JUDE—NOTE ON 1–2 Initial Greeting. Although he is the brother of Jesus, Jude identifies himself as his servant (Gk. doulos), acknowledging Jesus as Lord. He is also the brother of James, who plays a major role in the NT (Matt. 13:55; Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; 1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19; 2:9, 12; by this time, the only “James” who could be identified by name only without further description was James the Lord’s brother—see note on Acts 12:17). called. See note on Rom. 8:30. Beloved (Gk. participle of agapaō) shows the intimate relationship between God the Father and the readers. It also shows that God has set his special love on them for salvation. At the outset of his letter to Christians who are threatened by false teachers, Jude reminds them that they will be kept and preserved by God’s power from falling away. The introduction thus anticipates the confident and joyful conclusion in Jude 24–25.
JUDE—NOTE ON 3–4 Jude’s Appeal: Contend for the Faith. Jude strongly urges his readers to contend for the faith against the subversive false teachers.
JUDE—NOTE ON 3 The Urgency of the Defense. Beloved (Gk. agapētos). Jude, like Peter, writes in this way to emphasize his strong personal concern (cf. vv. 17, 20; 1 Pet. 2:11; 4:12; 2 Pet. 3:1, 8, 14, 17). Though Jude had wanted to write about our common salvation, the urgent need to contend for the faith took precedence over even the exalted theme of salvation. “The faith” (i.e., the known and received body of truth about Jesus and salvation through him) had been once for all delivered to the saints (i.e., Christians). In other words, by the time that Jude wrote his letter, “the faith” had already been fixed and established in the apostolic teaching of the early church, and therefore could not be changed, but was under attack and in need of defense. Although the NT documents had not yet been collected into a complete canon of Scripture, by this time the foundational NT teachings were circulating in oral form through the apostolic circles. In addition, some NT documents had already begun to circulate among the churches (cf. Col. 4:16; also The Canon of the New Testament). A further implication of this verse is that, after the writings authorized by the apostles were included in the NT canon, nothing more could ever be added to Scripture, since the content of the faith had been delivered “once for all.” This is at odds with the teachings of other religions such as Mormonism and Islam, which hold that the NT writings existing today contain corrupted teachings, and that additional authoritative teachings came from God later (e.g., the Book of Mormon or the Qur’an, both of which contradict the NT at many points). This conclusion also differs from the Roman Catholic view that official church tradition (in addition to Scripture) also has absolute divine authority. Since the letter of Jude was included in the NT canon, his letter must also have received early apostolic endorsement for inclusion, and everything in Jude’s letter is in complete accord with apostolic teaching and writings of the early church and with “the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”
JUDE—NOTE ON 4 Description of the False Teachers and Their Teaching. crept in unnoticed. Jude begins his account of the false teachers by describing the devious way they have slipped into the church. They began by acting like Christians and operating subversively. Designated translates Greek prographō, “to write about or identify beforehand.” The false teachers did not take God by surprise, for he predicted their coming and their condemnation long before they even existed. They pervert (that is, twist and distort) God’s grace (esp. his free forgiveness of sin) into a license for sensuality (see note on 2 Pet. 2:2), and they deny the Lord, Jesus Christ, apparently using the gospel teaching about grace as an excuse for ungodly living (cf. Rom. 3:8; 6:1, 15; 2 Pet. 3:15–16).
JUDE—NOTE ON 5–16 Immoral Character and Consequent Judgment of the False Teachers. Jude employs biblical and traditional analogies to document the certainty of judgment for the false teachers. He also describes the debased morality that characterizes this group, for which they have already been eternally condemned (see v. 13).
Jude often refers to prophecies or events and then applies them to the false teachers with the word “these,” thereby showing how these past events and prophecies are to be understood.
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c225
| Reference | Past event | Application to false teachers | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| vv. 5–7 | Judgment on Israel, angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah | “these people also” | v. 8 |
| v. 9 | Michael did not rebuke the devil | “But these people” | v. 10 |
| v. 11 | Cain, Balaam, Korah | “These” | v. 12 |
| vv. 14–15 | Enoch’s proclamation of judgment | “These” | v. 16 |
| vv. 17–18 | Predictions of apostles | “It is these” | v. 19 |
JUDE—NOTE ON 5–7 Judgment Reserved for the False Teachers. Jude applies examples of judgment from the whole of biblical history in his polemic against the heretics.
