Verse of the
Week: Jude 1
v.1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of
James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father and kept for
Jesus Christ:
(The majority of footnotes is from the Ryrie Study Bible. They are included to give further teaching on quoted verses)
We now begin
a study through the epistle of St. Jude. The half-brother of Jesus had intended
to write about our salvation in Christ but was faced with insidious foes
creeping into the church and spreading false teachings throughout the
congregations. Jude writes a warning to all congregations that is as relevant
to day as it was when he wrote over 1900 years ago.
Jude- Jude identifies himself in this passage as the brother of James.
Jude literally means “Judas.”
But to avoid connection or confusion our English translations use Jude.
·
Judas
was a common first century name.
·
There
are 6 different “Judas” in the New Testament:
(1) Judas Iscariot, the
betrayer of Jesus and one of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:4);
(2) Judas the son of
James, and one of the twelve apostles (Luke 6:16);
(3) Judas, a brother of
Jesus (Matthew 13:55) this is the person who wrote the letter we are studying;
(4) Judas, Paul’s host in
Damascus (Acts 9:11);
(5) Judas, called
Barsabbas, a leading Christian in Jerusalem and a companion of Paul (Acts
15:22);
(6) Judas, a
revolutionary leader (Acts 5:37);
·
Jude
did not believe in Jesus (along with James) until after the resurrection:
For not even His brothers were
believing in Him. John 7:5
This was predicted in the Psalms:
I have become estranged from my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s sons.
Psalm 69:8
But after the resurrection they had the ultimate change of
heart:
These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves
to prayer; along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His
brothers. Acts 1:14
A bond-servant- (Gr. Doulos)
A slave, a servant. This would be typical of prisoners of war. They would be
bound and carried off as booty. Not so with Jude. Jude had bound himself
voluntarily over to a Master, Jesus Christ. Jude did not esteem himself to be
called the half-brother of Jesus, though he was a blood relative. This
demonstrates the simple fact that Jude could call himself, as we all can, the
twice-born, once to sin and once to Christ.
He displays his humility and his
true position by this declaration of himself.
By calling himself this way he also
demonstrated the relative unimportance of being connected to Jesus by a human
relationship. Being of the same blood as Jesus did not impart any spiritual
favors or extra grace. While it is assured at the time that Jude composed this
letter, he had a true appreciation for being the half-brother of Jesus it
wasn’t always this way. Think about how difficult it would have been living in
a household with a perfect brother. But of more importance would be this new
relationship with Jesus. While family blood is precious, there is nothing more
precious than the blood of Christ. Jude would probably echo what Paul wrote:
Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the
flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh,[1]
yet now we know Him thus no longer. 2 Corinthians 5:16
Brother of James- The leader
of the Jerusalem Church and the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ:
“Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called
Mary, and His brothers,[2]
James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Matthew 13:55
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of[3]
James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us? And
they took offense[4] at
Him. Mark 6:3
James is also responsible for the
epistle that bears his name. He would be well-known and well respected in
Christian circles.
To those- Jude writes
specifically to Christians. This is not an evangelistic tract but deals with
subjects that believers needed to hear, but often do not want to. This book is
as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.
Called- (Gr. Kletois)-
This is the beginning of a three-fold description by Jude of who he is writing to.
The expression, called, refers
to God’s sovereign call to salvation in His electing grace. This is a
reflection to the past for a Christian. His readers have been called to
salvation. This is His activity in summoning those He chose for salvation:
among
whom you also are the called[5]
of Jesus Christ; Romans 1:6
and whom He predestined, these He also called;[6]
and whom He called, these He also justified;[7]
and whom He justified, these He also glorified.[8]
Romans 8:30
but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of God.[9]
1 Corinthians 1:24
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were
called in one hope of your calling; Ephesians 4:4
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining
to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His
own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3
Beloved in (with, by) God-
This is the second descriptive and refers to the present activity of God
toward the believer. By using the verbal form “loved” it indicates a past
action that is running now and forever. His is a binding love in a tight
relationship. God “loves” the world but “calls” only a select few.
