Text -- Jude 1:21 (NET)

1:21 maintain yourselves in the love of God, while anticipating the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings eternal life.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Jud 1:21

Keep yourselves ( heautous tērēsate ).

First aorist active imperative (of urgency) of tēreō . In Jud 1:1 they are said to be kept, but note the warning in Jud 1:5 from the angels who did not keep their dominion. See also Jam 1:27. In Phi 2:12 both sides (human responsibility and divine sovereignty are presented side by side).

Robertson: Jud 1:21

Looking for ( prosdechomenoi ).

Present middle participle of prosdechomai , the very form in Tit 2:13. The same idea in prosdokōntes in 2Pe 3:14.

Wesley: Jud 1:21

By these means, through his grace, keep yourselves in the love of God, and in the confident expectation of that eternal life which is purchased for you, and conferred upon you, through the mere mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

JFB: Jud 1:21

In Jud 1:20-21, Jude combines the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: and faith, hope, and love.

JFB: Jud 1:21

Not in your own strength, but "in the love of God," that is, God's love to you and all His believing children, the only guarantee for their being kept safe. Man's need of watching is implied; at the same time he cannot keep himself, unless God in His love keep him.

JFB: Jud 1:21

In hope.

JFB: Jud 1:21

To be fully manifested at His coming. Mercy is usually attributed to the Father: here to the Son; so entirely one are they.

Clarke: Jud 1:21

Keep yourselves in the love of God - By building up yourselves on your most holy faith, and praying in the Holy Ghost; for without this we shall soon lose the love of God

Clarke: Jud 1:21

Looking for the mercy of our Lord - For although they were to build themselves up, and to pray in the Holy Ghost, and keep themselves in the love of God, yet this building, praying, and keeping, cannot merit heaven; for, after all their diligence, earnestness, self-denial, watching, obedience, etc., they must look for the Mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring them to Eternal Life.

Calvin: Jud 1:21

21.Keep yourselves in the love of God He has made love as it were the guardian and the ruler of our life; not that he might set it in opposition to the grace of God, but that it is the right course of our calling, when we make progress in love. But as many things entice us to apostasy, so that it is difficult to keep us faithful to God to the end, he calls the attention of the faithful to the last day. For the hope of that alone ought to sustain us, so that we may at no time despond; otherwise we must necessarily fail every moment.

But it ought to be noticed that he would not have us to hope for eternal life, except through the mercy of Christ: for he will in such a manner be our judge, as to have no other rule in judging us than that gratuitous benefit of redemption obtained by himself.

TSK: Jud 1:21

Keep : Jud 1:24; Joh 14:21, Joh 15:9, Joh 15:10; Act 11:23; 1Jo 4:16, 1Jo 5:18, 1Jo 5:21; Rev 12:11

in : Rom 5:5, Rom 8:39; 2Th 3:5; 1Jo 3:16, 1Jo 3:17

looking : Job 14:14; Lam 3:25, Lam 3:26; Mat 24:42-51; Luk 12:36-40; 2Ti 4:8; Tit 2:13, Tit 2:14; Heb 9:28; 2Pe 3:12

the mercy : Joh 1:17; 1Ti 1:2; 2Ti 1:2, 2Ti 1:16, 2Ti 1:18

unto : Rom 5:21, Rom 6:23; 1Jo 5:10,1Jo 5:11

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Jud 1:21

Keep yourselves in the love of God - Still adverting to their own agency. On the duty here enjoined, see the notes at Joh 15:9. The phrase "the love of God"may mean either God’ s love to us, or our love to him. The latter appears, however, to be the sense here, because it is not a subject which could be enjoined, that we should keep up "God’ s love to us."That is a point over which we can have no control, except so far as it may be the result of our obedience; but we may be commanded to love him, and to "keep"ourselves in that love.

Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ - Particularly when he shall come to receive his people to himself. See the Tit 2:13 note; 2Pe 3:12 note; 2Ti 4:8 note.

Poole: Jud 1:21

Keep yourselves in the love of God; i.e. in love to God, or that love whereby ye love God; this implies love to each other, as the cause doth the effect.

Looking for; viz. by hope: and so in these two verses we have the three cardinal graces, faith, hope, and charity.

The mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life; the merciful or gracious sentence of Christ the Judge, whereby he puts believers in possession of eternal life, Mat 25:34 . This reward of eternal life is promised, but being promised freely, and out of mercy, it is called mercy, 2Ti 1:18 , the effect being put for the cause.

Haydock: Jud 1:20-21

Building yourselves. That is, raising by your actions a spiritual building, founded 1. upon faith; 2. on the love of God; 3. upon hope, whilst you are awaiting for the mercies of God, and the reward of eternal life; 4. joined with the great duty of prayer. (Witham)

Gill: Jud 1:21

Keep yourselves in the love of God,.... By which may be meant either the grace and favour of God, that love with which God loves his people; and then the exhortation to the saints to keep themselves in it is, to set it always before them, to keep it constantly in view, to exercise faith on it, firmly believing their interest in it; as also to meditate on it, give themselves up wholly to the contemplation of it, and employ their thoughts constantly about it, which is the foundation of all grace here, and glory hereafter; or to preserve themselves by it, for so the words may be rendered, "preserve yourselves by the love of God"; against Satan's temptations, the snares of the world, and the lusts of the flesh; whenever Satan solicits to sin, and any snare is laid to draw into it, and the flesh attempts to be predominant, saints should betake themselves to the love of God, as to a strong hold and preservative against sin, and reason as Joseph did, Gen 39:9, for the love of God, and continuance in it, do not depend on anything that can be done by men; nor is there any danger of real believers falling from it, or losing it, since it is unchangeable, and is from everlasting to everlasting; or else by the love of God we are to understand that love with which his people love him and of which he is the object, Luk 11:42; and then the meaning of the exhortation is, that though this grace of love cannot be lost, yet, inasmuch as the fervour of it may be abated, and the people of God grow cold and indifferent in their expressions of it, it becomes them to make use of all proper means to maintain and increase it in themselves and others; such as are mentioned in the context, as conversing together in an edifying way about the doctrines of the Gospel, and praying either separately or together, under the influences of the Holy Spirit, and looking forward for the grace and mercy of Christ unto everlasting life; all which, with many other, things, by the blessing of God, may serve to maintain and revive the grace of love, and blow it up into a flame: though perhaps this phrase may chiefly design that love, peace, and concord, which ought to subsist among saints as brethren, and which they should be careful to preserve; and may be called the love of God, just as the same thing is styled the peace of God, Col 3:15, because it is what God requires, what he calls unto, which is of him, and is taught by him in regeneration, and what his, love engages to, and without which there is no true love to him; and he takes, love shown to his people as if shown to himself; and this sense is favoured by the context, both by the words in the preceding verse, and in the following ones:

looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. The mercy of Christ may be considered either as past, which was shown in eternity, in his covenant transactions with his Father, in engaging in the cause of his people, in espousing them to himself, and in the care of their persons, grace, and glory; and in time, in assuming their nature, in his tender concern for the bodies and souls of men, in bearing the sins and sorrows of his people, in the redemption of them, and in their regeneration and calling; and there is the present mercy of Christ, in interceding for his people, in sympathizing with them under all their afflictions, in succouring them under all their temptations, in suiting himself, as the great Shepherd, to all the circumstances of his flock; and there is the future mercy of Christ, which will be shown at death, in the grave, and at the resurrection, at the day of judgment, and in the merciful sentence he will pronounce on his people; and this seems to be designed here; the consequent of which, or what is annexed to it, and in which it issues, is eternal life; which is not owing to the works of men, but to the grace of God, and mercy of Christ; eternal life is in him, and is given through him, and to his mercy should men look for it. Christ himself is to be looked for, who will certainly come a second time; and eternal life is to be looked for by him; and this is only to be expected through his grace and mercy; and this is to be looked for by faith, in the love of it, with delight and pleasure, and cheerfulness, with eagerness, and yet with patience.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Jud 1:21

¹ tn Or “keep.”

² tn Or “waiting for.”

³ tn Grk “unto eternal life.”

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Jude

1 He exhorts them to be constant in the profession of the faith.

4 False teachers are crept in to seduce them, for whose evil doctrine and manners horrible punishment is prepared;

20 whereas the godly, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and prayers to God, may persevere, and grow in grace, and keep themselves, and recover others out of the snares of those deceivers.

MHCC: Jud 1:17-23

Sensual men separate from Christ, and his church, and join themselves to the devil, the world, and the flesh, by ungodly and sinful practices. That is infinitely worse than to separate from any branch of the visible church on account of opinions, or modes and circumstances of outward government or worship. Sensual men have not the spirit of holiness, which whoever has not, does not belong to Christ. The grace of faith is most holy, as it works by love, purifies the heart, and overcomes the world, by which it is distinguished from a false and dead faith. Our prayers are most likely to prevail, when we pray in the Holy Ghost, under his guidance and influence, according to the rule of his word, with faith, fervency, and earnestness; this is praying in the Holy Ghost. And a believing expectation of eternal life will arm us against the snares of sin: lively faith in this blessed hope will help us to mortify our lusts. We must watch over one another; faithfully, yet prudently reprove each other, and set a good example to all about us. This must be done with compassion, making a difference between the weak and the wilful. Some we must treat with tenderness. Others save with fear; urging the terrors of the Lord. All endeavours must be joined with decided abhorrence of crimes, and care be taken to avoid whatever led to, or was connected with fellowship with them, in works of darkness, keeping far from what is, or appears to be evil.

Matthew Henry: Jud 1:16-25

Here, I. The apostle enlarges further on the character of these evil men and seducers: they are murmurers, complainers, etc., Jud 1:16. Observe, A murmuring complaining temper, indulged and expressed, lays men under a very bad character; such are very weak at least, and for the most part very wicked. They murmur against God and his providence, against men and their conduct; they are angry at every thing that happens, and never pleased with their own state and condition in the world, as not thinking it good enough for them. Such walk after their own lusts; their will, their appetite, their fancy, are their only rule and law. Note, Those who please their sinful appetites are most prone to yield to their ungovernable passions.

II. He proceeds to caution and exhort those to whom he is writing, Jud 1:17-23. Here,

1. He calls them to remember how they have been forewarned: But, beloved, remember, etc., Jud 1:17. " Remember, take heed that you think it not strange (so as to stumble and be offended, and have your faith staggered by it) that such people as the seducers before described and warned against should arise (and that early) in the Christian church, seeing all this was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the accomplishment of it in the event is a confirmation of your faith, instead of being in the least an occasion of shaking and unsettling you therein."Note, (1.) Those who would persuade must make it evident that they sincerely love those whom they would persuade. Bitter words and hard usage never did nor ever will convince, much less persuade any body. (2.) The words which inspired persons have spoken (or written), duly remembered and reflected on, are the best preservative against dangerous errors; this will always be so, till men have learnt to speak better than God himself. (3.) We ought not to be offended if errors and persecutions arise and prevail in the Christian church; this was foretold, and therefore we should not think worse of Christ's person, doctrine, or cross, when we see it fulfilled. See 1Ti 4:1, and 2Ti 3:1, and 2Pe 3:3. We must not think it strange, but comfort ourselves with this, that in the midst of all this confusion Christ will maintain his church, and make good his promise, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, Mat 16:18. (4.) The more religion is ridiculed and persecuted the faster hold we should take and keep of it; being forewarned, we should show that we are fore-armed; under such trials we should stand firm, and not be soon shaken in mind, 2Th 2:2.

2. He guards them against seducers by a further description of their odious character: These are those who separate, etc., Jud 1:19. Observe, (1.) Sensualists are the worst separatists. They separate themselves from God, and Christ, and his church, to the devil, the world, and the flesh, by their ungodly courses and vicious practices; and this is a great deal worse than separation from any particular branch of the visible church on account of opinions or modes and circumstances of external government or worship, though many can patiently bear with the former, while they are plentifully and almost perpetually railing at the latter, as if no sin were damnable but what they are pleased to call schism. (2.) Sensual men have not the Spirit, that is, of God and Christ, the Spirit of holiness, which whoever has not, is none of Christ's, does not belong to him, Rom 8:9. (3.) The worse others are the better should we endeavour and approve ourselves to be; the more busy Satan and his instruments are to pervert others, in judgment or practice, the more tenacious should we be of sound doctrine and a good conversation, holding fast the faithful word, as we have been (divinely) taught, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience, Tit 1:9; 1Ti 3:9.

3. He exhorts them to persevering constancy in truth and holiness.

(1.) Building up yourselves in your most holy faith, Jud 1:20. Observe, The way to hold fast our profession is to hold on in it. Having laid our foundation well in a sound faith, and a sincere upright heart, we must build upon it, make further progress continually; and we should take care with what materials we carry on our building, namely, gold, silver, precious stones, not wood, hay, stubble, 1Co 3:12. Right principles and a regular conversation will stand the test even of the fiery trial; but, whatever we mix of baser alloy, though we be in the main sincere, we shall suffer loss by it, and though our persons be saved all that part of our work shall be consumed; and, if we ourselves escape, it will be with great danger and difficulty, as from a house on fire on every side.

(2.) Praying in the Holy Ghost. Observe, [1.] Prayer is the nurse of faith; the way to build up ourselves in our most holy faith is to continue instant in prayer, Rom 12:12. [2.] Our prayers are then most likely to prevail when we pray in the Holy Ghost, that is, under his guidance and influence, according to the rule of his word, with faith, fervency, and constant persevering importunity; this is praying in the Holy Ghost, whether it be done by or without a set prescribed form.

(3.) Keep yourselves in the love of God, Jud 1:21. [1.] "Keep up the grace of love to God in its lively vigorous actings and exercises in your souls."[2.] "Take heed of throwing yourselves out of the love of God to you, or its delightful, cheering, strengthening manifestations; keep yourselves in the way of God, if you would continue in his love."

(4.) Looking for the mercy, etc. [1.] Eternal life is to be looked for only through mercy; mercy is our only plea, not merit; or if merit, not our own, but another's, who has merited for us what otherwise we could have laid no claim to, nor have entertained any well-grounded hope of. [2.] It is said, not only through the mercy of God as our Creator, but through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ as Redeemer; all who come to heaven must come thither through our Lord Jesus Christ; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, but that of the Lord Jesus only, Act 4:12, compared with Act 4:10. [3.] A believing expectation of eternal life will arm us against the snares of sin (2Pe 3:14); a lively faith of the blessed hope will help us to mortify our cursed lusts.

4. He directs them how to behave towards erring brethren: And of some have compassion, etc., Jud 1:22, Jud 1:23. Observe, (1.) We ought to do all we can to rescue others out of the snares of the devil, that they may be saved from (or recovered, when entangled therein, out of) dangerous errors, or pernicious practices. We are not only (under God) our own keepers, but every man ought to be, as much as in him lies, his brother's keeper; none but a wicked Cain will contradict this, Gen 4:9. We must watch over one another, must faithfully, yet prudently, reprove each other, and set a good example to all about us. (2.) This must be done with compassion, making a difference. How is that? We must distinguish between the weak and the wilful. [1.] Of some we must have compassion, treat them with all tenderness, restore them in the spirit of meekness, not be needlessly harsh and severe in our censures of them and their actions, nor proud and haughty in our conduct towards them; not implacable, nor averse to reconciliation with them, or admitting them to the friendship they formerly had with us, when they give evident or even strongly hopeful tokens of a sincere repentance: if God has forgiven them, why should not we? We infinitely more need his forgiveness than they do, or can do, ours, though perhaps neither they nor we are justly or sufficiently sensible of this. [2.] Others save with fear, urging upon them the terrors of the Lord; "Endeavour to frighten them out of their sins; preach hell and damnation to them."But what if prudence and caution in administering even the most just and severe reproofs be what are primarily and chiefly here intimated - (I do but offer it for consideration); as if he had said, "Fear lest you frustrate your own good intentions and honest designs by rash and imprudent management, that you do not harden, instead of reclaiming, even where greater degrees of severity are requisite than in the immediately foregoing instance."We are often apt to over-do, when we are sure we mean honestly, and think we are right in the main; yet the very worst are not needlessly, nor rashly, nor to extremity, to be provoked, lest they be thereby further hardened through our default. - " Hating even the garment spotted with the flesh, that is, keeping yourselves at the utmost distance from what is or appears evil, and designing and endeavouring that others may do so too. Avoid all that leads to sin or that looks like sin,"1Th 5:22.