JUDE—NOTE ON 5 The Analogy of Egypt. Jude reminds his readers that they once fully knew about God’s judgment, but apparently their sense of its certainty has waned. He refers them to the Exodus account as a reminder. Jesus … saved a people out of the land of Egypt (cf. Exodus 1–15). This may seem puzzling, because the name “Jesus” is not applied to the Son of God in the OT. It is a prime example of the apostolic understanding of the OT, according to which the Son of God, in his eternal divine nature, was active in the world from the beginning of creation, long before his incarnation (cf. Luke 24:27; John 1:3; 8:56–58; 12:41; 1 Cor. 10:4, 9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:8–12; 11:26). Jesus, then, judged and destroyed those in Israel who escaped from Egypt but failed to keep trusting in God, and therefore they did not reach the Promised Land (cf. 1 Cor. 10:5; Heb. 3:16–19). Instead of the name “Jesus,” some Greek manuscripts have ho Kyrios, “the Lord,” and some English translations follow that reading. Most of the oldest and most reliable manuscripts have Iēsous (“Jesus”).
JUDE—NOTE ON 6 The Analogy of the Rebellious Angels. The heart of Jude’s next comparison is the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority but apparently rebelled against God’s authority and sought to be equal to him. God has kept these beings in eternal chains ever since. Some scholars think this refers to the original fall of angels from heaven. Others think Jude is referring to the sin of angels in Gen. 6:1–4 (see note on 1 Pet. 3:19). This view is strengthened by Jude’s citation of 1 Enoch 1.9 (Jude 14–15), which contains much discussion on the fall of these angels.
JUDE—NOTE ON 7 The Analogy of Sodom and Gomorrah. As with the unfaithful Israelites and the rebellious angels (vv. 5–6), so also the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) received the judgment of eternal fire. Smoke was still rising from the site of Sodom and Gomorrah in the first century A.D. (see Philo, On Abraham 141; Philo, Life of Moses 2.56; Wisdom of Solomon 10:7), and this was taken as a physical symbol of eternal divine judgment. Pursued unnatural desire refers to the homosexual activity of Sodom (Gen. 19:5; cf. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 1.200–201; Philo, On Abraham 134–136; Testament of Naphtali 3.4). The Greek is literally “went after other flesh,” meaning “other” or “different” than the sexual immorality with women that Jude had just mentioned (cf. Rom. 1:26–27). The judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah in history functions as a “type” (a foreshadowing planned by God, cf. Rom. 5:14) of eternal judgment to come.
JUDE—NOTE ON 8–13 Nature of the False Teachers. Jude turns his attention to the immoral character of the opponents of Christ, carrying forward the analogies of vv. 5–7.
JUDE—NOTE ON 8–10 The False Teachers Are Blasphemers. These people also refers to the false teachers (see chart). They are led astray by relying on their dreams, thus mistakenly following subjective experiences that they claim are from God but that lead them to disobey God’s written Word (cf. “following … ungodly passions,” v. 18). Following their “dreams,” they are sexually immoral (defile the flesh), reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones (probably evil angels; see note on 2 Pet. 2:10b–11). Even the archangel Michael did not speak to the devil flippantly, or blaspheme him, when he disputed with him over the body of Moses. This event is not in the OT (but cf. Deut. 34:5–6; Zech. 3:1–5), and whatever story Jude is referring to has been lost to history. In any case, Michael, understanding his own place in God’s design, did not pronounce a sentence of condemnation on the devil but left that to God’s authority, simply telling the devil, “The Lord rebuke you.” This demonstrates the exclusive power and authority of Jesus Christ, something the false teachers deny (see Jude 4). The point of vv. 8–10 is the false teachers’ refusal to submit to rightful authority, and it should not be understood as denying that Christ gives believers authority over demons (see note on Acts 16:18). Jude’s use of a story from nonbiblical literature (perhaps a lost section of a work called Testament of Moses) does not indicate that Jude thought the book was inspired. Elsewhere in the NT, writers quote uninspired sources to make a point (see notes on Acts 17:28; Titus 1:12–13). Michael is the only archangel identified by name in Scripture (cf. 1 Thess. 4:16).
