations and communities. Souls are at stake!"
"For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you." (Jude 1:4a) You've probably heard the expression, "If you can't beat them, join them." Satan hasn't been able to beat the church. The Lord Jesus is the head of it and has the power to hold it together, which is why He was able to promise with authority, "The gates of hell will not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) Since Satan couldn't beat the church, he joined it in the form of those who slip in and lead others astray by changing the truth---so slowly that it goes unnoticed for a while---into a lie.
These individuals who keep people from coming to a saving knowledge of Christ have a fearsome judgment awaiting them. They have reserved for themselves a place of eternal separation from the presence and grace of God. Since the beginning, when man fell from grace in the Garden of Eden, he has known that judgment awaits him unless he depends on the Lord to do for him what he can't do for himself. Man's only hope is to have righteousness imputed to him by his faith in the Lord, just as Abraham's righteousness was imputed to him by faith. The false teachers do not have faith in or respect for the one true God. It's bad enough that they are happy to live in sin and darkness, but they are trying to keep others in the darkness with them. A dreadful fate has been foretold for those who prefer darkness to light. I think that, in eternal judgment, those who have turned others away from the truth may well receive the harshest punishment. They have not only condemned themselves, but are responsible for leading others to the same end.
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