III. The apostle concludes this epistle with a solemn ascription of glory to the great God, Jud 1:24, Jud 1:25. Note, 1. Whatever is the subject or argument we have been treating of, ascribing glory to God is fittest for us to conclude with. 2. God is able, and he is as willing as able, to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory; not as those who never have been faulty (for what has once been done can never be rendered undone, even by Omnipotence itself, for that implies a contradiction), but as those whose faults shall not be imputed, to their ruin, which, but for God's mercy and a Saviour's merits, they might most justly have been. - Before the presence of his glory. Observe, (1.) The glory of the Lord will shortly be present. We now look upon it as distant, and too many look upon it as uncertain, but it will come, and it will be manifest and apparent. Every eye shall see him, Rev 1:7. This is now the object of our faith, but hereafter (and surely it cannot now be long) it will be the object of our sense; whom we now believe in, him we shall shortly see, to our unspeakable joy and comfort or inexpressible terror and consternation. See 1Pe 1:8. (2.) All real sincere believers shall be presented, and the Lord Redeemer's appearance and coming, by him their glorious head, to the Father, in order to his approbation, acceptance, and reward. They were given to him of the Father, and of all that were so given to him he has lost none, nor will lose any one, not an individual, a single soul, but will present them all perfectly holy and happy, when he shall surrender his mediatorial kingdom to his God and our God, his Father and our Father, Joh 6:39, with Joh 17:12, 1Co 15:24. (3.) When believers shall be presented faultless it will be with exceeding joy. Alas! now our faults fill us with fears, doubts, and sorrows. But be of good cheer; if we be sincere, we shall be, our dear Redeemer has undertaken for it, we shall be presented faultless; where there is no sin there will be no sorrow; where there is the perfection of holiness, there will be the perfection of joy. Surely, the God who can and will do this is worthy to have glory, majesty, dominion, and power, ascribed to him, both now and for ever! And to this we may well, with the apostle, affix our hearty Amen.

Barclay: Jud 1:20-21

In the previous passage Jude described the characteristics of error, here he describes the characteristics of goodness.

(i) The good man builds up his life on the foundation of the most holy faith. That is to say, the life of the Christian is founded, not on something which he manufactured himself, but on something which he received. There is a chain in the transmission of the faith. The faith came from Jesus to the apostles; it came from the apostles to the church; and it comes from the church to us. There is something tremendous here. It means that the faith which we hold is not merely someone's personal opinion; it is a revelation which came from Jesus Christ and was preserved and transmitted within his church, always under the care and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, from generation to generation.

That faith is a most holy faith. Again and again we have seen the meaning of this word holy. Its root meaning is different. That which is holy is different from other things, as the priest is different from other worshippers, the Temple different from other buildings, the Sabbath different from other days and God supremely different from men.

Our faith is different in two ways. (a) It is different from other faiths and from philosophies in that it is not man-made but God-given, not opinion but revelation, not guessing but certainty. (b) It is different in that it has the power to make those who believe it different. It is not only a mind-changer but also a life-changer; not only an intellectual belief but also a moral dynamic.

(ii) The good man is a man of prayer. It has been put this way: "Real religion means dependence." The essence of religion is the admission of our total dependence on God; and prayer is the acknowledging of that dependence, and the going to God for the help we need. As Moffatt has it in a magnificent definition: "Prayer is love in need appealing to love in power." The Christian must be a man of prayer for at least two reasons. (a) He knows that he must test everything by the will of God and, therefore, he must take everything to God for his approval. (b) He knows that of himself he can do nothing but that with God all things are possible and, therefore, he must ever be taking his insufficiency to God's sufficiency.

Prayer, says Jude, is to be in the Holy Spirit. What he means is this. Our human prayers are at least sometimes bound to be selfish and blind. It is only when the Holy Spirit takes full possession of us that our desires are so purified that our prayers are right. The truth is that as Christians we are bound to pray to God, but he alone can teach us how to pray and what to pray for.

(iii) The good man keeps himself in the love of God. What Jude is thinking of here is the old covenant relationship between God and his people as described in Exo 24:1-8. God came to his people promising that he would be their God and they would be his people; but that relationship depended on their accepting and obeying the law which he gave them. "God's love," Moffatt comments, "has its own terms of communion." It is true in one sense that we can never drift beyond God's love and care; but it is also true that, if we desire to remain in close communion with God, we must give him the perfect love and the perfect obedience which must ever go hand in hand.

(iv) The good man waits with expectation. He waits for the coming of Jesus Christ in mercy, love and power; for he knows that Christ's purpose for him is to bring him to life eternal, which is nothing other than the life of God himself.

Constable: Jud 1:17-23

IV. EXHORTATIONS TO THE FAITHFUL vv. 17-23

Having warned his readers about the failures of false teachers, Jude proceeded to exhort them positively to move them to persevere faithfully in spite of the danger that faced them.

"With these verses Jude turns from burning denunciation of the apostates to provide loving guidance and encouragement to the faithful amid apostasy."⁶⁸

College: Jude

JUDE

I. ADDRESS AND GREETING (1-2)

¹ Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,

To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by ^a Jesus Christ: ² Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

^a 1 Or for ; or in

v. 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ

Like most ancient letters, this one begins by identifying its author and recipients. The author's name in Greek is Judas, but it is traditionally translated Jude in English versions (perhaps to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot). The author is probably Jude, the brother of Jesus (see Introduction), but he calls himself a servant (dou'lo" , doulos , also translated "slave") of Jesus Christ. He does not claim authority to write because he is the earthly brother of the Lord, but because, like others (Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1, James 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1), he is the slave of the Messiah.

and a brother of James,

He distinguishes himself from others named Judas by calling himself the brother of James. This is an unusual designation, since most Jews would use "son of" ( bar ) to describe themselves. This greeting shows how famous James, the brother of the Lord, was in the early church (see the section on the brothers of Jesus in the Introduction to James).

To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

Jude does not address his readers by name or location. It may be that his letter originally had such an address that was lost in copying. Some think Jude intended this to be a circular letter to be read in several churches since no specific destination is given. Thus, Jude has been called a "general" or "catholic" (that is, universal) epistle. However, the warmth of Jude's language toward his readers points to a personal knowledge of their particular situation. It is likely, then, that he writes to a specific congregation, not to a group of churches.

Jude does not greet his readers by name, but he does describe them in three ways: "called," "loved by God," and "kept by Jesus Christ." God's calling of his people is a rich concept in the Old Testament (Isaiah 41:9; 42:6; 48:12,15; 49:1; 54:6; Hosea 11:1) and the New Testament (Matthew 22:14; Romans 1:6-7; 8:28; 1 Corinthians 1:2,24,26; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:15; 2 Peter 1:3, Revelation 17:14). "Called" (klhtov" , klçtos ) means they have received God's gracious election through Jesus and are to live faithfully in light of that calling.

Jude also says they are loved (ajgapavw , agapaô ) by God. Some accuse Jude of being exclusively concerned with false teaching. In fact, his main concern is to keep his readers in God's love (see Jude 21). Those loved by God are kept (threvw , tçreô ) by (or for) Jesus Christ. This may mean they are protected by Jesus from evil, including the evil of false teachers (John 17:12). More likely, they are protected for Jesus; that is, they are kept safe for him to receive at his Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Timothy 1:12; 1 Peter 1:4-5; Revelation 3:10). The implication is that not all who are called stay with Jesus or are kept for him. Those kept for Jesus are contrasted with the angels who did not keep their place and so have been kept in darkness (Jude 6).

v. 2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

Jude greets his readers with the words mercy, peace, and love. Early Christians took the typical Greek greeting (caivrein , chairein , "greeting") and the typical Hebrew greeting (mwlv , shalom , "peace") and gave them deeper meaning. Paul usually greets his readers with "grace" (cavri" , charis ) and "peace" (eijrhvnh , eirçnç ), expressing his wish and prayer that God grant them those spiritual blessings.

Jude does not use "grace and peace," but "mercy and peace," a typical Jewish greeting. It is interesting that "mercy" (e[leo" , eleos ) also appears in the greetings in 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; and 2 John 3, all books that warn of false teachers, just as Jude does. Mercy is especially needed in the face of danger from false teachers. Jude is the only New Testament writer to add "love" (ajgavph , agapç ) to his greeting, again emphasizing the importance of love in this short letter (see vv. 3, 12, 17, 21).

II. REASON FOR WRITING (3-4)

³ Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. ⁴ For certain men whose condemnation was written about ^a long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

^a 4 Or men who were marked out for condemnation

v. 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,

Jude continues with this theme of love by calling his readers "beloved" (a better translation of ajgaphtoiv , agapçtoi , than "dear friends"). He gives a glimpse of the letter he intended or perhaps even started to write. It would have been a general essay on "the salvation we share" (cf. Titus 1:4, "our common faith"). This may mean the salvation Jude and his readers had in common or may refer to the common salvation of Jews and Gentiles. In either case, Jude abandons his intended letter because he felt compelled by the presence of false teachers among those he loved to write a quite different kind of letter, an appeal to contend for the once-for-all faith.

I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith

The word "contend" (ejpagwnivzomai , epagônizomai ) originally had a military or sporting setting; one fought for victory on the battlefield or in the arena. Here it reminds one of the strenuous effort that must be made on behalf of the faith. Christians also are in a battle (Ephesians 6:10-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:4, 4:7) or a competition (1 Corinthians 9:24-25; 2 Timothy 2:5) against evil. Jude will later remind his readers that one fights for the faith not only by opposing false teachers but by prayer, mercy, and love (Jude 17-23). In the name of tolerance, contemporary leaders are prone to ignore all questionable teaching in the church. Jude says defending the faith and warning against false teaching can be a sign of love for our brothers and sisters.

Faith here refers to what is believed, not the act of believing. Some scholars think this objective use of faith proves that Jude was written after the time of the apostles, a time when Christian orthodoxy in doctrine became more fixed. However, other passages in the New Testament speak of faith as a set of doctrines that are believed (Romans 10:8; 1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 1:23, 3:23-25; Philippians 1:25; 1 Timothy 3:9, 4:1,6), so Jude's use of faith does not argue for a late date for the letter.

that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

This message that they believed had been entrusted to them once for all. "Entrusted" or "passed on" (paradivdwmi , paradidômi ) is similar to the word for tradition. This is an appeal to the past. They had received this message of salvation, the faith, from others; now they must fight to preserve it (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:2, 23: 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6; 1 Timothy 6:20-21). This message of faith was normative. It was not to be changed. Like Jesus' sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:2, 10; 1 Peter 3:18), it was once for all. Unlike the false teachers, Jude does not believe in a progressive development of Christian doctrine.

True faith had been passed on once for all "to the saints." In the early church, every Christian was a saint (Acts 9:13, 32, 41; Romans 8:27; 12:13; 15:25, 26, 31; Hebrews 6:10; Revelation 5:8). "Saints" (a]gioi , hagioi ) literally means "holy ones." Christians are called to be devoted to God and live holy lives. This contrasts with the false teachers who deny Christ by their ungodliness.

v. 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.

Jude feels compelled to urge the saints to fight for the faith because false teachers had slipped in among them. Like Paul (Galatians 1:7, 2:4; 2 Corinthians 10:10-12), Jude will not dignify these opponents of the faith by calling them by name; instead, he uses "certain men" or "these men" (Jude 8, 10,12,16,19). These men intended to deceive the church since they "secretly slipped in among you" (cf. John 10:1; Galatians 2:4; 2 Timothy 3:6). This may imply they were traveling missionaries who had come as strangers to the church and then lived off its generosity. If so, they are similar to the deceivers warned of in 2 John 10-11: "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work."

Although the church may be caught off guard by these false teachers, they can't slip in past the God who knew of them and foretold their condemnation. That condemnation was "written about long ago," perhaps referring to Old Testament warnings against false prophets as well as to warnings from Jesus and the apostles. It probably also refers to the prophecy against false teachers from the Book of Enoch (see Introduction and commentary on Jude 14-15).

They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality

These false teachers are "ungodly" (ajsebhv" , asebçs , a word used six times in different forms in Jude). This implies moral as well as doctrinal fault. False teaching is not merely intellectual but has ethical implications. Specifically, these teachers change grace into a license for immorality (ajsevlgeia , aselgeia ). Not all change is good. This one is a perversion of the meaning of grace. Throughout the New Testament, Christians are warned against immorality (Romans 13:13-14; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; 1 Peter 4:3; 2 Peter 2:2, 7, 18; Revelation 2:20-24). The false teachers in Jude not only ignore that warning, they even believe they have the right to be immoral. To Paul's question, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" (Romans 6:1), these men would answer with a resounding, "Yes!"

and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

This misunderstanding of grace as permission to sin leads them to "deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." This denial was probably not verbal (if they had said "Jesus is not Lord," they could not have slipped into the church) but actual: "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him" (Titus 1:16). These false teachers wanted salvation without following the Savior who as Sovereign and Lord demands that we die to sin as we follow him.

III. THE JUDGMENT OF THE UNGODLY (5-19)

A. THREE BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF UNGODLINESS (5-7)

⁵ Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord ^a delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home - these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. ⁷ In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

^a 5 Some early manuscripts Jesus

Jude begins his look at Old Testament examples by saying he wants to remind his readers of what they already know. This may mean they know the errors of the false teachers. More likely it indicates they know their Bibles, that is, they are familiar with the examples he is about to cite. Much of the teaching of the early church, as well as of the current church, is not brand-new but is a reminder to Christians of what they already know or, at least, should know. The only "new truths" come from false teachers (cf. Galatians 1:9; 1 John 2:19-28). Those new teachings lead to a new morality, or rather to an old immorality.

v. 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

Looking at each of the three examples of apostasy Jude gives will show what they have in common. His first example is Israel who was led by the Lord out of Egypt but refused to enter the promised land and so was punished. This is the story of the twelve spies, ten of whom were afraid of the inhabitants of the land while two, Caleb and Joshua, called for faith in God to give them victory. Most of the Israelites follow the ten, rebel against the Lord, and are punished for their unfaithfulness (Numbers 13:25-14:38). God destroys the very people he had rescued. It is the people of God, not outsiders, who are punished. No wonder this story is used elsewhere in the New Testament to warn Christians against apostasy (1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Hebrews 3:7-4:13).

v. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home -

The second example is the fall of the angels. Although some associate the fall of the morning star (Isaiah 14:11-17) and the king of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:11-19) with the fallen angels, those passages more likely refer to the destruction of human rulers. Some understand the sons of God marrying the daughters of men (Genesis 6:2) to refer to angels falling by marrying humans (see the discussion below). Most likely Jude is referring to the account of the fall of the angels in the Book of Enoch (see the Introduction to Jude for a discussion of his use of Enoch).

these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

Although the Bible does not give details of the fall, it is clear the angels abandoned their proper positions and so deserve punishment (2 Peter 2:4). "Kept" (threvw , tçreô ) in darkness may be a play on words. This is the same word Jude used to greet his readers in v. 2, "kept by Jesus Christ." Jesus keeps everyone in one of two ways, either in his loving care or in darkness for judgment. The chaining of the fallen angels does not contradict other New Testament passages that describe the devil and his angels as active in the world (Luke 22:31; Romans 8:38; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:1-3), but rather it points to the certainty of their punishment on "the great Day" of judgment.

v. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

The third example, Sodom and Gomorrah, is introduced by "in the same way" (wJ" , hôs ) tying it closely to the angel example. Genesis 18-19 tells how God rained fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns of Admah and Zeboiim (cf. Deuteronomy 29:23; Hosea 11:8) but saved Lot and his daughters. God destroyed the cities because of their great sin, referring to their homosexual practices (Genesis 19:5) and to their arrogant oppression of the poor (see Ezekiel 16:48-50). The "eternal fire" they suffer points to the lasting effects of their destruction and warns of the eternal fire of hell for those who follow their example (see v. 23).

What do these three examples have in common? In all three, evildoers are punished. The unbelieving in Israel are destroyed during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the fallen angels are bound in darkness for the judgment day, and Sodom and Gomorrah face eternal fire. So too the false teachers in Jude will receive their due punishment.

Some have tried to find a common sexual sin in all three examples. This is unlikely in the case of Israel, unless Jude's reference to "those who did not believe" includes their sin of "revelry" (sexual immorality) at Sinai (Exodus 32:6). If Jude thinks the sons of God in Genesis 6:2 are angels, then they commit sexual sin with the daughters of men. This forms a close parallel with Sodom where men desire to have sexual relations with angels (who are in the form of men, Genesis 19:1).

Although Jude may have chosen these three as examples of sexual sin, it is more likely he chose them because they speak of intentionally leaving God to follow another way of life. Israel is saved from Egypt "once for all" (v. 5, a{pax , hapax, a Greek word inexplicably left untranslated by the NIV), just as Jude's readers were entrusted with the faith "once for all" (same Greek word, v. 3). However, those Israelites who did not remain faithful were destroyed, just as Jude's readers will be if they do not fight to preserve their faith. The evil angels also abandoned their proper place and home. Sodom and Gomorrah literally "went after strange flesh," that is, they left their natural sexual desires.

These three are all examples of willful apostasy. All intentionally left their saved status to pursue an ungodly way of life. Their punishment is described in increasingly severe terms. The unbelieving Israelites are destroyed, the apostate angels are bound with everlasting chains, and Sodom and Gomorrah suffer eternal fire.

B. APPLICATION OF EXAMPLES TO

JUDE'S OPPONENTS (8-10)

⁸ In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. ⁹ But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" ¹⁰ Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals - these are the very things that destroy them.

v. 8 In the very same way,

"In the same way" (oJmoivw" , homoiôs ) compares the men troubling Jude's readers with the Old Testament apostates of Israel, the angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah. By making this comparison between such notorious sinners and the false teachers, "Jude intends to neutralize all possible sympathetic feelings toward them."

these dreamers pollute their own bodies,

Jude calls these men "dreamers," possibly meaning they indulge in erotic fantasies and so "pollute their own bodies." More likely, this means they claim divine approval through dreams for their beliefs and practices. God did give revelations through dreams (Genesis 40:5-19; Judges 7:13; Matthew 1:20; 2:12-13; Acts 2:17 quoting Joel 2:28); however, the Israelites were warned against prophets and dreamers who would lead them into rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Jeremiah 27:9).

reject authority and slander celestial beings.

