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Jude Commentary
Called! Sanctified! And Preserved! (1-2)
[I would like for us to focus on the concepts suggested by the threewords in the title of our study: "Called! Sanctified! And Preserved!" Let's begin with the idea of Christians being...] I. THOSE WHO ARE "CALLED"
A. THOSE IN CHRIST HAVE BEEN "CALLED"... 1. We have been called with "a holy calling" - 2 Ti 1:9 2. This calling was not according to our meritorious works 3. It was according to God's own purpose and grace before time began B. THIS "CALL" CAME THROUGH THE GOSPEL... 1. We became God's chosen and called through the means of the gospel - 2 Th 2:13-14 2. By having the gospel preached to "every creature", the call is made available to all - cf. Mk 16:15-16 a. This is consistent with God's desire that "all men be saved" - 1 Ti 2:3-4 b. This is consistent with God's offer of His Son as "a ransom for all" - 1 Ti 2:5-6 c. This is consistent with the Lord's unwillingness that "any should perish", but that "all should come to repentance" - 2 Pe 3:9 C. OUR RESPONSIBILITY, HAVING ACCEPTED THE "CALL", IS TO MAKE OUR"CALLING AND ELECTION SURE"...
1. This requires much diligence on our part - 2 Pe 1:10-11 2. Otherwise, we will be like the Israelites in the wilderness - He 3:12-19; 4:1-2,11 a. All were called by God to enter the Promised Land of rest b. But most were unable to enter because of unbelief that led to lack of diligence! [It is the need for faithful diligence that explains the many warningsagainst apostasy found in the Scriptures. It also helps to understandwhy Jude felt it necessary to write his epistle! Closely related to the concept of being "called", is the idea that byGod's grace we are also...] II. "SANCTIFIED" BY GOD THE FATHER
A. THE WORDS "SANCTIFY", "SANCTIFICATION"... 1. Are translated from the Greek word "hagiazo" {hag-ee-ad'-zo} 2. Which means to make holy, to set apart for a special purpose 3. Therefore, God has set apart those who have been called - Ju 1 B. THE PROCESS OF SANCTIFICATION... 1. Is said to be the work of the Holy Spirit a. "sanctified by the Holy Spirit" - Ro 15:16 b. "sanctified...by the Spirit of our God" - 1 Co 6:11 c. "sanctification by the Spirit" - 2 Th 2:13 d. "the sanctifying work of the Spirit" (NASV) - 1 Pe 1:2 2. Is also said to be the work of the Word of God a. "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - Jn17:17
b. "that He might sanctify...by the word" - Ep 5:26 3. Since the Word of God is said to be the "sword of the Spirit" (Ep 6:17), the Word is evidently the instrument used by the Spirit to help bring about our sanctification C. THE PROGRESS OF SANCTIFICATION... 1. Some people understand "sanctification" as "all at once" or "in two stages" (e.g., the Wesleyan concept of entire sanctification) 2. The Biblical evidence suggests otherwise: a. The church at Corinth 1) Who were "sanctified in Christ Jesus" - 1 Co 1:2 2) Who had been "sanctified" - 1 Co 6:11 b. Yet, many of these members were "babes in Christ" and "carnal" - 1 Co 3:1-3 3. As written to the Hebrews, those in Christ are "being sanctified" - He 2:11 a. I.e., sanctification is an on-going process b. It begins at conversion, and continues as we grow in the faith 4. As Paul prayed for the Thessalonians : "may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely" - 1 Th 5:23 [Whether God does indeed complete the process of sanctification for those who are called will be determined by whether or not we remain"preserved in Christ Jesus". (Ju 1)
So let's take a closer look at what is involved with being...] III. "PRESERVED" IN JESUS CHRIST
A. THE MEANING OF THE WORD "PRESERVED"... 1. It comes from the Greek word "tereo" {tay-reh'-o} 2. Which means "to guard (from loss or injury)" 3. It is used to describe that which is closely watched and guarded... a. Such as those disobedient angels who are awaiting the Judgment Day - Ju 6 b. Such as the punishment awaiting "ungodly men" - Ju 13 B. THIS WORD SPEAKS OF OUR WONDERFUL ASSURANCE IN CHRIST... 1. We are being carefully "guarded" in Christ! 2. Peter uses a different word (phroureo, froo-reh'-o) to express a similar idea - 1 Pe 1:5 3. Paul used yet another word (sozo, sode'-zo) to express his own confidence in God's preservation - 2 Ti 4:18 3. Indeed, Jesus reassured his disciples that no one could "snatch" them out of His hand - cf. Jn 10:27-29 -- But does this mean that it is impossible to fall away? Do we have no personal responsibility to remain "preserved in Jesus Christ"? C. THERE IS SOME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY... 1. Jude uses the same word for "preserved" in Ju 21: "keep yourselves..." 