JUDE—NOTE ON 10 All that they do not understand includes true biblical doctrine about God, angels and demons, and human sin and forgiveness through Christ. What they understand instinctively, like animals, is how to follow their bodily instincts and feelings, flouting God’s moral standards. Following subjective feelings and desires, for someone whose conscience is not trained and governed by God’s Word, will lead that person ultimately to be destroyed by his own sinful compulsions.
JUDE—NOTE ON 11 The False Teachers Are Motivated by Greed. Cain (Gen. 4:5–8), Balaam (Num. 22:5–7; 2 Pet. 2:15), and Korah (Num. 16:1–3, 31–35) were all characterized by their dissatisfaction with the place they occupied, and so they engaged in rebellion against God, greedily seeking selfish gain at any cost.
JUDE—NOTE ON 12–13 The False Teachers Exemplify Depravity with Impunity. Jude compares the false teachers to hidden reefs that will suddenly destroy ships that come too near. These opponents of the gospel constitute concealed dangers because they participate in the love feasts (including the Lord’s Supper), thus acting as if they were Christians. They do not shepherd and care for others but only look after themselves. They are like waterless clouds, promising rain that never falls. They promise fruit but are like fruitless trees. They are like wandering stars (probably meaning planets) that give misleading guidance to travelers. casting up the foam of their own shame. The heretics’ sexual permissiveness shows that they are in spiritual darkness. Their eternal condemnation in the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
JUDE—NOTE ON 14–16 Judgment on the False Teachers Revisited. Jude turns his primary focus back to judgment, using an extrabiblical Jewish work, 1 Enoch (2nd or 1st century B.C.), to make his point. The use of extrabiblical literature does not mean that any of these literary works are authoritative words of God in the same category as Scripture (see note on vv. 8–10). Jude is simply drawing from 1 Enoch another example of judgment, which means that, in at least this specific instance, 1 Enoch 1.9 contains truth.
JUDE—NOTE ON 14–15 Description of the Judgment. Enoch, the seventh from Adam does not necessarily imply that Enoch was literally the seventh generation descended from Adam; it may mean simply that he is the seventh one listed in the line of Adam in the Genesis narrative (Gen. 5:18–24; cf. 1 Chron. 1:3). Jude describes the coming of the Lord as Enoch prophesied, and he quotes from 1 Enoch 1.9. Again, with regard to this particular statement, Jude is citing the content of 1 Enoch as true and prophetic of the return of the Lord (see note on Jude 14–16). The Lord will return with hosts of angels to execute judgment on all the ungodly. Enoch (and thus also Jude) focuses on blasphemy against God (e.g., in vv. 3–4, the opponents’ denial of Jesus Christ). to convict. For punishment, not for repentance (as in John 16:8). Jude places great emphasis on the ungodliness of those judged (“ungodliness,” Gk. asebeia, vs. “godliness,” Gk. eusebeia; see note on 2 Pet. 1:6).
JUDE—NOTE ON 16 Further Reasons for Judgment. Jude applies the citation from 1 Enoch (see vv. 14–15) to the false teachers, probably using this vice list to focus on some of their more pronounced and obvious misbehaviors. Grumblers calls to mind the wilderness generation (Ex. 16:7–12; Num. 14:27; 16:41; 17:5). To gain advantage probably refers to financial gain, and ties in with an earlier mention of greed (Jude 11).
JUDE—NOTE ON 17–25 Concluding Exhortations. The conclusion of Jude’s letter continues to highlight the false teachers, only now with a view toward the proper response of believers to them. It also contains one of the most elegant doxologies in the entire Bible.
JUDE—NOTE ON 17–19 On the Apostolic Warnings. Jude redirects the readers’ attention to their own knowledge of apostolic predictions concerning the last days.
JUDE—NOTE ON 17–18 Beloved emphasizes Jude’s personal concern for the readers and God’s love for them (see notes on vv. 1–2 and 3). Jude reminds them of the predictions of the apostles concerning the emergence of ungodly scoffers within the church during the last days. These apostolic warnings were probably oral, but such warnings were part of the common stock of early Christian preaching (e.g., Acts 20:29–30; 1 Tim. 4:1–5; 2 Tim. 3:1–5). These critics come from within, having become part of the church by clandestine means and acting as if they were true Christians (see Jude 3–4, 19). But they are led astray by following their subjective feelings and ungodly passions that are contrary to the Word of God (cf. v. 8).