Like Sodom and Gomorrah, these false teachers are not only sexually immoral ("pollute their bodies"), but they also show disrespect for angels and thus for God. The "authority" (kuriovth" , kyriotçs ) they reject is elsewhere translated "powers" (Colossians 1:16) or "dominion" (Ephesians 1:21), referring to heavenly beings or angels. They speak evil of "celestial beings" (dovxa" , doxas , literally, "glories" or "glorious ones"), that is, of the angels in glory around God's throne.

This may mean they taught directly against angels but more likely means they rejected God's moral law that included prohibitions against sexual immorality, the "message spoken by angels" (Hebrews 2:2). False teaching always leads to immoral practice. They misunderstand grace by rejecting all law (that was brought by angels) and so turn grace into a license for immorality (v. 4). By so doing they, like Israel, the fallen angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah, reject the Lord and leave their proper place.

v. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses,

Their audacity is contrasted with the reticence of Michael the archangel, who did not take it upon himself to slander even Satan but relied on God's judgment. The story of Michael disputing with Satan over the body of Moses is not found in the Old Testament (for Moses' death, see Deuteronomy 34:6). Instead, according to early Christian writers Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150-215), Origen (A.D. 185-254), and Didymus (A.D. 313-398), Jude found the story in The Assumption of Moses , a book written early in the first century that today exists only in fragmentary form (see the Introduction for a discussion of Jude's use of non-biblical books).

did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

Both Testaments (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Revelation 12:7-9) and Jewish intertestamental literature describe Michael as the great warrior archangel. If anyone had the right to rebuke the fallen angel Satan, it was Michael. But he knows God alone is Lord of the angels, so he says, "The Lord rebuke you!" (cf. Zechariah 3:2).

v. 10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals - these are the very things that destroy them.

In contrast to Michael who has respect even for Satan's status as an angel, the false teachers slander what they don't understand. Through their dreams they claim greater understanding than others. However, they are not spiritually superior to other humans (as they claim) but are inferior in understanding. Since they don't understand the heavenly realms (although they claim to through their dreams), they have become merely animal in nature and so will be destroyed.

C. THREE FURTHER BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

OF UNGODLINESS (11)

¹¹ Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.

v. 11 Woe to them!

Frequently judgment is pronounced upon wrongdoers by "woe to you." These woe pronouncements occur most often in the Old Testament prophets and on the lips of Jesus (Matthew 11:21; 23:13-32; Luke 11:42-52).

They have taken the way of Cain;

Cain is a clear example of jealousy and murder (Genesis 4:1-16; 1 John 3:12) but may seem an unlikely warning against false teaching. However, there is a strong rabbinical tradition, also found in the Jewish writer Philo (20 B.C.-A.D. 50), that portrays Cain as the first heretic. His way is that of selfishness and sensuality. If this tradition is not in Jude's mind, perhaps the comparison is that the false teachers are harming their brothers by their doctrines as Cain harmed his brother Abel. Heresy is always more than being sincerely mistaken about a doctrine. As with Cain, it is direct disobedience to God and has harmful consequences for others.

they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error;

There are two Balaam stories in the Old Testament. In the first (Numbers 22-24), he is hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel. However, Balaam refuses to curse and blesses them instead. In the second story, Balaam leads Israel into sexual immorality and idolatry (Numbers 25:1-3; 31:16). The parallels with these false teachers are many. Like Balaam, they claim to be prophets ("dreamers" v. 8), lead others into sexual immorality (vv. 4, 8), and commit idolatry by denying Jesus Christ (v. 4). They are not slow in imitating Balaam's greed; rather, they rush into (the Greek word ejkcevw , ekcheô , is used for a flooding stream) his error.

they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.

They also rebel against authority as Korah and his companions rebelled against Moses and the Lord. Promoting self by resisting authority is characteristic of false teachers (cf. Titus 1:10-11; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 3 John 9-10). Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were swallowed by the earth (Numbers 16:32); their followers were destroyed by fire from the Lord (Numbers 16:35). So too, the false teachers of Jude refuse to keep their proper place (like the fallen angels, v. 6), rebel against angels (v. 8) and Jesus (v. 4), and face fiery punishment (v. 7).

All three, Cain, Balaam, and Korah, are examples of rebellion against God's authority. All three destroyed others by their teachings and actions. All three were punished by God. The false teachers in Jude face the same fate.

D. METAPHORS FROM NATURE APPLIED

TO THE UNGODLY (12-13)

¹² These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm - shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted - twice dead. ¹³ They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

v. 12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts,

Jude mines heaven and earth to find six metaphorical examples of the behavior of the false teachers. First, he says they are "blemishes at your love feasts." This is the only place the word "love feast" (ajgavph , agapç , the plural form here is literally "loves,") is used in the New Testament, although the practice is described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:20-22. It is likely that in the first century the Lord's Supper was part of a larger meal, the love feast, where fellowship was expressed, and the poor were fed. Beginning in the second century, the love feast and the Lord's Supper became separated.

The false teachers are "blemishes" or "reefs" (spivla" , s pilas , can have either meaning) at the love feasts. If "blemishes" or "spots" is the correct translation (cf. 2 Peter 2:13), then they are like cancers on the body of Christ. However, in keeping with the nature metaphors that follow, "reefs" is a better translation. The false teachers are like dangerous coral reefs that cause others to shipwreck their faith (cf. 1 Timothy 1:19).

eating with you without the slightest qualm - shepherds who feed only themselves.

The irony is clear with either translation. The love feast is to express fellowship with Christ and fellow Christians; these men abuse it by feeding only themselves and eating without reverence for the body of Christ (ajfovbw" , aphobôs , "without the slightest qualm," cf. 1 Corinthians 11:29). "Feeding themselves" (literally "shepherding themselves") is a second metaphor, recalling biblical warnings against selfish leaders among God's people (Ezekiel 34:1-10; Isaiah 56:11; John 10:12-13). This language implies the false teachers were fleecing the flock of God by prophesying for profit as Balaam did (v. 11).

They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind;

Not only are they reefs and evil shepherds, they also are "clouds without rain" (cf. Proverbs 25:14). In a dry climate it is particularly disappointing to expect rain and receive none. So too these false teachers promise much but deliver nothing. "Blown by the wind" indicates their instability (cf. Ephesians 4:14).

autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted - twice dead.

The barrenness of their promises is shown by the fourth metaphor that they are fruitless trees. The figure of fruit for obedience is common in the Bible (cf. Psalm 1:3; John 15:1-6). The Greek word (fqinopwrinov" , phthinopôrinos ) translated "autumn" is actually "late autumn." Harvest is past, and it is too late for them to produce fruit. "Twice dead" may be a reference to the second death as punishment for the false teachers (cf. Revelation 2:11; 20:6; 21:8). "Uprooted" indicates their separation from the community of the faithful and is also a symbol of punishment (cf. Psalm 52:5; Proverbs 2:22; Jeremiah 1:10; Matthew 3:10; 7:19; 15:13; Luke 13:6-9).

v. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame;

A fifth metaphor says as waves throw debris up on the seashore, so these men spew forth their shame (cf. Isaiah 57:20). To Israel, the sea was always a symbol of danger and chaos (Psalm 107:23-28; Ezekiel 28:8; Revelation 21:1). Here it is the moral chaos of the false teachers that is the danger.

wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Finally, they are "wandering stars," perhaps meteors or comets but more likely planets that the ancients thought had irregular courses. Like meteors, the false teachers flash brilliantly for a short time, but they give no lasting light. As the planets wander across the sky, so these men wander from the truth ("wander" [planhvth" , plançtçs ] is from the same root as "error" in v. 11). "Blackest darkness" reminds one of Jesus' warning of "outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).

Taken together, these six metaphors focus on the selfishness ("feeding themselves"), instability ("blown by wind," "wild waves," "wandering stars"), and barrenness ("without rain," "fruitless") of the false teachers. They particularly emphasize the finality of their punishment ("uprooted," "twice dead," "blackest darkness"). Although there are Old Testament parallels, the last four metaphors - clouds, trees, waves, stars - are probably drawn from The Book of Enoch , which Jude will quote directly in the next section.

E. ENOCH'S PROPHECY AGAINST

THE UNGODLY (14-16)

¹⁴ Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones ¹⁵ to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." ¹⁶ These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

v. 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men:

Jude supports his case against the false teachers by quoting from 1 Enoch 1:9 (see the discussion of his use of pseudepigraphical writings in the Introduction), which reads:

Behold, he will arrive with ten million of the holy ones in order to execute judgment upon all. He will destroy the wicked ones and censure all flesh on account of everything that they have done, that which the sinners and the wicked ones committed against him.

"See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones

Jude adapts the quotation to his circumstances by identifying the one to come with the Lord (that is, Jesus) who will come to judge the ungodly (that is, the false teachers). He comes with an uncountable host (literally myriads) of holy ones, perhaps glorified saints but more likely angels (cf. Deuteronomy 33:2-3; Daniel 7:10; Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 25:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; also see the comments on James 5:4). Their holiness contrasts with the ungodliness of the false teachers. The picture here is of a conquering Lord leading his angelic army against the forces of evil.

v. 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

He comes to judge the ungodly (a word used four times in different forms in this single verse). Ungodly (ajsebhv" , asebçs ) implies both moral fault and rejection of God (that is, of Jesus, v. 4). The ungodly will be judged for their acts and harsh words against the Lord Jesus and his angels ("slander celestial beings," v. 8).

v. 16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

Jude further applies the quotation to his opponents by describing them as grumblers (goggustaiv , gongystai ) and faultfinders (memyivmoiroi , mempsimoiroi ). Grumbling against God recalls the Israelites who murmured in the wilderness and were punished by God (v. 5; cf. Exodus 15:24; 16:2, 7-9, 12; Numbers 14:2,27,29,36; Deuteronomy 1:27; Psalm 106:25; 1 Corinthians 10:10) as well as those who rejected the teaching of Jesus (John 6:41). "Faultfinders" is better translated "complainers." Like the fallen angels (v. 6), the false teachers are discontented with the status God has given them, so they grumble and whine.

As an attempt to increase their status, they brag (literally, "speak big" (uJpevrogka , hyperonka ) about themselves and flatter those in power (literally, "admire faces," in other words, judge by appearance, cf. James 2:1-9). Not content to please the Lord Jesus, the all-powerful Lord of hosts, they fawn over those who appear influential but in truth have no permanent power.

F. THE WARNING OF THE APOSTLES (17-19)

¹⁷ But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. ¹⁸ They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." ¹⁹ These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

v. 17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.

The address "dear friends" (Greek, "beloved") is a transition, contrasting the false teachers with Jude's readers. Unlike the false teachers who flout authority, the beloved are to hold to the faith once delivered by remembering what they were taught by the apostles, whether personally, through others, or by apostolic writings. Just as the Old Testament (vv. 5-11) and Enoch (vv. 14-15) predicted the coming and fate of the false teachers, so also the apostles foretold their judgment (see Acts 20:29-31; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 4:3; 1 John 2:18-19; 4:1-3). The apostles received this warning from Jesus himself (Mark 13:5-8, 21-23; Matthew 7:15).

v. 18 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."

The apostolic warning calls the false teachers "scoffers" or "mockers," a word (ejmpaivkth" , empaiktçs ) used often in the Old Testament to describe the ungodly (Psalms 1:1; 35:16; Proverbs 1:22; 9:7-8; 13:1; 14:6; 19:25-29). These teachers have scoffed at Christ (vv. 4, 15), at authority (v. 8), at angels (v. 8), and at anything they do not understand (v. 10). Rejecting proper authority, they are left with their own ungodly desires (see v. 16).

v. 19 These are the men who divide you,

These men divide the church, referring not to an actual schism (they still share the same love feasts as the rest of the church, v. 12) but to an attempt to lead others astray (as at Corinth, "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," etc. 1 Corinthians 1:10-17). They may have convinced others that they were more enlightened and spiritual than most Christians, and so they deserved to lead the church.

who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But in his strongest language yet, Jude says they are natural and do not have the Spirit. Paul makes this same contrast between the natural man ("the man without the Spirit," NIV) and the spiritual man (1 Corinthians 2:10-15). James 3:15 speaks of a wisdom that is purely natural or "unspiritual" and so is earthly and of the devil. These false teachers follow their own natural inclinations, and although they may claim dreams and visions from God (v. 8), by their ungodly acts, they show they actually do not have the Spirit. This is the same as saying they have no salvation, since ". . . if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" (Romans 8:9b).

IV. A CALL TO FAITH, LOVE, AND MERCY (20-23)

²⁰ But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. ²¹ Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

²² Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³ snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear - hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

v. 20 But you, dear friends,

This paragraph begins with a contrast ("But you . . .") and continues to state and imply contrasts between the false teachers and the faithful Christians (the "dear friends," or literally in Greek, "the beloved ones" [ajgaphtoiv , agapçtoi ]). Along with these contrasts are several echoes of previous verses in Jude. Thus, these verses function as a summary.

build yourselves up in your most holy faith

The faithful are encouraged here by a series of four commands. First, they are "to build yourselves up on your most holy faith." The metaphor of the church as a building occurs throughout the New Testament (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 3:9-15; Colossians 2:6-7; and other passages). Here Christians as a group, not just individually, are to build themselves up on faith, that is, on the once-for-all beliefs that were entrusted to them (v. 3). That faith is holy in contrast to the ungodliness of the false teachers. The false teachers are trying to tear down and destroy the faith. The beloved are to build it up.

and pray in the Holy Spirit.

In contrast to the false teachers who do not have the Spirit (v. 19), the faithful are to "pray in the Holy Spirit." This does not necessarily imply charismatic prayer (as in 1 Corinthians 14:13-17), since the Spirit intercedes for Christians whenever they pray (Romans 8:15-16, 26-27; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 6:18). It is the Spirit who enables us to confess, "Jesus is Lord" (1 Corinthians 12:3; 1 John 4:2), but these false teachers deny Jesus (v. 2) and so cannot pray in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit means confessing Christ and receiving help in prayer from his Holy Spirit.

v. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love

Thirdly, the faithful are urged to "keep yourselves in God's love." This does not mean "your love for God," but "his love for you." God's love for the Christian is unending, but it calls for effort to stay with the faith and so stay in his love (John 15:9; 1 John 4:16). Unlike the disobedient angels who abandoned their position with God (v. 6), and the false teachers who pervert God's grace and love (v. 4), the beloved ones must be content to remain in God's love where they belong.

as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Finally, Jude encourages them to "wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." Although he doesn't use the word, Jude here speaks of the sure hope of the Christian. The beloved have already received mercy (Jude even greets them with the word v. 2), but the mercy of Jesus Christ will be fully revealed at the last day when the saints receive eternal life (cf. 2 Timothy 1:18). Waiting for that day is not merely passive but calls for action - building, praying, and keeping.

In these four injunctions ("build," "pray," "keep," "wait") there are references to the three theological virtues - faith, love, and hope - and to the Trinity - Holy Spirit, God, and Jesus Christ.

v. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt;

The words of verses 22-23 occur in a variety of ways in different Greek manuscripts and English translations. In the NIV there are three classes of people mentioned, each increasingly caught up in the error of the false teachers.

Having strongly condemned the false teachers and their error, the question arises, "How then should we treat those who are tempted to follow their error?" Staying in God's love and waiting for the mercy of Christ motivates the faithful to show love and mercy to others. Some are not sure of what they believe or whom they should follow. Such doubters need mercy, not condemnation. Having mercy on doubters implies the faithful should correct them with gentleness.

v. 23 snatch others from the fire and save them;

Others are in greater danger from the false teachers. They stand on the brink of hellfire. They must be snatched (aJrpavzw , harpazô ) from the fire (cf. Zechariah 3:1-5; Amos 4:11) and saved before it is too late (cf. James 5:20). There is a strong sense of urgency here. The faithful cannot ignore those who are tempted to be immoral and to deny Jesus like the false teachers. If ignored, they will suffer the punishment of the ungodly (see vv. 6,7,13,15).

to others show mercy, mixed with fear - hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Others are so influenced by the false teachers that it is as if their clothes were soiled by sin (Isaiah 4:4; Zechariah 3:3-4). Such sin can contaminate others, even those who try to show mercy. False teaching is contagious. Caution or fear is needed to insure that the faithful themselves are not led astray.

These verses clearly show the responsibility that faithful Christians have toward those who are confused about the faith or even living contrary to it. Contending for the faith does not call for treating others harshly. One cannot fight for the faith without having the attitude of the one in whom our faith rests, the one who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). The faithful are to do all they can in a spirit of gentleness and mercy to restore others to faith, and yet they must be cautious or they too will fall prey to temptation (Galatians 6:1-2).

