at a glance
author: Jude, the brother of James and Jesus.
date: About AD 65.
setting: Jude’s original plan was to write about the subject of salvation. But because false teachers were infiltrating the church, Jude shifted his letter to one of warning.
verse to remember: Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people (3).
theme to consider: As believers, we have been given a gigantic responsibility—to carry God’s truth to others and defend it against false teachers.
unchanging truth
The human body is an amazing machine. Even if you’re not a science buff, it’s pretty incredible to learn how the body fights against infection. White blood cells race to the scene of an infection and go to work, literally fighting to the death against the intruder virus. If the virus gets the upper hand, it begins multiplying and attacking the body’s health. So, the body starts an all-out war against its foe—as you well know if you’ll recall your latest bout with a cold or flu.
For centuries, with the same ferocity as a virus, evil has attacked the church on every side in an attempt to overthrow it. False teachers and preachers with their ridiculous ideas have come and gone. Dangerous heresy has multiplied and spread. Yet the church has withstood adversity after adversity because Christians were ready to fight for what they believed.
Is your faith that important to you? Are you willing to go to “war” against what is wrong so that right will prevail? That’s what Jude wanted to know from believers everywhere. His letter is a call to arms and a wake-up call for slumbering saints. “Get with it!” he cries. In your schools. In your clubs. On your sports teams. In your neighborhood. There’s a battle going on for your beliefs—so stand up and fight!
1. False teachers mean business, and they can ruin your faith if you let them (3–16).
2. Fighting for the faith is not an option—it’s the duty of every Christian (17–23).