JUDE—NOTE ON 19 It is these indicates that the “scoffers” described in v. 18 are the very false teachers that Jude is warning against (see chart). These worldly people (Gk. psychikos, “natural, unspiritual, worldly, of this world”) cause divisions within the church over many things, but especially over issues of morality and doctrine (cf. notes on vv. 10, 17–18). They are unbelievers like the “natural” (also Gk. psychikos) person of 1 Cor. 2:14. Devoid of (Gk. mē echontes, “not having”) the Spirit is another indication that these opponents are unbelievers (cf. Rom. 8:9). This fits with the repeated statements affirming their designated condemnation “from long ago” (see note on Jude 4).
JUDE—NOTE ON 20–21 On the Antidote to the False Teachers. The way to minimize the influence of the scoffers is to live proactively as a follower of Christ (cf. “contend for the faith,” v. 3).
JUDE—NOTE ON 20 praying in the Holy Spirit. That is, in the sense of praying in harmony with the leading of the Holy Spirit, rather than according to one’s own agenda (cf. Rom. 8:26–27; Eph. 6:18). The context here suggests the idea of praying in the Spirit in a general sense, rather than the specific sense of speaking in tongues described in 1 Cor. 14:14–19.
JUDE—NOTE ON 21 Keep (or guard) yourselves in the love of God is the main clause in vv. 20–21 and is modified by the two participles (“building,” “praying”) in v. 20 and the participle (waiting) in v. 21. Christians keep themselves in God’s love by growing strong doctrinally, persevering in prayer, and “waiting” for the Lord’s coming. Christians are to keep themselves in God’s love, and vv. 1–2 and vv. 24–25 teach that God keeps them as well. Ultimately, God promises to keep and preserve the faith of his own people, so that no true believer will ever lose his or her salvation (cf. notes on Heb. 6:4–8; 2 Pet. 1:10).
JUDE—NOTE ON 22–23 On Showing Mercy. The church is called to show mercy to everyone, even its opponents.
JUDE—NOTE ON 23 To save (Gk. sōzō) some people (i.e., to lead them to faith in Christ) involves snatching them out of the fire, meaning they were close to the fire of God’s judgment. Others who are caught up in immorality should also be shown mercy, but with fear, lest the faithful Christian be influenced for evil by the person he is trying to restore. Hating even the garment stained by the flesh (cf. Zech. 3:3–5) implies hating the sin and everything connected with it; but the sinner himself should be treated with mercy rather than hatred.
JUDE—NOTE ON 24–25 Doxology of Great Joy. As Jude ascribes all glory, majesty, dominion, and authority to God, he reminds believers of what God is doing for them as they await Christ’s return.
JUDE—NOTE ON 24 Just as the false teachers are “kept” by God for judgment (see 2 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2 Pet. 2:4; 3:7; Jude 6), so also he has infinite power to keep from stumbling those who have put their faith in him. By “stumbling” Jude means falling into sin or error (Gk. aptaistos, “without stumbling”; cf. ptaiō, “stumble,” in Rom. 11:11; James 2:10; 3:2; 2 Pet. 1:10). If such stumbling is left unchecked it will eventually lead to falling away from the faith. Yet Jude says God will never let his own fall away but will “keep” them by his grace (cf. note on Jude 21). He will present the Christian blameless (with no stain or sin) before the presence of his glory, the brightness that surrounds the presence of God and visibly manifests his holy character. This can only be effected by God’s power, through Jesus Christ the Lord. The only possible response to the work of God on behalf of believers is great joy (Gk. agalliasis, “great joy, exultation”), which suggests an exclamation of joy and praise.
JUDE—NOTE ON 25 the only God. There is only one God, who has acted redemptively (our Savior), once for all, in his one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. (On God as “Savior,” see note on 2 Tim. 1:8–10.) through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus is the mediator through whom the person who trusts in him is able to give praise and thanksgiving to God. The church praises God through Christ, saying, to God be glory (here in the sense of great honor), majesty (Gk. megalōsynē; he is greater than all), dominion (Gk. kratos; his sovereign reign has no boundaries), and authority (Gk. exousia; he rules over all creation); in other words, may the praiseworthiness of God, who is as gracious as he is great, be fully acknowledged in his people’s adoration of him. Before all time means before the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:1) and suggests that time began when God created the material universe (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2). And now and forever shifts the focus into the present and then into the infinite future. Amen. I.e., “let it be so.”