V. DOXOLOGY (24-25)

²⁴ To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Jude ends his letter with one of the most beautiful statements of praise in Scripture. This doxology (from dovxa , doxa , the Greek word for "glory") is similar to others in the New Testament (Romans 16:25-27; Ephesians 3:20-21; Philippians 4:20; 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 5:13) but has unique features that tie it to the rest of Jude.

v. 24 To him who is able to keep you from falling

Jude's praise is to the one "who is able to keep you from falling." The idea of sin as stumbling is found frequently in the Psalms (38:16; 56:13; 66:9; 73:2; 91:12; 116:8; 121:3) and in James (2:10; 3:2). Here stumbling is falling into the error of the false teachers and so suffering the fate of the fallen angels ( v. 6). Jude has warned strongly against the danger of being contaminated by false teaching. This warning might have tempted his readers to focus on their own weakness and despair of remaining faithful. Jude moves them to courage by ending his letter with praise for the loving, powerful God who sustains believers. Christians must contend for the faith (v. 3), but they rely on God's strength for the fight, not on their own. Defense ends in praise. As Jude began his letter by calling them "kept by Jesus Christ," so here, using a different Greek word (fulavssw , phylassô ), he ends by praising the God who keeps them.

and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy -

God will not only keep them from falling now, but he will ultimately allow them to enter his presence without fault and with great joy. Faultless (a[nwmo" , anômos ) may imply that they stand before God as unblemished "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1), just as Old Testament sacrifices were to be without spot or blemish (Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 22:21; Malachi 1:13-14). More likely, it means they will stand morally blameless before God. Christians rejoice in his grace and power that alone can make them blameless (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

v. 25 to the only God our Savior

This God who is able to protect and save is the only God. This reflects the Shema , the great Jewish creed that proclaims that the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; see the comments on James 2:19). It is also a reminder that the false teachers have rejected Jesus as "our only sovereign and Lord" (v. 4), and by doing so have rejected the only God.

God is also "our Savior" (swthvr , sôtçr ), a title usually used for Jesus (but see Luke 1:47; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4). The term here likely has an Old Testament background, and so is equivalent to the phrase, "the God of our salvation" (Psalms 68:19; 88:1).

be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

God is praised with four terms. Glory (dovxa , doxa) is a rich word pointing to the bright presence of God that overshadowed Sinai (Exodus 24:16-17) and the temple (1 Kings 8:11). It also suggests the reputation and renown of God. Majesty (megalwsuvnh , megalôsynç ) connotes the transcendence of God. He is beyond human comprehension. Power (kravto" , kratos ) and authority (ejxousiva , exousia ) are synonymous. "Authority" may be Jude's final swipe at the false teachers who do not recognize God's rule.

The greatest way to fight false teachers is to praise the God they deny. All praise to God is through Jesus Christ our Lord. That praise stretches from eternity to eternity. To these words of praise, all believers say a heartfelt amen.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: Jude (Book Introduction)

THE EPISTLE OF JUDE

ABOUT a.d. 65 TO 67

By Way of Introduction

The Author

He calls himself Judas, but this was a very common name. In the N.T. itself we have Judas Iscariot and Judas not Iscariot (Joh_14:22; also called Judas of James, son or brother, Luk_6:6), Judas a brother of our Lord (Mat_13:55), Judas of Galilee (Act_5:37), Judas of Damascus (Act_9:11), Judas Barsabbas (Act_15:22). The author explains that he is a " slave" of Jesus Christ as James did (Jud_1:1), and adds that he is also a brother of James. Clement of Alexandria thinks that, like James, he deprecated being called the brother of the Lord Jesus (as by Hegesippus later) as claiming too much authority. Keil identifies him with Jude the Apostle (not Iscariot), but that is most unlikely. The Epistle is one of the disputed books of Eusebius. It was recognized in the canon in the Third Council of Carthage (a.d. 397). It appears in the Muratorian Canon (a.d. 170).

The Relation to 2 Peter

Beyond a doubt one of these Epistles was used by the other, as one can see by comparing particularly Jude 1:3-18 and 2 Peter 2:1-18. As already said concerning 2 Peter, scholars are greatly divided on this point, and in our present state of knowledge it does not seem possible to reach a solid conclusion. The probability is that not much time elapsed between them. Mayor devotes a whole chapter to the discussion of the relation between 2 Peter and Jude and reaches the conclusion " that in Jude we have the first thought, in Peter the second thought." That is my own feeling, but it is all so subjective that I have no desire to urge the point unduly. Bigg is equally positive that 2 Peter comes before Jude.

The Use of Apocryphal Books

Jude (verse Jud_1:14) quotes from " Enoch" by name and says that he " prophesied." What he quotes is a combination of various passages in the Book of Enoch as we have it now. It used to be held that part of Enoch was later than Jude, but Charles seems to have disproved that, though the book as we have it has many interpolations. Tertullian wanted to canonise Enoch because of what Jude says, whereas Chrysostom says that the authenticity of Jude was doubted because of the use of Enoch. In verse Jud_1:9 there seems to be an allusion to the Assumption of Moses , another apocryphal book, but it is the use of " prophesied" in verse Jud_1:14 about Enoch that gave most offence. It is possible, of course, that Jude did not attach the full sense to that term.

The Style

It is terse and picturesque, with a fondness for triplets. The use of the O.T. is very much like that in 2 Peter. Alford notes that it is impassioned invective with epithet on epithet, image on image. Bigg remarks on the stern and unbending nature of the author, with no pathos and a harsh view of things and with frequent use of Pauline phraseology. There are some fifteen words not in the rest of the N.T. The grammar is less irregular than that of 2 Peter. There is often a poetic ring in his words.

The Purpose

The author undoubtedly has the Gnostics in mind and is seeking to warn his readers against them, as is true of 2 Peter. This same purpose appears in the Johannine Epistles, as was true also of Colossians, Ephesians, the Pastoral Epistles.

The Readers

Of this we know nothing at all. Dr. Chase believes that the Epistle was sent to Antioch in Syria. That may be true, though it is mere conjecture. Any place or places in Asia Minor would suit so far as we know. The readers were probably both Jewish and Gentile Christians. Jerusalem and Alexandria are urged as the place of composition, but of that we have no real information.

The Date

This really turns on the genuineness of the Epistle. There is no clear indication of the date, for the Gnostics described can belong to the first or to the second century. If it was used by 2 Peter, that would place it slightly before that Epistle. The date suggested, 65 to 67 a.d., is purely conjectural.

JFB: Jude (Book Introduction)

AUTHOR.--He calls himself in the address "the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." See Introduction to the Epistle of James, in proof of James the apostle, and James the Lord's brother, the bishop of Jerusalem, being one and the same person. Gal 1:19 alone seems to me to prove this. Similarly, Jude the brother of our Lord, and Jude the apostle, seem to be one and the same. JEROME [Against Helvidius], rightly maintains that by the Lord's brethren are meant his cousins, children of Mary and Cleophas (the same as Alphæus). From 1Co 9:5 (as "brethren of the Lord" stands between "other apostles" and "Cephas"), it seems natural to think that the brethren of the Lord are distinguished from the apostles only because all his brethren were not apostles, but only James and Jude. Jude's reason for calling himself "brother of Jesus," was that James, as bishop of Jerusalem, was better known than himself. Had he been, in the strict sense, brother of our Lord, he probably would have so entitled himself. His omission of mention of his apostleship is no proof that he was not an apostle; for so also James omits it in his heading; and Paul, in his Epistles to the Philippians, Thessalonians, and Philemon, omits it. Had the writer been a counterfeiter of the apostle Jude, he would doubtless have called himself an "apostle." He was called also Lebbæus and Thaddeus, probably to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, the traitor. Lebbæus, from Hebrew "leeb," "heart," means courageous. Thaddeus is the same as Theudas, from Hebrew "thad," the "breast." Luke and John, writing later than Matthew, when there would be no confusion between him and Judas Iscariot, give his name Judas. The only circumstance relating to him recorded in the Gospels occurs in Joh 14:22, "Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" JEROME [Commentary on Matthew] says that he was sent to Edessa, to Abgarus, king of Osroene, or Edessa, and that he preached in Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Persia, in which last country he suffered martyrdom. The story is told on EUSEBIUS' authority, that Abgarus, on his sickbed, having heard of Jesus' power to heal, sent to beg Him to come and cure him, to which the Lord replied, praising his faith, that though he had not seen the Saviour, he yet believed; adding, "As for what thou hast written, that I should come to thee, it is necessary that all those things for which I was sent should be fulfilled by Me in this place, and that having filled them I should be received up to Him that sent Me. When, therefore, I shall be received into heaven, I will send unto thee some one of My disciples who shall both heal thy distemper and give life to thee and those with thee." Thomas is accordingly said to have been inspired to send Thaddeus for the cure and baptism of Abgarus. The letters are said to have been shown Thaddeus among the archives of Edessa. It is possible such a message was verbally sent, and the substance of it registered in writing afterwards (compare 2Ki. 5:1-27; and Mat 15:22). HEGESIPPUS (in EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 3.20]) states that when Domitian inquired after David's posterity, some grandsons of Jude, called the Lord's brother, were brought into his presence. Being asked as to their possessions, they said that they had thirty-nine acres of the value of nine thousand denarii, out of which they paid him taxes, and lived by the labor of their hands, a proof of which they gave by showing the hardness of their hands. Being interrogated as to Christ and His kingdom, they replied that it was not of this world, but heavenly; and that it would be manifested at the end of the world, when He would come in glory to judge the living and the dead.

AUTHENTICITY.--EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 3.25], reckons it among the Antilegomena or controverted Scriptures, "though recognized by the majority." The reference to the contest of Michael, the archangel, with the devil, for the body of Moses, not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament, but found in the apocryphal "Book of Enoch," probably raised doubts as to its authenticity, as JEROME [On Illustrious Men, 4] says. Moreover, its not being addressed to one particular Church, or individual, caused it not to be so immediately recognized as canonical. A counterfeiter would have avoided using what did not occur in the Old Testament, and which might be regarded as apocryphal.

As to the book of Enoch, if quoted by Jude, his quotation of a passage from it gives an inspired sanction only to the truth of that passage, not to the whole book; just as Paul, by inspiration, sanctions particular sentiments from ARATUS, EPIMENIDES, and MENANDER, but not all their writings. I think, rather as there is some slight variation between Jude's statement and that of the book of Enoch, that Jude, though probably not ignorant of the book of Enoch, stamps with inspired sanction the current tradition of the Jews as to Enoch's prophecies; just as Paul mentions the names of the Egyptian magicians, "Jannes and Jambres" (2Ti 3:8), not mentioned in the Old Testament. At all events, the prophecy ascribed to Enoch by Jude was really his, being sanctioned as such by this inspired writer. So also the narration as to the archangel Michael's dispute with Satan concerning the body of Moses, is by Jude's inspired authority (Jud 1:9) declared true. The book of Enoch is quoted by JUSTIN MARTYR, IRENÆUS, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, &c. Bruce, the Abyssinian traveller, brought home three copies of it in Ethiopic, from Alexandria, of which Archbishop Lawrence, in 1821, gave an English translation. The Ethiopic was a version from the Greek, and the Greek doubtless a version from the Hebrew, as the names of the angels in it show. The Apostolic Constitutions, ORIGEN [Against Celsus], JEROME, and AUGUSTINE, pronounce it not canonical. Yet it is in the main edifying, vindicating God's government of the world, natural and spiritual, and contradicting none of the Scripture statements. The name Jesus never occurs, though "Son of man," so often given to Messiah in the Gospels, is frequent, and terms are used expressive of His dignity, character, and acts, exceeding the views of Messiah in any other Jewish book. The writer seems to have been a Jew who had become thoroughly imbued with the sacred writings of Daniel. And, though many coincidences occur between its sentiments and the New Testament, the Messianic portions are not distinct enough to prove that the writer knew the New Testament. Rather, he seems to have immediately preceded Christ's coming, about the time of Herod the Great, and so gives us a most interesting view of believing Jews' opinions before the advent of our Lord. The Trinity is recognized (Enoch 60:13,14). Messiah is "the elect One" existing from eternity (Enoch 48:2,3,5); "All kings shall fall down before Him, and worship and fix their hopes on this Son of man" (Enoch 61:10-13). He is the object of worship (Enoch 48:3,4); He is the supreme Judge (Enoch 60:10,11; 68:38,39). There shall be a future state of retribution (Enoch 93:8,9; 94:2,4; 95; 96; 99; 103); The eternity of future punishment (Enoch 103:5). VOLKMAR, in ALFORD, thinks the book was written at the time of the sedition of Barchochebas (A.D. 132), by a follower of Rabbi Akiba, the upholder of that impostor. This would make the book Antichristian in its origin. If this date be correct, doubtless it copied some things from Jude, giving them the Jewish, not the Christian, coloring.

EUSEBIUS [Demonstration of the Gospel, 3.5] remarks, it accords with John's humility that in Second and Third John he calls himself "the elder." For the same reason James and Jude call themselves "servants of Jesus Christ." CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA [Adumbrations, in Epistle of Jude, p. 1007] says, "Jude, through reverential awe, did not call himself brother, but servant, of Jesus Christ, and brother of James."

TERTULLIAN [On the Apparel of Women, 3] cites the Epistle as that of the apostle James. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA in Miscellanies [3.2.11] quotes Jud 1:8, Jud 1:17 as Scripture, in The Instructor [3.8.44], Jud 1:5. The MURATORI fragment asserts its canonicity [ROUTH, Sacred Fragments, 1.306]. ORIGEN [Commentary on Matthew 13:55] says, "Jude wrote an Epistle of few lines, but one filled full of the strong words of heavenly grace." Also, in his Commentary on Matthew 22:23, ORIGEN quotes Jud 1:6; and on Matthew 18:10, he quotes Jud 1:1. He calls the writer "Jude the apostle," in the Latin remains of his works (compare DAVIDSON, Introduction to the New Testament, vol. 3, p. 498). JEROME [On Illustrious Men, 4] reckons it among the Scriptures. Though the oldest manuscripts of the Peschito omit it, EPHREM THE SYRIAN recognizes it. WORDSWORTH reasons for its genuineness thus: Jude, we know, died before John, that is, before the beginning of the second century. Now EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 3.32] tells us that James was succeeded in the bishopric of Jerusalem by Symeon his brother; and also that Symeon sat in that see till A.D. 107, when as a martyr he was crucified in his hundred twentieth year. We find that the Epistle to Jude was known in the East and West in the second century; it was therefore circulated in Symeon's lifetime. It never would have received currency such as it had, nor would Symeon have permitted a letter bearing the name of an apostle, his own brother Jude, brother of his own apostolical predecessor, James, to have been circulated, if it were not really Jude's.

TO WHOM ADDRESSED.--The references to Old Testament history, Jud 1:5, Jud 1:7, and to Jewish tradition, Jud 1:14, &c., make it likely that Jewish Christians are the readers to whom Jude mainly (though including also all Christians, Jud 1:1) writes, just as the kindred Epistle, Second Peter, is addressed primarily to the same class; compare Introduction to First Peter and Introduction to Second Peter. The persons stigmatized in it were not merely libertines (as ALFORD thinks), though no doubt that was one of their prominent characteristics, but heretics in doctrine, "denying the only Lord God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Hence he urges believers "earnestly to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints" (Jud 1:3). Insubordination, self-seeking, and licentiousness, the fruit of Antinomian teachings, were the evils against which Jude warns his readers; reminding them that, to build themselves in their most holy faith, and to pray in the Holy Ghost, are the only effectual safeguards. The same evils, along with mocking skepticism, shall characterize the last days before the final judgment, even as in the days when Enoch warned the ungodly of the coming flood. As Peter was in Babylon in writing 1Pe 5:13, and probably also in writing Second Peter (compare Introduction to First Peter and Introduction to Second Peter), Jude addressed his Epistle primarily to the Jewish Christians in and about Mesopotamian Babylon (a place of great resort to the Jews in that day), or else to the Christian Jews dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1Pe 1:1), the persons addressed by Peter. For Jude is expressly said to have preached in Mesopotamia [JEROME, Commentary on Matthew], and his Epistle, consisting of only twenty-five verses, contains in them no less than eleven passages from Second Peter (see my Introduction to Second Peter for the list). Probably in Jud 1:4 he witnesses to the fulfilment of Peter's prophecy, "There are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained (rather as Greek, "forewritten," that is, announced beforehand by the apostle Peter's written prophecy) to this condemnation, ungodly men denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." Compare 2Pe 2:1, "There shall be false teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." Also Jud 1:17-18 plainly refers to the very words of 2Pe 3:3, "Remember the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus; how they told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts." This proves, in opposition to ALFORD, that Jude's Epistle is later than Peter's (whose inspiration he thus confirms, just as Peter confirms Paul's, 2Pe 3:15-16), not vice versa.

TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING.--ALFORD thinks, that, considering Jude was writing to Jews and citing signal instances of divine vengeance, it is very unlikely he would have omitted to allude to the destruction of Jerusalem if he had written after that event which uprooted the Jewish polity and people. He conjectures from the tone and references that the writer lived in Palestine. But as to the former, negative evidence is doubtful; for neither does John allude in his Epistles, written after the destruction of Jerusalem, to that event. MILL fixes on A.D. 90, after the death of all the apostles save John. I incline to think from Jud 1:17-18 that some time had elapsed since the Second Epistle of Peter (written probably about A.D. 68 or 69) when Jude wrote, and, therefore, that the Epistle of Jude was written after the destruction of Jerusalem.

TSK: Jude (Book Introduction)

St. Jude, says Origen, has written an Epistle in a few lines indeed, but full of vigorous expressions of heavenly grace - Ιουδας [Strong’s 2455], μεν [Strong’s 3303], εγραψεν επιστολην ολιγοστιχον μεν [Strong’s 3303], πεπληρωμενην δε [Strong’s 1161], ουρανιου χαριτος ερρωμενων λογων .

