Jude

Jude

 

WHEN YOU MUST CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

 

You wanted to write about salvation. About the joy of being saved. About the common faith you share with other believers. About grace, hope, and the goodness of God.

 

But you can't. Not now. Something more urgent has come up.

 

False teachers have secretly slipped into the church. They're perverting the grace of God into a license for immorality. They're denying Jesus Christ. They're following their natural instincts. They're polluting the church, dividing believers, and leading people astray.

 

This can't wait. You have to address it. Now.

 

So instead of writing about salvation, you write a warning. An urgent call to contend for the faith. A fierce denouncement of false teachers. A reminder of God's certain judgment. An encouragement to build yourselves up and keep yourselves in God's love.

 

This is Jude. Twenty five verses of urgent warning about false teachers and a passionate call to contend for the faith once for all entrusted to God's holy people.

 

Jude is intense. He pulls no punches. He compares false teachers to Cain, Balaam, and Korah. He calls them shepherds who feed only themselves, clouds without rain, trees without fruit, wild waves of the sea, wandering stars. He says they're destined for blackest darkness.

 

But Jude doesn't just warn. He also encourages. Build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love. Be merciful to doubters. Save others by snatching them from the fire. And remember: God is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

 

If you're facing false teaching, if you're wondering whether to speak up or stay silent, if you need courage to contend for the faith, read Jude. In just twenty five verses, Jude will show you why false teaching is so dangerous and why you must fight for the truth.

 

A note before we begin:

Jude is only one chapter, just twenty five verses, but it's one of the most intense warnings about false teachers in the entire New Testament. This summary covers the letter, but Jude's vivid language and urgent warnings deserve your full attention. After this overview, open your Bible and read all twenty five verses of Jude. It will only take five minutes. Let Jude's passion for truth ignite your own.

 

Greeting

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, writes to those who've been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

 

Jude, a servant of Jesus and brother of James, writes to those who are called, loved by God the Father, kept for Jesus Christ. Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.

 

The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People

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. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in amongst you. They're ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

 

Jude wanted to write about salvation. But he felt compelled to urge them to contend for the faith once for all entrusted to God's people. Certain individuals have secretly slipped in. They're ungodly. They pervert grace into a license for immorality. They deny Jesus Christ.

 

Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered His people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who didn't believe. And the angels who didn't keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling, these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 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 Lord delivered His people from Egypt but later destroyed those who didn't believe. Angels who abandoned their proper dwelling are kept in darkness for judgment. Sodom and Gomorrah gave themselves to sexual immorality. They serve as an example of eternal fire.

 

In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, didn't himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, the Lord rebuke you! Yet these people slander whatever they don't understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct, as irrational animals do, will destroy them.

 

These ungodly people pollute their bodies, reject authority, heap abuse on celestial beings. Even the archangel Michael didn't dare condemn the devil but said, the Lord rebuke you. But these people slander what they don't understand. What they understand by instinct destroys them.

 

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

 

Woe to them. They've taken Cain's way. Rushed into Balaam's error. Been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.

 

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

 

They're blemishes at your love feasts. Shepherds who feed only themselves. Clouds without rain. Trees without fruit, uprooted, twice dead. Wild waves foaming up shame. Wandering stars destined for blackest darkness.

 

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: see, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they've committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

 

Enoch prophesied: the Lord is coming to judge everyone. These people are grumblers, faultfinders. They follow evil desires. They boast and flatter for advantage.

 

A Call to Persevere

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, in the last times there'll be scoffers who'll follow their own ungodly desires. These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and don't have the Spirit.

 

Remember what the apostles foretold. In the last times, scoffers will follow ungodly desires. These people divide you. They follow natural instincts. They don't have the Spirit.

 

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

 

But you, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love. Wait for the mercy of Jesus to bring you to eternal life.

 

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

 

Be merciful to doubters. Save others by snatching them from the fire. Show mercy mixed with fear. Hate even clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

 

Doxology

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.

 

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ, before all ages, now, and for ever. Amen.

 

What This Means for You

Jude is an urgent call to contend for the faith. False teachers have slipped into the church, perverting grace into license for immorality and denying Jesus Christ. Jude warns of their certain judgment and encourages believers to build themselves up, keep themselves in God's love, and show mercy whilst fighting for truth.

 

Here's what Jude teaches you:

Contend for the faith once for all entrusted to God's people. This isn't optional. It's necessary.

 

False teachers secretly slip in. They pervert grace into license for immorality. They deny Jesus Christ.

 

God will judge. He destroyed those who didn't believe after being delivered from Egypt. He's keeping fallen angels in darkness. Sodom and Gomorrah serve as examples of eternal fire.

 

False teachers pollute their bodies, reject authority, slander what they don't understand. They've taken Cain's way, rushed into Balaam's error, been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.

 

They're shepherds who feed only themselves. Clouds without rain. Trees without fruit, twice dead. Wild waves foaming up shame. Wandering stars destined for blackest darkness.

 

They're grumblers, faultfinders. They follow evil desires. They divide you. They don't have the Spirit.

 

Build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love.

 

Be merciful to doubters. Save others by snatching them from the fire.

 

God is able to keep you from stumbling. To present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

 

Your Next Steps

Jude challenges you to contend for the faith, guard against false teaching, and build yourself up in truth.

 

Are you contending for the faith? Or staying silent when false teaching spreads? Contend. This matters.

 

Are you building yourself up in your most holy faith? Praying in the Holy Spirit? Keeping yourself in God's love? Or are you stagnant, vulnerable to deception?

 

Are you able to recognise false teachers? They pervert grace. They deny Christ. They follow natural instincts. They divide. They don't have the Spirit.

 

Are you merciful to doubters? Saving others by snatching them from the fire? Or are you harsh, judgemental, unhelpful?

 

Are you trusting God to keep you from stumbling? He's able. He'll present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

 

Read It Yourself

Jude is only twenty five verses. You can read the entire letter in five minutes. But these twenty five verses are some of the most intense warnings about false teaching in Scripture.

 

Don't just read about Jude. Read Jude. Open your Bible and read all twenty five verses. Let Jude's passion for truth ignite your own. Let his warnings protect you. Let his encouragements strengthen you.

 

Contend for the Faith

That's the message of Jude. Contend for the faith once for all entrusted to God's people.

 

False teachers will come. They'll pervert grace. They'll deny Christ. They'll divide the church.

 

Don't stay silent. Contend.

 

Build yourself up. Pray. Keep yourself in God's love.

 

And remember: God is able to keep you from stumbling. To present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

 

To Him be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now, and for ever.

 

Amen.

 

 

Scripture paraphrased and quoted from various translations for clarity.

© The Unknown Believer