According to most scholars, Jude was the brother of James and Jesus. Many call Jude and James half-brothers of Jesus, but I don’t like the term half-brother. The Holy Spirit could have used genetic blueprints from Joseph’s DNA to create Jesus in Mary’s womb. Roman law declared an adopted son a full son with all the associated benefits and responsibilities. So, from this point on, I will refer to Jude as the brother of James and Jesus – the sons of Mary. Join me in this Bible Study of Jude – Part One – a little letter with a powerful message.
Jude
Jude was probably written after 70AD, with many scholars placing the time frame between 60-80AD. Jude wrote the letter to an unknown local church, probably in Israel. No one knows precisely where because Jude did not mention the church’s name or location. Jude wrote it asking the church to earnestly contend for the faith because error and false teachers were infiltrating the church. He shared the characteristics of false teachers, what their fait would be for teaching lies, and how to defend against them.
Jude 1-2 His Greeting
“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.”
Jude is a name taken from the Greek word Ioudas, which is Judas, a common Jewish name that is also the origin of Judah and Judea. The given name Jude was used to differentiate Jude or Judas, the brother of Jesus and the traitor Judas Iscariot. Jewish given names were quite limited at that time. So, you could meet many people with the same given name.
Jude refers to himself as the servant of Jesus Christ. This term can also be rendered slave of Jesus Christ. In other words, kept for Christ or preserved in Christ, stressing his assurance in Christ – his salvation through his faith in Christ alone for his salvation.
He identifies himself as the brother of James and renders greetings to all who are born again and sanctified by God the Father. Sanctification is when God separates you out of the crowd in service to Himself. Romans 8:29-30 says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” So, we are preserved in Jesus Christ by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. That preservation includes redemption, justification, and sanctification.
Then, Jude shares his desire for the letter’s recipients to experience God’s mercy, peace, and love.
Jude 3-4 The Reason for the Epistle
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jude’s epistle reminds the readers not to stray from the original path of salvation and contend or fight to keep the faith initially delivered to them. Jude refers to them as saints. Saints can be defined as anyone saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Jude then talks about men who creep in, which refers to men with false doctrines or theology who enter to share their beliefs, rejecting the true doctrines and theology of the church. These men were prophesied. Genesis 3 says, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The men mentioned in verse four will use half-truths and question, “hath God said?” to manipulate people into false doctrine.
These ungodly men will try to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines Lasciviousness as:[1]
1. Looseness; irregular indulgence of animal desires; wantonness; lustfulness.
2. Tendency to excite lust and promote irregular indulgences.
Using these lascivious thoughts and ideas, these godless men will seek to bring lustful and irregular doctrines into the church. For instance, the false doctrines of woman pastors, the normalization of “homosexual Christians,” and the acceptance of “Christian witches.” All of these and many more doctrines of evil men and Satan are creeping into our churches. These doctrinal failures lead to denying the sound doctrine and theology of Jesus as Lord and Savior and our Biblical directives from God.
Jude 5-7 Examples from History
“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
Jude shared with the church that they knew this information at one time, but he’s going to remind them again. The LORD saved the people and delivered them out of Egypt, but then some rebelled and had to be destroyed. This example is a bold reminder that they should not make the same mistake! They must adhere to God’s will, as presented in scripture, without deviation.
Jude reminds them of the fallen angels who left heaven to defy God, and God pronounced judgment on them. The final judgment on them is found in Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:10. They are tossed into the Lake of Fire, which burns eternally.
Jude 8-13
“Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.”
Likewise, or nevertheless, these “filthy dreamers” or ungodly men defile the flesh. In other words, they fail to adhere to God’s laws and commands about how a godly person should behave. We are to reject homosexuality, cross-dressing, fornication, adultery, and any other aberrant sexual act or practice. These “filthy dreamers” hate holiness and speak evil against our God-given self-esteem and self-control. They choose unholiness and lascivious thoughts and deeds. Jude is warning us about them and their false teachings and behavior.
Jude provides the example of the archangel Michael contending with Satan for the body of Moses. Michael didn’t bring accusations against Satan but simply rebuked Satan in the name of the Lord. Unfortunately, these “filthy dreamers” reject God and know nothing except their own lusts and lasciviousness.
Woe to them! Jude said and then provided more examples of what happens when you go against an all-powerful, all-knowing, present everywhere always, Holy God. Jude talks about how Cain rejected the doctrine of substitutionary shedding of blood for redemption. Then, he mentions Balaam from Numbers 22-24, where he was a prophet for power, personal gain, and notoriety instead of honoring God. Finally, Jude talks about the gainsaying of Core or Korah from Numbers 16:1-3, 31-33. Korah went against Moses and Aaron and wanted to overthrow them and take over. In other words, they defy God and do things their way instead of God’s way. That’s just crazy! These people saw the judgment on Egypt, experienced the Red Sea crossing (on dry land), and all the other miracles of that time in history, but still wanted to do things their way instead of God’s way - crazy!
Jude goes on to say that these “filthy dreamers” will defile your holy feasts, think only about themselves, and sin without fear. Jude calls them clouds without water, being blown by the everchanging winds of false doctrine, trees without fruit – full of empty promise! They are twice dead, plucked out by the roots. In other words, the opposite of born again – lost and hell-bound.
Jude continues to describe these “filthy dreamers.” He refers to them as raging waves foaming in their shame. They spread false teachings like a malignant foam within the church. He refers to them as wandering stars, meaning the deceptive nature of the false teachers, who lead others astray rather than guiding them to truth. Stars are in our night sky to help us navigate our destination. If a star is a wandering star – comet or asteroid, it can’t lead you anywhere but astray. This route can only lead to the blackness of darkness - or sin, disobedience, and hell; forever.
Bible Study of Jude – Part One Lessons
Jude was speaking from the heart to us and all the saints of God. This Bible Study of Jude – Part One shared several vital necessities.
1. We must always contest or fight for the integrity and accuracy of the Christian faith.
2. All Christians should be knowledgeable enough to identify a false teacher, apostate preacher, or heretic.
3. We must remember what to look for in a false teacher – false doctrine or theology, self-important, lascivious, doing things their way instead of God’s way, and pursuing notoriety, power, and money.
4. These false prophets are not born again, even if they profess Christ, because a profession without obedience to the faith is not salvific. In other words, you must be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and willingly obedient to God’s Holy Word to be saved. A simple prayer is insufficient. That prayer is the starting place followed by willing and joyful obedience. In other words, it means being truly born again or a new creation in Christ.
Reference
[1] Webster, M. (1828). Webster's Dictionary 1828. Webster's Dictionary 1828. https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/Lasciviousness