He briefly and forcibly represents the detestable doctrines and practices of certain false teachers, generally supposed to be the impure Gnostics, Nicolaitans and followers of Simon Magus; and reproves these profligate perverters of sound principles, and patrons of lewdness, with a holy indignation and just severity; while at the same time he exhorts all sound Christians, with genuine apostolic charity, to have tender compassion on these deluded wretches, and to endeavour vigorously to reclaim them from the ways of hell, and pluck them as brands out of the fire. There is a great similarity in sentiment and style between this Epistle and the second chapter of the second Epistle of Peter. Both writers are nearly alike in vehemence and holy indignation against impudence and lewdness, and against those who insidiously undermine chastity, purity, and sound principles.

TSK: Jude 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Jud 1:1, He exhorts them to be constant in the profession of the faith; Jud 1:4, False teachers are crept in to seduce them, for whose evil doctrine and manners horrible punishment is prepared; Jud 1:20, whereas the godly, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and prayers to God, may persevere, and grow in grace, and keep themselves, and recover others out of the snares of those deceivers.

Poole: Jude 1 (Chapter Introduction)

ARGUMENT

Some question there hath been concerning the penman of this Epistle, and some have thought that Jude the apostle was not the man, whoever were;

1. Because he doth not give himself the title of apostle: but that is objected against James too, and hath been already answered.

2. Because the writer of this Epistle speaks of himself as coming after the apostles, Jud 1:17 . But what necessity is there for his coming behind them in office and authority, because he doth in time?

3. Because he mentions the contention about the body of Moses, and the prophecy of Enoch, which are no where to be found in Scripture. But when there were divers traditions among the Jews, (whereof this about Moses’ s body seems to be one), why might not the Holy Ghost assert some that were true (though before doubtful) by this apostle, and make them certain, as well as he doth by Paul the names of Jannes and Jambres, 2Ti 3:8 , which were known only by tradition; and Moses’ s quaking and fearing at Mount Sinai, Heb 12:21 , whereof no mention had been made in the Scripture? As for the prophecy of Enoch, it seems to have been a tradition too, (for he mentions no writing), and then the same may be said as to the other. Yet if it were a book, and an apocryphal one too, his citing of it doth not make it to be canonical; for Jude might as well cite a passage out of an apocryphal writer, as Paul doth several out of heathen authors, Act 17:28 1Co 15:33 Tit 1:12 . And:

4. Because much of this Epistle seems to be transcribed out of 2Pe 2:1-22 , and therefore not to be dictated by the Spirit. But to this it may be said, that though many passages in this Epistle agree with what Peter speaks, yet there is so much difference in the whole, that it is plain they are not transcribed thence. And yet why might not the Spirit dictate the same truths to several penmen, either to be published to several persons, or the same persons at different times? Most of Obadiah’ s prophecy is to be found in Jeremiah’ s; Psa 60:1-12 is in a great part the same with Psa 108:1-13 , and Psa 14:1-7 the same with Psa 53:1-6 ; and Paul by the same Spirit wrote many of the same things to the Ephesians, and to the Colossians. And what is alleged of the ancients questioning the authority of this Epistle, it is not so considerable, as it might be alleged, even out of them, for the confirmation of it.

Sure we may say, the spirit of an apostle breathes in this as well as in others; the same majesty, purity, and efficacy appear in it, and whatever may evidence its Divine authority. It is written to the Christian Jews. The matter of it agrees very much with 2Pe 2:1-22 , and the scope is mostly the same, viz. to arm them against those who, by their wicked errors and wicked manners, secretly and slily brought in, might infect them, and seduce them into the same wickedness with themselves, whereby they might be exposed to the same judgment, which he pronounceth were like to come upon such.

JUDE CHAPTER 1

Jud 1:1-3 After a general address, Jude exhorteth Christians to

constancy in the received faith.

Jud 1:4-19 He foretelleth the punishment of certain false teachers

crept into the church, and describeth their evil doctrine

and manners.

Jud 1:20,21 He exhorteth true Christians to persevere in the

right faith, and in the love of God,

Jud 1:22-23 and to seek the reformation of others.

Jud 1:24,25 He concludeth with ascribing glory to God.

Jude called also Lebbaeus and Thaddaeus Mat 10:3 .

The servant of Jesus Christ not only in the general notion, as a believer, but in a more special, as an apostle. Priests and prophets in the Old Testament are peculiarly called God’ s servants, Psa 134:1-3 Amo 3:7 ; and so are ministers in the New, 2Ti 2:24 .

And brother of James that James who was the son of Alphaeus, Mat 10:3 . He mentions his brother to distinguish himself from Judas Iscariot; and his brother rather than his father, because James was most famous in the church, Act 15:1-41 Gal 2:9 1Co 9:5 ; as likewise to show his consent with his brother in his doctrine, and to make his Epistle the more acceptable.

To them that are sanctified by God the Father viz. as the prime efficient cause of sanctification, which he works in believers by the Son, through the Spirit.

And preserved in Jesus Christ: their salvation, and perseverance, and deliverance from dangers, not being in their own power; he intimates, that Christ was appointed to be their King, and Head, and Keeper, the Author and Finisher of their faith Heb 12:2 , and furnished with power for their protection and security, and that by him they were kept unto the salvation purchased for them, viz. by his powerful operation and gracious influence maintaining their faith and union with himself.

And called with an effectual calling, the beginning of their sanctification, before mentioned. The copulative, and, is not in the Greek; and the words may be read, sanctified by God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ, as being called; and so called may be understood as going before the other two; and then the sense is, to the called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ; or, to them who, being called, are sanctified, &c.

MHCC: Jude (Book Introduction)

This epistle is addressed to all believers in the gospel. Its design appears to be to guard believers against the false teachers who had begun to creep into the Christian church, and to scatter dangerous tenets, by attempting to lower all Christianity into a merely nominal belief and outward profession of the gospel. Having thus denied the obligations of personal holiness, they taught their disciples to live in sinful courses, at the same time flattering them with the hope of eternal life. The vile character of these seducers is shown, and their sentence is denounced, and the epistle concludes with warnings, admonitions, and counsels to believers.

MHCC: Jude 1 (Chapter Introduction)

(Jud 1:1-4) The apostle exhorts to stedfastness in the faith.

(Jud 1:5-7) The danger of being infected by false professors, and the dreadful punishment which shall be inflicted on them and their followers.

(Jud 1:8-16) An awful description of these seducers and their deplorable end.

(Jud 1:17-23) Believers cautioned against being surprised at such deceivers arising among them.

(Jud 1:24, Jud 1:25) The epistle ends with an encouraging doxology, or words of praise.

Matthew Henry: Jude (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The General Epistle of Jude

This epistle is styled (as are some few others) general or Catholic, because it is not immediately directed to any particular person, family, or church, but to the whole society of Christians of that time, lately converted to the faith of Christ, whether from Judaism or paganism: and it is, and will be, of standing, lasting, and special use in and to the church as long as Christianity, that is, as time, shall last. The general scope of it is much the same with that of the second chapter of the second epistle of Peter, which having been already explained, the less will need to be said on this. It is designed to warn us against seducers and their seduction, to inspire us with a warm love to, and a hearty concern for, truth (evident and important truth), and that in the closest conjunction with holiness, of which charity, or sincere unbiased brotherly-love, is a most essential character and inseparable branch. The truth we are to hold fast, and endeavour that others may be acquainted with and not depart fRom. has two special characters: - It is the truth as it is in Jesus (Eph 4:21; and it is truth after (or which is according to ) godliness, Tit 1:1. The gospel is the gospel of Christ. He has revealed it to us, and he is the main subject of it; and therefore we are indispensably bound to learn thence all we can of his person, natures, and offices: indifference as to this is inexcusable in any who call themselves Christians; and we know from what fountain we are wholly and solely to draw all necessary saving knowledge. Further, it is also a doctrine of godliness. Whatever doctrines favour the corrupt lusts of men cannot be of God, let the pleas and pretensions for them be what they will. Errors dangerous to the souls of men soon sprang up in the church. The servants slept and tares were sown. But such were the wisdom and kindness of Providence that they began sensibly to appear and show themselves, while some, at least, of the apostles were yet alive to confute them, and warn others against them. We are apt to think, If we had lived in their times, we should have been abundantly fenced against the attempts and artifices of seducers; but we have their testimony and their cautions, which is sufficient; and, if we will not believe their writings, neither should we have believed or regarded their sayings, if we had lived among them and conversed personally with them.

Matthew Henry: Jude 1 (Chapter Introduction)

We have here, I. An account of the penman of this epistle, a character of the church, the blessings and privileges of that happy society (Jud 1:1, Jud 1:2). II. The occasion of writing this epistle (Jud 1:3). III. A character of evil and perverse men, who had already sprung up in that infant state of the church, and would be succeeded by others of the like evil spirit and temper in after-times (Jud 1:4). IV. A caution against hearkening to and following after such, from the severity of God towards the unbelieving murmuring Israelites at their coming out of Egypt, the angels that fell, the sin and punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jud 1:5-7). V. To these the apostle likens the seducers against whom he was warning them, and describes them at large, (Jud 1:8-10, inclusive). VI. Then (as specially suitable to his argument) he cites an ancient prophecy of Enoch foretelling and describing the future judgment (Jud 1:14, Jud 1:15). VII. He enlarges on the seducers' character, and guards against the offence which honest minds might be apt to take at the so early permission of such things, by showing that it was foretold long before that so it must be (Jud 1:16-19). VIII. Exhorts them to perseverance in the faith, fervency in prayer, watchfulness against falling from the love of God, and a lively hope of eternal life (Jud 1:20, Jud 1:21). IX. Directs them how to act towards the erroneous and scandalous (Jud 1:22, Jud 1:23). And, X. Closes with an admirable doxology in the last two verses.

Barclay: Jude (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER OF JUDE

The Difficult And Neglected Letter

It may well be said that for the great majority of modern readers reading the little letter of Jude is a bewildering rather than a profitable undertaking. There are two verses which everyone knows--the resounding and magnificent doxology with which it ends:

Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you

without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to

the only God our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory,

majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and for

ever. Amen.

But, apart from these two great verses, Jude is largely unknown and seldom read. The reason for its difficulty is that it is written out of a background of thought, against the challenge of a situation, in pictures and with quotations, which are all quite strange to us. Beyond a doubt it would hit those who read it for the first time like a hammer-blow. It would be like a trumpet call to defend the faith. Moffatt calls Jude "a fiery cross to rouse the churches." But, as J. B. Mayor, one of its greatest editors, has said: "To a modern reader it is curious rather than edifying with the exception of the beginning and the end."

This is one of the great reasons for addressing ourselves to the study of Jude; for, when we understand Judethought and disentangle the situation against which he was writing, his letter becomes of the greatest interest for the history of the earliest church and by no means without relevance for today. There have indeed been times in the history of the church, and especially in its revivals when Jude was not far from being the most relevant book in the New Testament. Let us begin by simply setting down the substance of the letter without waiting for the explanations which must follow later.

Meeting The Threat

It had been Judeintention to write a treatise on the faith which all Christians share; but that task had to be laid aside in view of the rise of men whose conduct and thought were a threat to the Christian Church (Jud_1:3 ). In view of this situation the need was not so much to expound the faith as to rally Christians in its defence. Certain men who had insinuated themselves into the church were busily engaged in turning the grace of God into an excuse for open immorality and were denying the only true God and Jesus Christ the Lord (Jud_1:4 ). These men were immoral in life and heretical in belief.

The Warnings

Against these men Jude marshals his warnings. Let them remember the fate of the Israelites. They had been brought in safety out of Egypt but they had never been permitted to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief (Jud_1:5 ). The reference is to Num_13:26-33 ; Num_14:1-29 . Although a man had received the grace of God, he might still lose his eternal salvation if he drifted into disobedience and unbelief. Some angels with the glory of heaven as their own had come to earth and corrupted mortal women with their lust (Gen_6:2 ); and now they were imprisoned in the abyss of darkness, awaiting judgment (Jud_1:6 ). He who rebels against God must look for judgment. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had given themselves over to lust and to unnatural vice, and their destruction in flames is a dreadful warning to everyone who similarly goes astray (Jud_1:7 ).

The Evil Life

These men are visionaries of evil dreams; they defile their flesh; and they speak evil of the angels (Jud_1:8 ). Not even Michael the archangel, dare speak evil even of the evil angels. It had been given to Michael to bury the body of Moses. The devil had tried to stop him and claim the body for himself. Michael had spoken no evil against the devil, even in circumstances like that, but had simply said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jud_1:9 ). Angels must be respected, even when evil and hostile. These evil men condemn everything which they do not understand, and spiritual things are beyond their understanding. They do understand their fleshly instincts and allow themselves to be governed by them as the brute beasts do (Jud_1:10 ).

They are like Cain, the cynical, selfish murderer; they are like Balaam, whose one desire was for gain and who led the people into sin; they are like Korah, who rebelled against the legitimate authority of Moses and was swallowed up by the earth for his arrogant disobedience (Jud_1:11 ).

They are like the hidden rocks on which a ship may founder; they have their own clique in which they consort with people like themselves, and thus destroy Christian fellowship; they deceive others with their promises, like clouds which promise the longed-for rain and then pass over the sky; they are like fruitless and rootless trees, which have no harvest of good fruit; as the foaming spray of the waves casts the sea-weed and the wreckage on the beaches, they foam out shameless deeds; they are like disobedient stars who refuse to keep their appointed orbit and are doomed to the dark (Jud_1:13 ). Long ago the prophet Enoch had described these men and had prophesied their divine destruction (Jud_1:15 ). They murmur against all true authority and discipline as the children of Israel murmured against Moses in the desert; they are discontented with the lot which God has appointed to them; their lusts are their dictators; their speech is arrogant and proud; they are toadies of the great for sake of gain (Jud_1:16 ).

Words To The Faithful

Having castigated the evil men with this torrent of invective, Jude turns to the faithful. They could have expected all this to happen, for the apostles of Jesus Christ had foretold the rise of evil men (Jud_1:18-19 ). But the duty of the true Christian is to build his life on the foundation of the most holy faith; to learn to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit; to remember the conditions of the covenant into which the love of God has called him; to wait for the mercy of Jesus Christ (Jud_1:20-21 ).

As for the false thinkers and the loose livers--some of them may be saved with pity while they are still hesitating on the brink of their evil ways; others have to be snatched like brands from the burning; and, in all his rescue work, the Christian must have that godly fear which will love the sinner but hate the sin and must avoid the pollution of those he seeks to save (Jud_1:22-23 ).

And all the time there will be with him the power of that God who can keep him from falling and bring him pure and joyful into his presence (Jud_1:24-25 ).

The Heretics

Who were the heretics whom Jude blasts, and what were their beliefs and what their way of life? Jude never tells us. He was not a theologian but, as Moffatt says, "a plain, honest leader of the church." "He denounces rather than describes" the heresies he attacks. He does not seek to argue and to refute, for he writes as one "who knows when round indignation is more telling than argument." But from the letter itself we can deduce three things about these heretics.

(i) They were antinomians. Antinomians have existed in every age of the church. They are people who pervert grace. Their position is that the law is dead and they are under grace. The prescriptions of the law may apply to other people, but they no longer apply to them. They can do absolutely what they like. Grace is supreme; it can forgive any sin; the more the sin, the more the opportunities for grace to abound (Rom 6 ). The body is of no importance; what matters is the inward heart of man. All things belong to Christ, and, therefore, all things are theirs. And so for them there is nothing forbidden.

So Judeheretics turn the grace of God into an excuse for flagrant immorality (Jud_1:4 ); they even practise shameless unnatural vices, as the people of Sodom did (Jud_1:7 ). They defile the flesh and think it no sin (Jud_1:8 ). They allow their brute instincts to rule their lives (Jud_1:10 ). With their sensual ways, they are like to make shipwreck of the love feasts of the church (Jud_1:12 ). It is by their own lusts that they direct their lives (Jud_1:16 ).

Modern Examples Of The Ancient Heresy

It is a curious and tragic fact of history that the church has never been entirely free of this antinomianism; and it is natural that it has flourished most in the ages when the wonder of grace was being rediscovered.

It appeared in the Ranters of the seventeenth century. The Ranters were pantheists and antinomians. A pantheist believes that God is everything; literally all things are Christ and Christ is the end of the law. They talked of "Christ within them," and paid no heed to the church or its ministry, and belittled scripture. One of them called Bottomley wrote: "It is not safe to go to the Bible to see what others have spoken and written of the mind of God as to see what God speaks within me, and to follow the doctrine and leading of it in me." When George Fox rebuked them for their lewd practices, they answered, "We are God." This may sound very fine, but, as John Wesley was to say, it most often resulted in "a gospel of the flesh." It was their argument that "swearing, adultery, drunkenness and theft are not sinful unless the person guilty of them apprehends them to be so." When Fox was a prisoner at Charing Cross they came to see him and mightily offended him by calling for drink and tobacco. They swore terribly and when Fox rebuked them, justified themselves by saying that Scripture tells us that Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the priests, and the angel all swore. To which Fox replied that he who was before Abraham commanded, "Swear not at all." Richard Baxter said of them, "They conjoined a cursed doctrine of libertinism, which brought them to all abominable filthiness of life; they taught God regardeth not the actions of the outward man, but of the heart; and that to the pure all things are pure (even things forbidden) and so, as allowed by God, they spoke most hideous words of blasphemy, and many of them committed whoredoms commonly.... The horrid villainies of this sect did speedily extinguish it." Doubtless many of the Ranters were insane; doubtless some of them were pernicious and deliberate sensualists; but doubtless, too, some of them were earnest but misguided men, who had misunderstood the meaning of grace and freedom from the law.