2. This indicates that we must cooperate with God a. As Peter indicated, we are "kept by the power of God through faith" - 1 Pe 1:5 1) God provides the power to keep us safe 2) But we must provide the faith b. Jesus' teaching on security is for those who are "believers" 1) No one can "snatch" us away from God against our will 2) But what if "believers" become "unbelievers"? a) Does the promise still apply if the conditions have changed? b) What if we choose to leave or jump out of God's protective hand? c. That "believers" can become "unbelievers", and thereby in danger of losing one's salvation, is clearly taught in He 3:12-19; 4:1-2,11
3. Thus we are "preserved in Jesus Christ"... a. But remaining "preserved" involves personal responsibility! b. It requires that we "keep ourselves" in the love of God! CONCLUSION
1. We who are in Christ are indeed richly blessed: a. We have been "called" by the gospel of Christ, to which call we responded when we obeyed the conditions of the gospel (faith, repentance, confession, and baptism) b. We have been "sanctified" or set apart for a holy purpose by God the Father, as He works upon us through His Holy Spirit in conjunction with His Holy Word c. On the basis of our faith, we are "preserved" in Jesus Christ unto eternal life 2. But dear brethren, forces of Satan are very much at work... a. They seek to undermine our faith in Christ b. They seek to harden our hearts, and to develop an evil heart of unbelief c. They seek to make us spiritually lazy, and not to maintain the diligence necessary to keep ourselves in the love of God 3. Yet God in His grace has preserved His Word to give us ample warning; shall we not heed the warnings found throughout His Word, such as those found in The Epistle of Jude? And as we speak of giving heed...have you given heed to the call of thegospel of Christ? - cf. Ac 2:36-38
Contending Earnestly For The Faith (3-4)
INTRODUCTION
1. As we begin to focus on the purpose of The Epistle Of Jude, we see that his original desire was to write about our common salvation shared in Christ: "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which wasonce for all delivered to the saints." - Ju 3
2. The need to change his purpose is seen in the next verse: "For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God andour Lord Jesus Christ." - Ju 4
3. That men "crept in unnoticed" should give us pause... a. That such could happen, despite the many warnings given by Jesus, Paul, and Peter b. How much easier, then, for this to happen today when we live in time far removed from those initial warnings! 4. In light of this, Jude's call to "contend earnestly for the faith" becomes even more relevant for us today... a. We ought to appreciate "the need" to contend for the faith b. We should understand "the how" when it comes to contending earnestly for the faith [In this study, "Contending Earnestly For The Faith", it is "the need" and "the how" that we examine more closely...] I. THE "NEED" TO CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH
A. SOME WILL DENY THE ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES... 1. This I infer from the phrase "the faith which once for all delivered to the saints" a. The expression "once for all" can rightly be worded "one time for all time" b. That is, "the faith" (that body of doctrine which we are to believe) was delivered to the church "one time for all time" -- Revelation was not to be repeated, nor was there more to be revealed later on! 2. That God has revealed all that He would have us know is evident from such statements like those of: a. Paul, telling the Ephesian elders he had not shunned to proclaim "the whole counsel of God" - Ac 20:27 b. Peter, writing that God has given us "all things that pertain to life and godliness" - 2 Pe 1:3 -- If we have "all things", and if we have the "whole counsel of God", what else is there? 3. Thus the Scriptures, which contain the faith delivered "once for all", contains all we need to become what God wants of us! - cf. 2 Ti 3:16-17 4. But when people suggest: a. That God's revelation is incomplete, or it is still in progress b. Or that God's revelation needs to be repeated -- Then our task is to "contend earnestly for the faith oncedelivered"!