The Father, who is love:
And we have come to know and have believed the love which God
has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love, abides in God, and God
abides in him.[10] 1
John 4:16
Has set His love on His people:
6 “For you
are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be
a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of
the earth.
7” The LORD
did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than
of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
8 but
because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your
forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from
the house of slavery; from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.[11]
Deuteronomy 7:6-8
Kept for Jesus Christ- The
third descriptive phrase of who Jude was writing to.
To be kept assures us that no matter what we face we
will eternally belong to Christ. It can be easy to forget this with the many
pressures that we face in the world today. We must remember that at all time
Jesus Christ is our guardian and our protector. This positive reassurance
should allow us all to get up in the morning with a smile on our face and
confidence in what the world has in store for us.
Those who believe in Him will be preserved until the time of
His coming to gather us together:
Now may the God of peace [reconciliation with God] Himself
sanctify [our experiential walk] you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and
body[12]
be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.[13]
1 Thessalonians 5:23
For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not
ashamed; for I know whom I have believed[14]
and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted[15]
to Him until that day. 2 Timothy 1:12
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5
Throughout this passage we see the Godhead in their majesty
and in their working:
·
The
calling is the active work of the Holy Spirit
·
Love emanates
from the Father
·
And
the keeping is a work of the ministry of the Son
No matter what position we find ourselves in God has us just
where we are needed and when we are needed by His sovereign will.
“The nature of the salutation reflects the writer’s attitude.
Jude’s choice of words introduces his deep-seated compassion and heartfelt
concern for his readers. He longed for them to know in the fullest measure
God’s “mercy, peace, and love.” Jude overflowed with love for the believers
while warning them about those who were making their way into the church to
destroy it, those who knew nothing of Go’s mercy, peace, or love. “[16]
[1]
Before his conversion, Paul regarded Christ as merely another man.
[2] His
brothers- These were the sons of Joseph and Mary born subsequent to the
birth of Jesus from Mary alone. To understand them as sons of Joseph by a
former marriage or cousins of Jesus is contrary to the usual sense of brothers.
[3] Brother
0f- The four half-brothers and two or more half-sisters were children of
Joseph and Mary born after Jesus (Matthew 1:25). James became the leader of the
church in Jerusalem and author of the Epistle of James. Jude wrote the letter
that bears his name.
[4] They
took offense- Something stood in the way of the believing in Him.
[5] The
called- I.e., those who have been summoned by God to salvation (Romans
8:30).
[6]
See Romans 1:6.
[7]
See Romans 3:24.
[8] Glorified-
The tense of this word shows that our future glorification is so certain
that it can be said to be accomplished. Those who were foreknown will all be
glorified without loss of a single one.
[9] In
vv. 18-25 Paul shows that worldly wisdom, which the Corinthians prized so
highly, is the very antithesis of the wisdom of God.
[10]
To live a love-filled life is to be God-filled.
[11]
God’s sovereign choice of Israel was not based on the size of the nation
(Abraham received the promise while still childless, and Jacob’s immediate
family consisted of only 70 individuals) but stemmed from His love and from
faithfulness to His covenant purpose for them.
[12] Spirit
and soul and body- This should not be understood as defining the parts of
man, but as representing the whole man.
[13]
This verse, along with v. 24, are a prayer that closes the section of
instruction and exhortation begun at 4:1.
[14] Whom
I have believed- I.e., on whose trustworthiness I have staked my faith.
[15] What
I have entrusted- Literally, the deposit. Paul’s trust is well-founded, for
God will preserve this deposit of faith in Christ until the day of judgment,
when all dangers will be past. Some understand this to refer to God’s deposit
of gifts in Paul’s life (as in v. 14 and 1 Timothy 6:20).
[16] The
Bible Knowledge Commentary, p 919.
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