Later John Wesley was to have trouble with the antinomians. He talks of them preaching a gospel of flesh and blood. At Jenninghall he says that "the antinomians had laboured hard in the Devilservice." At Birmingham he says that "the fierce, unclean, brutish, blasphemous antinomians" had utterly destroyed the spiritual life of the congregation. He tells of a certain Roger Ball who insinuated himself into the life of the congregation at Dublin. At first he seemed to be so spiritually-minded a man that the congregation welcomed him as being preeminently suited for the service and ministry of the church. He showed himself in time to be "full of guile and of the most abominable errors, one of which was that a believer had a right to all women." He would not communicate, for under grace a man must "touch not, taste not, handle not." He would not preach and abandoned the church services because, he said, "The dear Lamb is the only preacher."

Wesley, deliberately to show the position of these antinomians, related in his Journal a conversation which he had with one of them at Birmingham. It ran as follows. "Do you believe that you have nothing to do with the law of God?" "I have not; I am not under the law; I live by faith." "Have you, as living by faith, a right to everything in the world?" "I have. All is mine, since Christ is mine." "May you then take anything you will anywhere? Suppose out of a shop without the consent or knowledge of the owner?" "I may, if I want, for it is mine. Only I will not give offence." "Have you a right to all the women in the world" "Yes, if they consent." "And is not that a sin?" "Yes, to him who thinks it is a sin; but not to those whose hearts are free."

Repeatedly Wesley had to meet these people, as George Fox had to meet them. John Bunyan, too, came up against the Ranters who claimed complete freedom from the moral law and looked with contempt on the ethics of the stricter Christian. "These would condemn me as legal and dark, pretending that they only had attained perfection that could do what they would and not sin." One of them, whom Bunyan knew, "gave himself up to all manner of filthiness, especially uncleanness...and would laugh at all exhortations to sobriety. When I laboured to rebuke his wickedness, he would laugh the more."

Judeheretics have existed in every Christian generation and, even if they do not go all the way, there are still many who in their heart of hearts trade upon Godforgiveness and make his grace an excuse to sin.

The Denial Of God And Of Jesus Christ

(ii) Of the antinomianism and blatant immorality of the heretics whom Jude condemns there is no doubt. The other two faults with which he charges them are not so obvious in their meaning. He charges them with, as the Revised Standard Version has it, "denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ" (Jud_1:4 ). The closing doxology is to "the only God," a phrase which occurs again in Rom_16:27 ; 1Ti_1:17 ; 1Ti_6:15 . The reiteration of the word only is significant. If Jude talks about our only Master and Lord and, about the only God, it is natural to assume that there must have been those who questioned the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and of God. Can we trace any such line of thought in the early church and, if so, does it fit in with any other evidence which hints within the letter itself may supply?

As so often in the New Testament, we are again in contact with that type of thought which came to be known as Gnosticism. Its basic idea was that this was a dualistic universe, a universe with two eternal principles in it. From the beginning of time there had always been spirit and matter. Spirit was essentially good; matter was essentially evil. Out of this flawed matter the world was created. Now God is pure spirit and, therefore, could not possibly handle this essentially evil matter. How then was creation effected? God put out a series of aeons or emanations; each of these aeons was farther away from him. At the end of this long chain, remote from God, there was an aeon who was able to touch matter; and it was this aeon, this distant and secondary god, who actually created the world.

Nor was this all that was in Gnostic thought. As the aeons in the series grew more distant from God, they grew more ignorant of him; and also grew more hostile to him. The creating aeon, at the end of the series, was at once totally ignorant of and totally hostile to God.

Having got that length, the Gnostics took another step. They identified the true God with the God of the New Testament and they identified the secondary, ignorant and hostile god with the God of the Old Testament. As they saw it, the God of creation was a different being from the God of revelation and redemption. Christianity on the other hand believes in the only God, the one God of creation, providence and redemption.

This was the Gnostic explanation of sin. It was because creation was carried out, in the first place, from evil matter and, in the second place, by an ignorant god, that sin and suffering and all imperfection existed.

This Gnostic line of thought had one curious, but perfectly logical, result. If the God of the Old Testament was ignorant of and hostile to the true God, it must follow that the people whom that ignorant God hurt were in fact good people. Clearly the hostile God would be hostile to the people who were the true servants of the true God. The Gnostics, therefore, so to speak, turned the Old Testament upside down and regarded its heroes as villains and its villains as heroes. So there was a sect of these Gnostics called Ophites, because they worshipped the serpent of Eden; and there were those who regarded Cain and Korah and Balaam as great heroes. It is these very people whom Jude uses as tragic and terrible examples of sin.

So we may take it that the heretics whom Jude attacks are Gnostics who denied the oneness of God, who regarded the God of creation as different from the God of redemption, who saw in the Old Testament God an ignorant enemy of the true God and who, therefore, turned the Old Testament upside down to regard its sinners as servants of the true God and its saints as servants of the hostile God.

Not only did these heretics deny the oneness of God, they also denied "our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ." That is to say, they denied the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. How does that fit in with the Gnostic ideas so far as they are known to us? We have seen that, according to Gnostic belief, God put out a series of aeons between himself and the world. The Gnostics regarded Jesus Christ as one of these aeons. They did not regard him as our only, Master and Lord; he was only one among the many who were links between God and man, although he might be the highest and the closest of all.

There is still one other hint about these heretics in Jude, a hint which also fits in with what we know about the Gnostics. In Jud_1:19 , Jude describes them as "these who set up divisions." The heretics introduce some kind of class distinctions within the fellowship of the Church. What were these distinctions?

We have seen that between man and God there stretched an infinite series of aeons. The aim of man must be to achieve contact with God. To obtain this his soul must traverse this infinite series of links between God and man. The Gnostics held that to achieve this a very special and esoteric knowledge was required. So deep was this knowledge that only very few could attain to it.

The Gnostics, therefore, divided men into two classes, the pneumatikoi (G4152) and the psuchikoi (G5591). The pneuma (G4151) was the spirit of man, that which made him kin to God--and the pneumatikoi (G4152) were the spiritual people, the people whose spirits were so highly developed and intellectual that they were able to climb the long ladder and reach God. These pneumatikoi (G4152), the Gnostics claimed, were so spiritually and intellectually equipped that they could become as good as Jesus--Irenaeus says that some of them believed that the pneumatikoi (G4152) could become better than Jesus and attain direct union with God.

On the other hand, the psuche (G5590) was simply the principle of physical life. All things which live had psuche (G5590); it was something which man shared with the animal creation and even with growing plants. The psuchikoi (G5591) were ordinary people; they had physical life but their pneuma (G4151) was undeveloped and they were incapable of ever gaining the intellectual wisdom which would enable them to climb the long road to God. The pneumatikoi (G4152) were a very small and select minority; the psuchikoi (G5591) were the vast majority of ordinary people.

It is clear to see that this kind of belief was inevitably productive of spiritual snobbery and pride. It introduced into the church the worst kind of class distinction.

So, then, the heretics whom Jude attacks were men who denied the oneness of God and split him into an ignorant creating God and a truly spiritual God; who denied the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and saw him as only one of the links between God and man; who erected class distinctions within the church and limited fellowship with God to the intellectual few.

The Denial Of The Angels

(iii) It is further inferred that these heretics denied and insulted the angels. It is said they "reject authority, and revile the glorious ones" (Jud_1:8 ). The words "authority" and "glorious ones" describe ranks in the Jewish hierarchy of angels. Jud_1:9 is a reference to a story in the Assumption of Moses. It is there told that Michael was given the task of burying the body of Moses. The devil tried to stop him and claim the body. Michael made no charge against the devil and said nothing against him. He said only, "The Lord rebuke you!" If Michael, the archangel, on such an occasion said nothing against the prince of evil angels, clearly no man can speak ill of the angels.

The Jewish belief in angels was very elaborate. Every nation had its protecting angel. Every person, even every child, had its angel. All the forces of nature, the wind and the sea and the fire and all the others, were under the control of angels. It could even be said "Every blade of grass has its angel." Clearly the heretics attacked the angels. It is likely that they said that the angels were the servants of the ignorant and hostile creator God and that a Christian must have nothing to do with them. We cannot quite be sure what lies behind this, but to all their other errors the heretics added the despising of the angels; and to Jude this seemed an evil thing.

Jude And The New Testament

We must now examine the questions regarding the date and the authorship of Jude.

Jude had some difficulty in getting into the New Testament at all; it is one of the books whose position was always insecure and which were late in gaining full acceptance as part of the New Testament. Let us briefly set out the opinions of the great fathers and scholars of the early church about it.

Jude is included in the Muratorian Canon, which dates to about A.D. 170, and may be regarded as the first semi-official list of the books accepted by the Church. The inclusion of Jude is strange when we remember that the Muratorian Canon does not include in its list Hebrews and First Peter. But thereafter Jude is for long spoken of with a doubt. In the middle of the third century Origen knew and used it, but he was well aware that there were many who questioned its right to be scripture. Eusebius, the great scholar of the middle of the fourth century, made a deliberate examination of the position of the various books which were in use and he classes Jude amongst the books which are disputed.

Jerome, who produced the Vulgate, had his doubts about Jude; and it is in him that we find one of the reasons for the hesitation which was felt towards it. The strange thing about Jude is the way in which it quotes as authorities books which are outside the Old Testament. It uses as scripture certain books which were written between the Old and the New Testaments and were never generally regarded as scripture. Here are two definite instances. The reference in Jud_1:9 to Michael disputing with the devil about the body of Moses is taken from an apocryphal book called The Assumption of Moses. In Jud_1:14-15 Jude confirms his argument with a quotation from prophecy, as, indeed, is the habit of all the New Testament writers; but Judequotation is, in fact, taken from the Book of Enoch, which he appears to regard as scripture. Jerome tells us that it was Judehabit of using non-scriptural books as scripture which made some people regard him with suspicion; and towards the end of the third century in Alexandria it was from the very same charge that Didymus defended him. It is perhaps the strangest thing in Jude that he uses these non-scriptural books as other New Testament writers use the prophets; and in Jud_1:17-18 he makes use of a saying of the apostles which is not identifiable at all.

Jude, then, was one of the books which took a long time to gain an assured place in the New Testament; but by the fourth century its place was secure.

The Date

There are definite indications that Jude is not an early book. It speaks of the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jud_1:3 ). That way of speaking seems to look back a long way and to come from the time when there was a body of belief which was orthodoxy. In Jud_1:17-18 he urges his people to remember the words of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. That seems to come from a time when the apostles were no longer there and the Church was looking back on their teaching. The atmosphere of Jude is of a book which looks back.

Beside that we have to set the fact that, as it seems to us, Second Peter makes use of Jude to a very large extent. Anyone can see that its second chapter has the closest possible connection with Jude. It is quite certain that one of these writers was borrowing from the other. On general grounds it is much more likely that the author of Second Peter would incorporate the whole of Jude into his work than that Jude would, for no apparent reason, take over only one section of Second Peter. Now, if we believe that Second Peter uses it, Jude cannot be very late, even if it is not early.

It is true that Jude looks back on the apostles; but it is also true that, with the exception of John, all the apostles were dead by A.D. 70. Taking together the fact that Jude looks back on the apostles and the fact that Second Peter uses it, a date about A.D. 80 to 90 would suit the writing of Jude.

The Authorship Of Jude

Who was this Jude, or Judas, who wrote this letter? He calls himself the servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James. In the New Testament there are five people called Judas.

(i) There is the Judas of Damascus in whose house Paul was praying after his conversion on the Damascus road (Act_9:11 ).

(ii) There is Judas Barsabas, a leading figure in the councils of the church who, along with Silas, was the bearer to Antioch of the decision of the Council of Jerusalem when the door of the church was opened to the Gentiles (Act_15:22 , Act_15:27 , Act_15:32 ). This Judas was also a prophet (Act_15:32 ).

(iii) There is Judas Iscariot.

None of these three has ever seriously been considered as the author of this letter.

(iv) There is the second Judas in the apostolic band. John calls him Judas, not Iscariot (Joh_14:22 ). In Lukelist of the Twelve there is an apostle whom the King James Version calls Judas the brother of James (Luk_6:16 ; Act_1:13 ). If we were to depend solely on the King James Version we might well think that here we have a serious candidate for the authorship of this letter, and, indeed, Tertullian calls the writer the Apostle Judas. But in the Greek this man is simply called Judas of James. This is a very common idiom in Greek and almost always it means not brother of, but son of; so that Judas of James in the list of the Twelve is not Judas the brother of James but Judas the son of James, as all the newer translations show.

(v) There is the Judas who was the brother of Jesus (Mat_13:55 ; Mar_6:3 ). If any of the New Testament Judases is the writer of this letter, it must be this one, for only he could truly be called the brother of James.

Is this little letter to be taken as a letter of the Judas who was the brother of our Lord? If so, it would give it a special interest. But there are objections.

(i) If Jude to use the form of his name with which we are familiar--was the brother of Jesus, why does he not say so? Why does he identify himself as Jude the brother of James rather than as Jude the brother of Jesus? It would surely be explanation enough to say that he shrank from taking so great a title of honour to himself. Even if it was true that he was the brother of Jesus, he might well prefer in humility to call himself his servant, for Jesus was not only his brother but his Lord. Further, Jude the brother of James would in all probability never be outside Palestine in all his life. The church he would know would be that at Jerusalem, and of that church James was the undoubted head. If he was writing to churches in Palestine, his relationship to James was the natural thing to stress. When we come to think of it, it would be more surprising that Jude should call himself the brother of Jesus than that he should call himself the servant of Jesus Christ.

(ii) It is objected that Jude calls himself the servant of Jesus Christ and thereby calls himself an apostle. "Servants of God" was the Old Testament title for the prophets. God would not do anything without revealing it first to his servants the prophets (Amo_3:7 ). What had been a prophetic title in the Old Testament became an apostolic title in the New Testament. Paul speaks of himself as the servant of Jesus Christ (Rom_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ). He is spoken of as the servant of God in the Pastoral Epistles (Tit_1:1 ), and that is also the title which James takes to himself (Jam_1:1 ). It is concluded, therefore, that by calling himself "the Servant of Jesus Christ" Jude is claiming to be an apostle.

There are two answers to that. First, the title servant of Jesus Christ is not confined to the Twelve, for it is given by Paul to Timothy (Phi_1:1 ). Second, even if it is regarded as a title confined to the apostles in the wider sense of the word, we find the brethren of the Lord associated with the eleven after the Ascension (Act_1:14 ), and Jude, like James, may well have been among them; and we learn that the brothers of Jesus were prominent in the missionary work of the Church (1Co_9:5 ). Such evidence as we have would tend to prove that Jude, the brother of our Lord, was one of the apostolic circle and that the title servant of Jesus Christ is perfectly applicable to him.

(iii) It is argued that the Jude of Palestine, who was the brother of Jesus, could not have written the Greek of this letter as he would be an Aramaic speaker. That is not a safe argument. Jude would certainly know Greek, for it was the lingua franca of the ancient world, which all men spoke in addition to their own language. The Greek of Jude is rugged and forceful; it might well be within Judecompetence to write it for himself and, even if he could not do so, he may well have had a helper and translator such as Peter had in Silvanus.

(iv) It might be argued that the heresy which Jude is attacking is Gnosticism and that Gnosticism is much more a Greek than a Jewish way of thought--and what would Jude of Palestine be doing writing to Greeks? But an odd fact about this heresy is that it is the very opposite of orthodox Judaism. The controller of all Jewish action was the sacred law; basic belief of Jewish religion was that there was one God; the Jewish belief in angels was highly developed. It is by no means difficult to suppose that when certain Jews entered the Christian faith, they swung to the other extreme. It is easy to imagine a Jew who had all his life been in servitude to the law suddenly discovering grace and plunging into antinomianism as a reaction against his former legalism; and reacting similarly against the traditional Jewish belief in one God and in angels. It is, in fact, easy to see in the heretics whom Jude attacks Jews who had come into the Christian Church rather as renegades from Judaism than as truly convinced Christians.

(v) Lastly, it might be argued that, if this letter had been known to have been the work of Jude the brother of Jesus, it would not have been so long in gaining an entry into the New Testament. But before the end of the first century the church was largely Gentile and the Jews were regarded as the enemies and the slanderers of the church. During his life-time Jesusrothers had in fact been his enemies; and it could well have happened that a letter as Jewish as Jude might have had a struggle against prejudice to get into the New Testament, even if its author was the brother of Jesus.

Jude The Brother Of Jesus

If this letter is not the work of Jude, the brother of Jesus, what are the alternatives suggested? On the whole, they are two.

(i) The letter is the work of a man called Jude of whom nothing is otherwise known. This theory has to meet a twofold difficulty. First, there is the coincidence that this Jude is also the brother of James. Second, it is hard to explain how so small a letter ever came to have any authority at all, if it is the work of someone quite unknown.