B. SOME WILL PERVERT THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE... 1. There were those in Jude's day "who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness (lewdness)" a. Their doctrine of grace gave them excuse to sin b. So much so, that they engaged in that which was openly shameful (lewd) -- Perhaps they said: "Let us sin so that grace may abound!" 2. There are some today who pervert the grace of God... a. To excuse their disregard for the commands found in God's Word b. To justify their lifestyle that is contrary to the principles of the Bible -- For they are likely to say: "God is too loving, His grace is too wonderful, to condemn us when we are so sincere!" 3. But those who "contend earnestly for the faith" will be ever mindful of what the grace of God truly teaches - cf. Ti 2:11-12
a. To deny ungodliness and worldly lusts! b. To live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age! C. SOME WILL DENY GOD'S AUTHORITY... 1. Jude had to deal with those who "deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" a. The emphasis appears to be on the term "Lord", used to describe God and Jesus b. The term "lord" comes from kurios {koo'-ree-os} 1) Which is related to the word kuros (supremacy) 2) Meaning "supreme in authority" c. These people were denying the authority rightly belonging to God and Jesus 2. Today we often face people denying the authority of God and Jesus a. By their lack of respect to the Word of God b. By their setting up other standards of authority for what they believe or do 1) Such as a synod, convention, council 2) Such as a pope, bishop, minister, or their own person 3. But those who "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered"... a. Will recognize the authority which belongs to Christ - Mt 28:18; Ep 1:21-22 b. Will recognize the authority delegated to His apostles - Jn 13:20; 1 Co 14:37; 1 Th 2:13; Ac 2:42 [Clearly the need to "contend earnestly for the faith" is present, forjust as there were those in Jude's day who... - denied the all-sufficiency of God's Word - perverted the doctrine of grace - denied the authority of God and Jesus ...so there are such people today! How then shall we do it?] II. THE "HOW" TO CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH
A. WE MUST CONTEND EARNESTLY... 1. From the "Believers' Study Bible": a. The vivid expression epagonizomai (Gk.) is translated "contend earnestly" and is related to the English word "agony." b. The term is associated with strife and combat of a most vigorous and determined variety. c. The present tense of the verb indicates that the Christian struggle is to be continuous. d. Jude believed that the foundational tenets of the Christian faith were under attack. Nothing but vigorous counter-contention would be sufficient. 2. The use of such an expression therefore suggests: a. The matter is serious; we are at war! 1) Paul describes the nature of our warfare in 2 Co 10:3-6 2) And again in Ep 6:10-13 b. This is not a time to be unprepared; we must arm ourselves! -- We must therefore contend with vigor, even to the point of agony, for "the faith once delivered to the saints"! B. WE MUST USE THE WEAPONS AT OUR DISPOSAL... 1. Paul defines our weaponry in Ep 6:13-18 a. Girded with truth b. The breastplate of righteousness c. Feet shod with the gospel of peace d. The shield of faith e. The helmet of salvation f. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God g. Watching with all prayer 2. Notice that most of these things are for our own defense, lest we be lost in the struggle! a. The elements of truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, etc., are needed for our own salvation as much as for those we seek to conquer b. Make sure that you let them "remove the plank for your own eye" so you will be able to see clear "to remove speck out of your brother's eye" - cf. Mt 7:3-5 c. Some people are so quick to take up the "sword", they leave the rest of their armor behind! 3. Paul also has something to say about other weapons that are "mighty in God" a. Such qualities as "the meekness and gentleness of Christ" - 2 Co 10:1-6 b. Making sure that we are first "spiritual", and then displaying gentleness and caution - Ga 6:1 c. Refraining from quarrels, applying gentleness, the Word, with patience and humility correcting the opposition - 2 Ti2:23-26
CONCLUSION
1. The call to "contend earnestly for the faith" is not a license to engage in "contentions" and "outbursts of wrath" - cf. Ga 5:19-21;1 Co 3:1-3
2. But it is a call to vigorously contend with all the weapons at our disposal... a. First and foremost, with the Word of God, applied first to self and then to others b. But also, with the Christ-like qualities that are "mighty in God" to win people over to obedience to Christ 3. It is the fact... a. That many are not obeying Christ as Lord b. But perverting His teaching or setting themselves up as their own authority ...that makes it necessary that we "contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints" Dear friend, whose side of this battle are YOU on? Have you submittedto Him whom God has made both Lord and Christ? Are you continuing steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine? - cf. Ac 2:36-42
Reminders Of God's Righteous Condemnation (5-7)
INTRODUCTION
1. Exhorting his readers to "contend earnestly for the faith", in verse4 Jude introduces the reason for them to take such as stand...
a. "Certain men" have crept in unnoticed b. They were "ungodly men", guilty of: 1) Turning the grace of God into lewdness 2) Denying the Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ 2. Jude also writes of these men that they were "long ago marked out for this condemnation"
a. Some might infer that Jude meant that these men were predestined to act this way b. However, as Warren Wiersbe in The Bible Exposition Commentary correctly states: "Jude did not write that these men were ordained to become apostates, as though God were responsible for their sin. They became apostates because they willfully turned away from the truth. But God did ordain that such people would be judged and condemned. The Old Testament prophets denounced the false prophets of their day, and both Jesus Christ and His Apostlespronounced judgment on them."
c. Yes, what is ordained is their punishment, that those who turn from God will not escape His righteous condemnation! 3. To reinforce his point, Jude reminds his readers of three examples in which the ungodly did not escape God's righteous condemnation - Ju 5-7 a. Israel b. The angels who sinned c. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 4. That we might be reminded as well, in this study we shall briefly review what is known about these three "case histories" of divine judgment, and draw some points that can be gleaned from them a. If you feel a sense of "deja vu", it may be because Jude follows a pattern set by Peter in his second epistle - 2 Pe 2:4-6 b. Jude's action is understandable, as he is warning against the very presence of those Peter had warned would one day come [There is a difference, however. Whereas Peter used as one of his examples the people destroyed in the flood, Jude selects the example of...]