(ii) The letter is pseudonymous. That is to say, it was written by someone else and then attached to the name of Jude. That was a common practice in the ancient world. Between the Old and New Testament scores of books were written and attached to the names of Moses, Enoch, Baruch, Isaiah, Solomon and many an other. No one saw anything wrong in that. But two things are to be noted about Jude.

(a) In all such publications the name to which the book was attached was a famous name; but Jude, the brother of our Lord, was a person who was completely obscure; he is not numbered amongst the great names of the early church. There is a story that in the days of Domitian there was a deliberate attempt to see to it that Christianity did not spread. News came to the Roman authority that certain descendants of Jesus were still alive, amongst them the grandsons of Jude. The Romans felt that it was possible that rebellion might gather around these men and they were ordered to appear before the Roman courts. When they did so, they were seen to be horny-handed sons of toil and were dismissed as being unimportant and quite harmless. Obviously Jude was Jude the obscure and there could have been no possible reason for attaching a book to the name of a man whom nobody knew.

(b) When a book was written pseudonymously, the reader was never left in any doubt as to the person whose name it was being attached to. If this letter had been issued as the work of Judas the brother of our Lord, he would certainly have been given that title in such a way that no one could mistake it; and yet, in fact, it is quite unclear who the author is.

Jude is obviously Jewish; its references and allusions are such that only a Jew could understand. It is simple and rugged; it is vivid and pictorial. It is clearly the work of a simple thinker rather than of a theologian. It fits Jude the brother of our Lord. It is attached to his name, and there could be no reason for so attaching it unless he did in fact write it.

It is our opinion that this little letter is actually the work of Judas, the brother of Jesus.

FURTHER READING

Jude

C. Bigg, St. Peter and St. Jude (ICC; G)

C. E. B. Cranfield, 1 and 2 Peter and Jude (Tch; E)

J. B. Mayor, The Second Epistle of St. Peter and the Epistle of St. Jude (MmC; G)

J. Moffatt, The General Epistles: James, Peter and Jude (MC; E)

Abbreviations

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

MmC: Macmillan Commentary

Tch: Torch Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: Jude 1 (Chapter Introduction)

What It Means To Be A Christian (Jud_1:1-2)

The Call Of God (Jud_1:1-2 Continued)

Defending The Faith (Jud_1:3)

The Peril From Within (Jud_1:4)

The Dreadful Examples (Jud_1:5-7)

Contempt For The Angels (Jud_1:8-9)

The Gospel Of The Flesh (Jud_1:10)

Lessons From History (Jud_1:11)

The Picture Of Wicked Men (Jud_1:12-16)

The Selfishness Of Wicked Men (Jud_1:12-16 Continued)

The Fate Of Disobedience (Jud_1:12-16 Continued)

The Characteristics Of Evil Men (Jud_1:12-16 Continued)

The Characteristics Of Error (1) (Jud_1:17-19)

The Characteristics Of Error (2) (Jud_1:17-19 Continued)

The Characteristics Of Goodness (Jud_1:20-21)

Reclaiming The Lost (Jud_1:22-23)

The Final Ascription Of Praise (Jud_1:24-25)

Constable: Jude (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical background

Traditionally the writer of this epistle was Judas, the half-brother of Jesus Christ (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3) and the brother of James (Jude 1; Acts 15:13). Some scholars have challenged this identification in recent years, but they have not proved it incorrect. As such, Jude (Gr. Judas, Heb. Judah, "praise") was a Jewish Christian. Like James he was a Hellenized Galilean Jew who wrote with a cultivated Greek style.¹

Jesus' physical brothers did not believe in Him while He was ministering (John 7:5). James became a believer after Jesus' resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7), and we may assume that Jude did too. Jesus' brothers were part of the praying group that awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14). They were well known in the early church (1 Cor. 9:5).

Jude's many allusions to the Old Testament suggest that his original readers were very familiar with it. While this could have been true of any Christians, it would have been particularly true of Jewish Christians. Consequently many commentators believe Jude addressed this epistle to Jewish Christians primarily.

". . . we should not see it as a catholic letter' addressed to all Christians, but as a work written with a specific, localized audience in mind."²

"A predominantly, but not exclusively, Jewish Christian community in a Gentile society seems to account best for what little we can gather about the recipients of Jude's letter."³

The time of writing is very difficult to ascertain. Since Jude was a younger brother of Jesus he may have lived into the second century. After the Jewish revolts against Rome (A.D. 66-70) Jude probably lived outside Jerusalem and perhaps outside Palestine if he was still alive. References in the text to the false teachers and the apostles (vv. 3-5, 17) suggest a condition in the church some years after the day of Pentecost. Similarities with Peter's writings have led some to date Jude about the time Peter wrote.⁴ As is obvious, these are all very tentative guesses. Perhaps a date between A.D. 67 and 80 would be correct. At this time Jude may have been living somewhere outside Palestine.⁵

Fortunately the indefiniteness of the historical background of this epistle does not affect its message or value.

"The Epistle of Jude has stronger attestation than 2 Peter."⁶

Genre

Many scholars regard this epistle as an "epistolary sermon."⁷ Jude could have delivered what he said in this epistle as a homily (sermon) if he had been in his readers' presence. Instead he cast it in the form of a letter since he could not address them directly. Other New Testament epistles that are really written homilies include James, Hebrews, and 1 John.

Message⁸

The Book of Jude is in the Bible to teach us that we must be careful to remain faithful to the faith. That is a positive statement. Jude's emphasis, however, was mainly negative. He warned of the danger of departing from the faith once for all delivered to the saints (i.e., Scriptural teaching).

The subject of Jude then is the peril of apostasy (i.e., departure from the truth). Apostasy is a matter of obedience, not salvation.

Jude first defined the character of apostasy (v. 4). I believe the progression in this verse is significant. It shows how apostasy develops. It moves from ungodliness to licentiousness and then to denial.

An ungodly person is one who has within himself refused to submit to God's authority over him. He may be a non-Christian or a Christian.

This involves a volitional choice.

Having made that choice one then proceeds to act on that basis. Departure from God's will begins to mark his behavior. He takes license.

His apostasy moves from the volitional area into the moral area.

The next step is that he justifies his behavior with intellectual rationalization. He has to convince himself that what he is doing is right to silence his guilty conscience. Consequently he figures a way to convince himself that wrong is right. In so doing he must also show that right is wrong. This leads to a denial of God's Word.

He has moved from volitional to moral apostasy and then to intellectual apostasy.

This means that heresy in the church normally has its ultimate source in personal failure to submit to God in some area of individual life. This is the essential character of apostasy.

Next Jude illustrated the nature and consequences of apostasy (vv. 5-11). He did this by citing three groups followed by three individuals.

Group #1: The nature of apostasy in Israel following the Exodus was rebellion against God's revealed will for her, the volitional root problem (v. 5). This resulted in the premature death of the rebels. They did not enter the land.

Group #2: The nature of the apostasy in heaven was some angels' abandonment of God's place for them, the moral error (v. 6). Their action in rebelling revealed the rebellion in their hearts. The consequence of this conduct was and is present bondage.

Group #3: The nature of apostasy in Sodom and Gomorrah was repudiation of God's law over the residents (v. 7). By their actions these ungodly people were saying their way of life was right and God's was wrong. The result of this apostasy was and is ultimate judgment.

Individual #1: Jude used Cain to illustrate apostasy because he did not submit to God's will for him (v. 11). He was a self-righteous person.

Individual #2: Jude used Balaam to illustrate apostasy because his behavior was a direct result of his lack of submission (v. 11). He was a greedy person who lusted after money.

Individual #3: Jude used Korah to illustrate apostasy because he tried to make wrong right and right wrong (v. 11). He was a presumptuous person. Self-righteousness, greed, and presumption identify apostasy in its various stages: volitional, moral, and intellectual.

Jude also pointed out other characteristics of apostasy and apostates that follow in verses 12 and 13. He did not want us to fail to identify departure from the truth.

What did Jude urge his readers to do in view of the peril that apostasy poses? He gave a general command and then specific commandments.

Note first the general command (v. 3). We are to contend earnestly for the faith. This implies deliberate and determined effort. We learn how to do this in the specific commandments that follow.

Note these specific commandments in verses 20-23. Keeping these commandments involves three things.

1. It involves building ourselves up (v. 20). This comes through spiritual growth that takes place by walking by faith. This counters the volitional aspect of apostasy.

2. It involves praying in the Spirit (v. 20). This means calling on God for help. This counters the moral aspect of apostasy.

3. It involves looking to the future (vv. 21-22). This requires keeping ultimate realities clearly in focus. This counters the intellectual aspect of apostasy.

We contend earnestly for the faith best by remaining faithful to it personally and by demonstrating an example of faithfulness to others. This is Jude's method. He did not have in mind apologetics and Christian evidences, though there is a place for that.

By way of application let me raise and answer two questions.

First, what is the faith for which we are to contend? It is the faith once for all delivered to the saints, namely God's special revelation contained in Scripture. That faith centers on the person of Jesus Christ. This is the mission of the church (Matt. 28:19-20).

Second, what is the contending that defends the faith? It is essentially volitional submission to God's authority. It is also behavior that is in harmony with His will morally. It is also conviction that is consistent with His revelation intellectually. This is the calling of each Christian. Whereas there is much apostasy today, it is possible to remain faithful. Jude wrote to enable us to be faithful (v. 24). May our Lord be able to say to each of us, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

Constable: Jude (Outline)

Outline

I. Introduction vv. 1-2

II. The purpose of this epistle vv. 3-4

III. Warnings against false teachers vv. 5-16

A. Previous failures vv. 5-7

1. The example of certain Israelites v. 5

2. The example of certain angels v. 6

3. The example of certain pagans v. 7

B. Present failures vv. 8-16

1. The nature of the error vv. 8-9

2. The seriousness of the error vv. 10-13

3. The consequences of the error vv. 14-16

IV. Exhortation to the faithful vv. 17-23

A. The reminder to remember the apostles' warning vv. 17-19

B. The positive instruction of the readers vv. 20-23

V. Conclusion vv. 24-25

A former student of mine, Brian Baker, submitted the following structural study of Jude in the spring of 1995. He concluded that Jude deliberately constructed his book in a chiastic structure to focus on the warning of woe in verse 11.

A To you who are kept in Jesus Christ (1)

B Mercy to you (2)

C Common salvation (3a)

D Contend earnestly for the faith (3b)

E Licentious people (4)

F I remind you (5a)

G The Lord destroyed unbelievers (5b)

H Angels in darkness for rebelling (6)

I Sodom and Gomorrah an example (7)

J Defilement during sleep (8)

K Michael and Satan argued about Moses (9)

L Like unreasoning animals (10)

M Destruction for ungodly actions (10)

N Woe to them! (11)

M' Cain punished for ungodly actions (11)

L' Balaam's unreasoning animal (11)

K' Korah disputed with Moses (11)

J' Hidden reefs present unseen danger (12)

I' Open exhibition of shame (12-13)

H' Stars wander in darkness (13)

G' Enoch prophesied judgment on the ungodly (14-15)

F' Remember the apostles' warning (17)

E' Mocking people (18-19)

D' Build yourselves up in the faith (20)

C' Wait for eternal life (21)

B' Have mercy on some (22-23)

A' To Him who keeps you from from falling (24)

Constable: Jude

Jude

Bibliography

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Bailey, Mark L., and Thomas L. Constable. The New Testament Explorer. Nashville: Word Publishing Co., 1999.

Barclay, William. The Letters of John and Jude. Daily Study Bible series. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1960.

Bauckham, Richard J. Jude, 2 Peter. Word Biblical Commentary series. Waco: Word Books, 1983.

Baxter, J. Sidlow. Explore the Book. 6 vols. London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1965.

Bigg, Charles. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude. International Critical Commentary series. 2nd ed. and reprint ed. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1961.

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Desjardins, Michel. "The Portrayal of the Dissidents in 2 Peter and Jude: Does It Tell Us More About the Godly' Than the Ungodly'?" Journal for the Study of the New Testament 30 (June 1987):89-102.

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Hiebert, D. Edmond. "An Exposition of Jude 3-4." Bibliotheca Sacra 142:566 (April-June 1985):142-51.

_____. "An Exposition of Jude 12-16." Bibliotheca Sacra 142:567 (July-September 1985):238-49.

_____. "An Exposition of Jude 17-23." Bibliotheca Sacra 142:568 (October-December 1985):355-66.

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Jude (Book Introduction)

THE

CATHOLIC EPISTLE OF ST. JUDE,

THE APOSTLE.

INTRODUCTION.

This Epistle, as we find by Eusebius (lib. iii. History of the Church, chap. xxv.) and St. Jerome, (in Catal.) was not everywhere received as canonical till about the end of the fourth age [century]. It is cited by Origen, hom. vii. in Josue [Joshua]; by Tertullian, lib. de cultu fœminarum; by Clement of Alexandria, lib. iii. Pædag.; by St. Athanasius, in Synopsi; by St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Carm. xxxiv.; by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. 4ta.; by the councils of Laodicea and the third council of Carthage; by St. Augustine, lib. ii. de Doct. Christiana, chap. viii. See Tillemont, and Nat. Alex. in his preface to this epistle. The time when it was written is uncertain, only it is insinuated ver. 17 that few of the apostles were then living, perhaps only St. John. The design was to give all Christians a horror of the detestable doctrine and infamous practices of the Simonites, Nicolaites, and such heretics, who having the name of Christians, were become a scandal to religion and to all mankind, as may be seen in St. Irenæus and St. Epiphanius. He copies in a manner what St. Peter had written in his third Epistle, Chap. ii. (Witham) --- St. Jude in the first part of his Epistle, (ver. 1 to 16) writes against certain heretics of his day, known in history by the name of Gnostics, whose extravagant opinions and shameful and criminal disorders have been described by St. Epiphanius, St. Irenæus, and other Fathers. In the second part, he seems to have principally in view such as were to arise in the latter times; and he exhorts such of the faithful as should live to see those days, to remain firm in the faith which they had received, applying themselves to prayer, persevering in charity, and awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ and eternal life, which He has promised them. St. Jude in thus exerting himself, like St. Peter, against the first and last heresies, has invincibly established the perpetuity of the Catholic Church. With regard to the doubts of certain authors relative to the authenticity of this Epistle, we can oppose Origen, who says that St. Jude wrote a letter, which in the few lines it contains, includes discourses full of force and heavenly grace --- Greek: Ioudas egrapsen epistolen oligostichon men, pepleromenen de ton tes ouraniou charitos erromenon logon. --- And St. Epiphanius says, that he believed the Holy Ghost inspired St. Jude with the design of writing against the Gnostics in the letter he has left us....We find it inserted in the ancient catalogues of sacred Scripture, as in that of the council of Laodicea, canon. lx; of Carthage, canon xlvii: nor can there be any reasonable doubt at present for admitting it into the canon of Scripture. It is received by the Catholic Church, and has been received ever since the fourth age [century]. What gave doubts relative to the authenticity of this Epistle, was the author's quoting a prophecy of Enoch, which seemed to have been taken from a spurious work published under the name of this patriarch, and a fact concerning the death of Moses, not found in the canonical books of the Old Testament; but the apostle might have cited the prophecy of Enoch, and the fact concerning Moses, on the faith of some ancient tradition, without a reference to any book. Eusebius (History of the Church, lib. iii. chap. xxv.) bears testimony that this Epistle, though not frequently cited by the ancients, was publicly read in many Churches. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and the later Fathers, had admitted it as part of canonical Scripture. Hence Luther, the Centuriators of Magdeburg, and the Anabaptists, have no just reason to look upon this Epistle as doubtful. Le Clerc, in his Hist. Eccles. (an. 90.) acts more candidly in admitting it without any scruple. As for the exception Grotius take from St. Jude not assuming the quality of apostles, and from its not being universally received in the first ages [centuries], we can answer, that St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, did not take the title of apostles at the head of all their letters, and that some Churches have doubted at first of the authenticity of other writings, which have afterwards been universally acknowledged as authentic and canonical.

====================

Gill: Jude (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO JUDE

That this epistle was written by Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, and not by Jude the fifteenth bishop of Jerusalem, who lived in the time of Trojan, a little before Bar Cocab, the false Messiah, as Grotius thought, is evident from his being called, in the epistle itself, the brother of James, and which is confirmed by all copies; and its agreement with the second epistle of Peter shows it to have been written about the same time, and upon the same occasion. As to Jude's not calling himself an apostle, but a servant of Jesus Christ, it may be observed, that the latter is much the same with the former, and the Apostle Paul sometimes uses them both, as in Rom 1:1, Tit 1:1, and sometimes neither, as 1Th 1:1, and sometimes only servant, as Jude does here, Php 1:1, though in some copies of the title of this epistle he is called "Jude the Apostle"; and as to Jude's making mention of the apostles as if he was later than they, and not of their number, Jud 1:17, it may be returned for answer to it, that the Apostle Peter expresses himself much in the same manner, 2Pe 3:2, where some copies, instead of "us the apostles", read "your apostles", 2Pe 3:2; moreover, Jude seems to cite a passage out of Peter, as Peter in the same chapter cites the Apostle Paul, which only shows agreement in their doctrine and writing; and at most it only follows from hence, that Jude wrote after some of the apostles, as Paul and Peter, who had foretold there would be mockers in the last time; and that Jude had lived to be a witness of the truth of what they had said; nor does he exclude himself from their number. And that this epistle is a genuine one appears from the majesty of its style, the truth of doctrine contained in it, and its agreement with the second epistle of Peter, and from the early reception of it in the churches. Eusebius ^a says, it was reckoned among the seven catholic epistles, and was published in most churches; though he observes, that many of the ancients make no mention of it: but certain it is, that several of the ancient writers before him do make mention of it, and cite it as genuine, as Clemens Alexandrinus ^b, Tertullian ^c, and Origen ^d: and as for the prophecy of Enoch, cited in this epistle, it is not taken out of an apocryphal book, that bears that name, for the apostle makes no mention of any writing of his, but of a prophecy; and had he cited it out of that book, as it was truth, it can no more prejudice the authority of this epistle, than the citations made by the Apostle Paul out of the Heathen poets can affect his epistles: and whereas there is an account also given in this epistle of a dispute about the body of Moses, nowhere else to be met with, supposing it to be understood of his real body, of which Jud 1:9; this can be no more an objection to the genuineness of this epistle, than the mention of Jannes and Jambres, who withstood Moses, by the Apostle Paul, 2Ti 3:8, is an objection to an epistle of his, whose names are not to be met with in other parts of Scripture; but were what were known by tradition, as might be the case here. The epistle is called "catholic", or "general", because it is not written to any particular person or church, but to the saints in general, and it may be to the same persons that Peter wrote his; see 1Pe 1:1, and who seem to be chiefly the believing Jews; see Jud 1:5, though the Syriac version of Jud 1:1 reads, "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ"--ammel, "to the nations", or "Gentiles, called", &c. the design of the epistle to both is to exhort them to continue in the faith, and contend for it; and to describe false teachers, to point out their principles, practices, and dreadful end, that so they might shun and avoid them.

Gill: Jude 1 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO JUDE 1

The writer of this epistle describes himself by his name, Jude; by his spiritual condition, "a servant of Christ"; and by his natural relation, "a brother of James"; and inscribes it to persons chosen of God, secured in Christ, and called by grace, Jud 1:1, whom he salutes, and wishes a multiplication of mercy, peace, and love unto, Jud 1:2, and then points at the subject matter of his epistle, "the common salvation"; and his view in writing it, which was to exhort them to contend earnestly for, the Gospel; which exhortation was necessary, since some reprobate and wicked men, abusers of the grace of God, and blasphemers of the person of Christ, had got in among them, Jud 1:3, and in order to deter them from following their pernicious ways, he lays before them various instances of divine vengeance on sinners; as the Israelites, whom God delivered out of Egypt, and yet destroyed them for their unbelief; the angels, who not content with their first estate, forsook their habitation, and are reserved in chains of darkness to the day of judgment; and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha, and the adjacent cities, who for their uncleanness suffer the vengeance of eternal fire, as an example to others, Jud 1:5, in like manner, the apostle observes, these false teachers, who were filthy dreamers, defiled themselves with such sins, and also despised and spoke evil of civil magistrates, Jud 1:8, which sin of theirs is aggravated by Michael the archangel not railing at the devil, in a contention with him about the body of Moses, but gently reproving him; by speaking evil of what they were ignorant of, and by their brutish sensuality, in corrupting: themselves in things they had natural knowledge of, Jud 1:9, and both their sin and punishment are exemplified in the cases of Cain, Balaam, and Korah; being guilty of hatred of the brethren, of covetousness, and of contradiction, Jud 1:11, and by various metaphors are set forth their intemperance, hypocrisy, instability, unfruitfulness, pride, wrath, and lust, for whom the blackest darkness is reserved for ever, Jud 1:12, the certainty of which is proved from an ancient prophecy of Enoch, concerning the coming of Christ to judgment, when vengeance will be taken on those men for their ungodly deeds and hard speeches, Jud 1:14, who are further described by their murmurs and complaints; by their pride, respect of persons, and covetousness; by their scoffs, and walking after their own lusts, as had been foretold by the apostles of Christ; by separating themselves from the saints, and by their sensuality, and not having the Spirit of God, Jud 1:17, and the apostle having thus at large described these false teachers, by reason of whom the saints were in danger, directs them to the use of means by which they might be secured from them; such as building themselves up in their most holy faith, praying in the holy Ghost, keeping themselves in the love of God, and looking for the mercy of Christ unto eternal life, Jud 1:20, and he teaches them not only to be concerned for themselves, but for others also, who were in danger from these deceivers; to deal with some in a tender and compassionate way, with others more roughly, expressing an hatred to a filthy conversation, Jud 1:22, and then the epistle is concluded with a doxology, or an ascription of glory to the only wise God our Saviour, who is able to keep his people from falling into such pernicious principles and practices, and to present them faultless before his glorious presence with exceeding joy, Jud 1:24

College: Jude (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

One writer calls Jude "the most neglected book in the New Testament." One seldom hears sermons, Bible classes, or devotional readings from the book. Part of this neglect may be due to the brevity of the letter. Many Christians have trouble finding it tucked between 3 John and Revelation. It may be neglected because most of its content is also found in 2 Peter. The strangeness of the letter itself also explains its obscurity in the church. Jude quotes from books not found in the Bible. Even many of his biblical allusions are to lesser known Old Testament stories.

In spite of its strangeness, Jude has a powerful message for the contemporary church. In a culture that is increasingly apathetic or even antagonistic toward the Christian faith, in an era when pluralism and acceptance are the only ultimate virtues, we need to hear Jude's reminder that there are times the faith must be defended. In Jude's day as well as our own, that defense calls us to oppose false teaching, to live lives of faith and love, to pray in the Spirit, and to save those who falter.

AUTHORSHIP

The author calls himself "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James." Jude or Judas is a form of Judah, one of the sons of Jacob and the tribes of Israel. There are four men named Jude (or Judas) mentioned in the New Testament who might be the author of the letter.

1. Jude, the brother of Jesus. Mark 6:3 lists four brothers of Jesus, including James and Jude. For more on the brothers of Jesus, see the Introduction to James.

2. Jude, the apostle. In Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, he is called "Judas of James." The usual Greek usage (as reflected in most English versions including the NIV) is to translate this, "Judas son of James." If it means "brother of James," it might be a reference to the author of this letter. However, the author of Jude does not call himself an apostle and even quotes the apostles in a way that implies he is not of their number ( v. 17).

3. Judas Barsabbas. He is briefly mentioned in Acts 15:22. He may have been a co-worker of James in Jerusalem. If so, "brother of James" would mean Christian brother, not physical brother. Although possible, this use of "brother of" is unlikely.

4. Judas of Damascus. After his vision on the road, Saul stays with him in Damascus (Acts 9:11). We are not sure he is even a believer. Even if he is, he is too obscure a figure to write an authoritative letter to a church.

Besides these four, there are two other possibilities followed by certain scholars.

5. It is written by an unknown Jude, brother to an equally unknown James. Of course, this is possible but seems unlikely.

6. It is pseudonymous, that is, written by an anonymous writer who uses the name Jude to enhance the authority of his writing. Although this practice was known in the ancient world, particularly among students of famous philosophers, no proven pseudonymous letters have been found. The primary argument for pseudonymous authorship is that the Greek of Jude is too good to be written by a Palestinian peasant. However, there is some question as to the high literary quality of the letter; the vocabulary is advanced, but the grammar is fairly simple. More recent discoveries have also shown that first century Palestine was more heavily influenced by Hellenistic Greek culture than was previously thought. It was not out of the question for a resident of Nazareth to write good Greek.

A second argument for pseudonymous authorship is that certain passages in Jude sound as if they come from the late first or early second century, too late for the biblical brother of Jesus to have written them. For more, see the discussion below on the date of Jude.

Although one cannot be certain, it is most likely that the author is the brother of Jesus and of James. Until quite recently, most scholars held he was the author. The content of the letter is consistent with this position. The author is well respected, familiar with the Old Testament and Jewish tradition, and knows the teaching of Jesus.

DATE, OCCASION, SETTING

If Jude, the brother of Jesus, wrote the letter, then it must date somewhere between 55-80. If "brother of James" implies James was still alive, then it dates before 62.

Some think two passages in Jude point to a date later than the lifetime of the Lord's brother. Jude 3 speaks of the faith as a body of doctrine delivered to the saints, a situation (some say) that could not have existed before the end of the first century. However, Paul uses similar language when he writes, so it does not necessarily reflect a later time (see the discussion below on v. 3).

In the other passage, Jude urges his readers to "remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold" ( v. 17). The argument is that this implies the apostolic period was in the fairly distant past. However, the next verse reads, "They said to you . . . ," implying that Jude's readers had direct contact with the apostles. At best, the language is ambiguous and does not clearly indicate a late date.

The specific occasion for writing is to warn of false teachers who have crept into the church. It is impossible to identify these false teachers with any known heretical group in the early church. Some have suggested they follow an early form of Gnosticism. The early Christian leader Irenaeus (130-200) says Cain and Korah were heroes to some Gnostic groups, so perhaps Jude is refuting that position by using them as negative examples ( v. 11). Denigrating angels ( v. 8) and even Jesus ( v. 4) may have been characteristic of some Gnostics. However, our knowledge of early Gnosticism is quite limited, so we cannot be certain that Jude's opponents are Gnostic.

It is wiser to stay with Jude's own description of his opponents. They have misunderstood grace and perverted it into license ( v. 4). They are antinomian ("against law"). They believe they are so advanced spiritually (perhaps as evidenced by their dreams and visions, v. 8) that they no longer are subject to God's law. Thinking themselves free from all moral restraint ( v. 8), they pollute their bodies ( v. 8), care only for themselves ( v. 12), and end up like unreasoning animals ( v. 10). These specific charges indicate Jude is fighting actual false teachers who have infiltrated a congregation, and he is not simply talking of heretics in general. The false teachers he describes are similar to those in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy 1:6-7, 19; 4:1, 7; 6:3-5, 20; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:14, 16, 25; 3:1, 13; 4:3-4; Titus 1:10, 16; 3:9) and the Epistles of John (1John 1 John 2:18, 22, 26; 4:1; 2John 2 John 7; 3 John 9).

We have no clear indication of the location of Jude or of the church to whom he writes. Some scholars suggest a setting in Alexandria, Egypt; others, Syria or Palestine.

RELATION TO 2 PETER

Jude 4-16 and 2 Peter 2:1-18 are so similar that one must account for them in one of the following ways:

1. Coincidence. While possible, the extent of the similarity makes this unlikely. Of course, God could have inspired them both separately to write this way; but since inspiration is not dictation, one of the explanations below seems more likely.

2. They each independently use another document. If so, the document has not survived. Since almost all of Jude is similar to 2 Peter 2:1-18, then Jude would have added little of his own work to the document he copied. This is unlikely.

3. Jude adapted 2 Peter 2:1-18. If so, he would have shortened what Peter said. Usually, however, later writers expand on their sources.

4. Jude was written first, and 2 Peter 2:1-18 is an expansion of Jude's material to fit a different situation. Again, one cannot be certain, but this seems most likely.

Since there are so many parallels to 2 Peter 2:1-18 in Jude, the commentary will not refer to those passages in lists of cross-references. Instead, the reader is urged to read Jude with 2 Peter open beside it.

JUDE'S USE OF NON-BIBLICAL WRITINGS

Jude 1:9 refers to the story of Michael the archangel disputing with Satan over the body of Moses. This story is not found in the Old Testament but in a book called The Assumption of Moses written early in the first century. Jude 1:14-15 quotes directly from the Book of Enoch (also known as 1 Enoch ), a work written by several authors in the second century B.C. These two books are part of what is called the pseudepigrapha, that is, writings attributed to but not actually written by famous persons of the Old Testament. Although other New Testament writers may have known these books and have been influenced by them, Jude alone quotes directly from one of them and identifies the quotation as a prophecy.

Through the centuries many Christians have been disturbed by the idea that Jude would quote from a non-biblical book. Tertullian (A.D. 160-220) and a few other early Christian writers argued that 1 Enoch was inspired since Jude quotes it as Scripture. Jerome (A.D. 342-420) tells us that others rejected the inspiration of Jude because he quotes Enoch. Both conclusions are based on the unwarranted assumption that Jude is quoting Enoch as inspired Scripture.

However, other New Testament writers (as well as Jewish authors) quote non-biblical sources because their words are true and valuable, not because they consider them inspired. Paul quotes from three Greek poets, Menander (1 Corinthians 15:33), Epimenedes, and Aratus (Acts 17:28). He introduces another quotation from Epimenedes by calling him a "prophet" (Titus 1:12). Obviously Paul did not think the writings of Epimenedes were inspired; Epimenedes was a "prophet" in the sense that the Cretans accepted him as such, and the particular statement Paul quoted ("Cretans are always liars . . .") was true.

In the same way, Jude may have had great respect for the Book of Enoch and have considered its prediction of the coming one as a true prophecy without accepting it as inspired Scripture (just as Christians today quote C.S. Lewis or other authors to make a point without claiming they are inspired). His references to The Assumption of Moses and to the Book of Enoch should not lessen our respect for the authority of Jude. He quotes these writings because, like Jude, they teach that God will ultimately judge false teachers who lead others astray.

LITERARY THEMES AND STRATEGIES

The central theme of Jude is judgment of false teachers. Jude is best understood as a Jewish-Christian apocalyptic writing. Apocalyptic literature focuses on the end of the world and final judgment. Jude's examples of judgment are drawn primarily from the Old Testament (Israel in the wilderness, Cain, Balaam, Korah) but also from other Jewish apocalyptic literature such as the Assumption of Moses and the Book of Enoch . Jude follows a commentary pattern as he cites these past examples and then applies them to the false teachers of his day.

Literarily, Jude is fond of grouping three related items:

Called, loved, kept ( v. 1).

Mercy, peace, love ( v. 2).

Godless, change grace, deny Jesus ( v. 4)

Israel, angels, Sodom ( vv. 5-7).

Pollute, reject, slander ( v. 8).

Cain, Balaam, Korah ( v. 11).

Clouds, trees, waves ( vv. 12-13).

Faith, love, hope ( vv. 20-21).

Be merciful, snatch from fire, show mercy ( vv. 22-23).

Before all ages, now, forevermore ( v. 25)

He also contrasts his readers with the false teachers through the repeated use of two phrases: "dear friends" for his readers ( vv. 3, 17, 20), and "these men" or "certain men" for the false teachers ( vv. 4, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19).

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

BIBLIOGRAPHY

JUDE

Bauckham, Richard J. Jude, 2 Peter. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco: Word, 1983.

. Jude and the Relatives of Jesus in the Early Church. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1990.

Bigg, Charles. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude. International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1901.

Charles, J. Daryl. Literary Strategy in the Epistle of Jude. London: Associated University Presses, 1993.

Chester, Andrew, and Martin, Ralph P. The Theology of the Letters of James, Peter, and Jude. New Testament Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Cranfield, C.E.B. I & II Peter and Jude. Torch Bible Commentaries. London: SCM Press, 1960.

Elliott, John H. I-II Peter, Jude. Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1982.

Ellis, E. Earle. "Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Jude." In Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Early Christianity. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978.

Green, Michael. The Second Epistle General of Peter and the General Epistle of Jude. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968.

Hiebert, D. Edmond. "Selected Studies from Jude," Bibliotheca Sacra 142 (1985), 142-151, 238-249, 355-366.

Kelly, J.N.D. A Commentary on the Epistles of Peter and of Jude. Harper's New Testament Commentaries. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1969.

Kistemaker, Simon J. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and of the Epistle of Jude. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987.

Kugelman, Richard. James & Jude . New Testament Message. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1980.

Lucas, Dick and Green, Christopher. The Message of 2 Peter & Jude. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1995.

Mayor, Joseph B. The Epistle of St. Jude and the Second Epistle of St. Peter. London: Macmillan, 1907.

Moffatt, James. The General Epistles: James, Peter, and Judas. Moffatt New Testament Commentary. New York: Harper and Brothers, n.d.

Neyrey, Jerome H. 2 Peter, Jude. Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 1993.

Osburn, Carroll D. "1 Enoch 80:2-8 (67:5-7) and Jude 12-13," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 47 (1985), 296-303.

. "The Christological Use of I Enoch 1:9 in Jude 14,15," New Testament Studies 23 (1977), 334-341.

Reicke, Bo. The Epistles of James, Peter, and Jude. Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 1964.

Sidebottom, E.M. James, Jude, 2 Peter. New Century Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967.

Watson, Duane Frederick. Invention, Arrangement, and Style: Rhetorical Criticism of Jude and 2 Peter. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

College: Jude (Outline)

OUTLINE

I. ADDRESS AND GREETING - 1-2

II. REASON FOR WRITING - 3-4

III. JUDGMENT OF THE UNGODLY - 5-19

A. Three Biblical Examples of Ungodliness - 5-7

B. Application of Examples to Jude's Opponents - 8-10

C. Three Further Biblical Examples of Ungodliness - 11

D. Metaphors from Nature Applied to the Ungodly - 12-13

E. Enoch's Prophecy Against the Ungodly - 14-16

F. The Warning of the Apostles - 17-19

IV. A CALL TO FAITH, LOVE, AND MERCY - 20-23

V. DOXOLOGY - 24-25

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV