Jude’s burden is to expose the apostasy in the Christian profession (vss. 4-13) and to pronounce its end under the judgment of God (vss. 14-16); and also, to encourage the saints to carry on in the path of faith with the resources which God has given for such times of departure (vss. 17-25). Thus, his purpose is twofold: first, to expose the character of men and the evil that they would bring into the Christian profession, and second, to provide direction and encouragement for the saints amidst the growing mass of apostates. Since God would not have us to be occupied with evil, it is a short and concise epistle.
There are many similarities between 2nd Peter and Jude, but they are not redundant. Both refer to the working of wicked men who have come in among Christians. Both describe the terrible conditions of Christendom in the last days, and both give guidance to the believer living in those difficult times. And, both quote from Old Testament examples of failure—of the angels that sinned, of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Balaam, etc. J. N. Darby pointed out that the main difference is that 2nd Peter speaks of sin, whereas Jude speaks of apostasy. Also, that 2nd Peter has to do with the bringing in of erroneous doctrines, whereas Jude has to do with the giving up of sound doctrine (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Loizeaux edition, vol. 5, p. 547).
What is Apostasy?
There are two kinds of departure from God; both are bad, but one is infinitely worse. These are backsliding and apostasy.
A true believer may backslide (slip away from walking with the Lord) if he is not careful to maintain communion with Him. Peter is an example. He stumbled in the path of faith through sin and ended up denying the Lord, but he was restored later through the Lord’s work as an Advocate.
Apostasy is different; it is a willful renouncing of the Christian faith that one once professed to believe. It is something that only a merely professing believer who has never been born again would do. A real believer may walk out of communion with God and at a distance from the Lord, but he will not abandon the faith. Apostasy is not a question of denying the Lord under the pressure of persecution; it is a decided giving up of the faith.
Apostasy is a very solemn thing, for once a person apostatizes, there is no hope of him turning around in repentance. Scripture says that it is “impossible” to “renew them again unto repentance” (Heb. 6:4-64For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4‑6)). Thus, all such are damned, even though they are still alive in this world! Judas Iscariot is an example; he was a disciple of the Lord’s, but he was never born of God (John 6:7070Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? (John 6:70)). Peter returned to the Lord, but Judas never did. The following passages refer to apostates: Matthew 7:21-23; 12:43-45; 13:5-7, 20-2221Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21‑23)
43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. (Matthew 12:43‑45)
5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: (Matthew 13:5‑7)
20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. (Matthew 13:20‑22); Mark 3:28-3028Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. (Mark 3:28‑30); John 15:2, 62Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:6); Acts 1:2525That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. (Acts 1:25); Romans 11:2222Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Romans 11:22); 1 Cor. 9:27; 10:1227But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1 Corinthians 9:27)
12Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12); Hebrews 2:1-4; 3:7-15; 6:4-6; 10:26-31; 12:12-291Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:1‑4)
7Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. (Hebrews 3:7‑15)
4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4‑6)
26For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26‑31)
12Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 18For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 25See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:12‑29); 2 Peter 2:1, 20-211But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1)
20For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Peter 2:20‑21); Jude 4-164For 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. 5I 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. 6And 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. 7Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, 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. 8Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 10But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 11Woe 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. 12These 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; 13Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. 14And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. (Jude 4‑16); Revelation 8:8-128And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. (Revelation 8:8‑12).
Many Christians don’t know the difference between backsliding and apostasy, and by confusing these two things they’ve been led to wrong conclusions—one of which is that believers can lose the eternal salvation of their souls, which is not true. It is, therefore, important to understand the difference.
Jude shows that the seeds of apostasy were sown very early in Church history (vs. 4). It will culminate with the mass in the Christian profession giving up Christianity and following the man of sin in the worship of the image of the Beast (2 Thess. 2:3-43Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3‑4); Rev. 13:11-1811And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:11‑18)). There is no time in the history of the Christian testimony when the words of Jude have been more applicable than in this very day in which we live.
The Salutation
(Vss. 1-2)
Jude introduces himself as “Jude, the servant [bondman] of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.” Neither he, nor his brother, were part of the apostolic band that followed the Lord in the days of His earthly ministry. They were half-brothers of the Lord (Matt. 13:5555Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? (Matthew 13:55)) but were unbelievers in those days (Mark 3:2121And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. (Mark 3:21); John 7:55For neither did his brethren believe in him. (John 7:5)). James was converted by the time the Lord rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:77After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. (1 Corinthians 15:7)) and Jude was probably converted around that time as well. By the time the Lord had ended His resurrection appearances, all of His brethren were believers and were among the saints in the upper room in Jerusalem waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1414These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. (Acts 1:14)).
“James,” whom Jude refers to here, is not James, the son of Zebedee (Matt. 4:2121And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. (Matthew 4:21)); he was killed by Herod quite early in Church history (Acts 12:1-21Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 2And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. (Acts 12:1‑2)). Nor was he the son of Alphaeus (Matt. 10:33Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; (Matthew 10:3)), who is also called James the less (Mark 15:4040There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Mark 15:40)). This James became a leader in the assembly in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:1817But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go show these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. (Acts 12:17)
13And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: (Acts 15:13)
18And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. (Acts 21:18); Gal. 1:1919But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. (Galatians 1:19)). “Jude” is not the Judas that supposedly was sent forth by the Lord with Judas Iscariot (Luke 6:1616And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. (Luke 6:16)). Neither Jude, nor James were apostles. (See W. Kelly, Lectures on the Epistle of Jude, pp. 10-11.) We might wonder why Jude wouldn’t have introduced himself as being the Lord’s brother. He refrained from doing that because he was acting in accordance with the Christian principle: “Henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more” (2 Cor. 5:1616Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (2 Corinthians 5:16)). Moreover, introducing himself as the Lord’s brother might have appeared as being prideful and seeking honour for himself.
Those to whom Jude writes are “the called ones”—those who have been called by the gospel and saved. They are a remnant of true believers amidst the mass of merely professing persons. He views them in a double way: “beloved in God the Father” and “preserved in Jesus Christ.” (The word “sanctified,” in the KJV, should be “beloved.”) Knowing this is a comforting truth to rest on in times of departure. The true saints of God are the special objects of His love, and in spite of the movement of apostasy gaining momentum in Christendom, they will all be preserved to the end. We are eternally secure and thus preserved by the One who has called and saved us. Jude ends his epistle with this same happy thought in verse 24. This does not mean that true believers can’t be affected by apostasy. While a true believer will not apostatize from the faith, he can be influenced by the current of apostasy and begin to give up certain principles and practices that he once held. The only remedy for this is keeping close to the Lord (Deut. 33:1212And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. (Deuteronomy 33:12)).
(Vs 2)
Jude adds, “Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.” This is God’s supply of grace to help us to go on in the Christian path. Hence, an abundant provision has been made for the saints in these last times.
The Need to Contend for the Faith
(Vs. 3)
It was on Jude’s heart to write on the subject of the salvation which is the common possession of all Christians, but the Holy Spirit constrained him to exhort the saints to contend for the truth that was being undermined by evil men. He says: “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.” “The faith” which Jude refers to here is the Christian revelation of truth. As a rule, when the word “faith” is used in Scripture without the definite article “the” preceding it, it is speaking of the soul’s inward energy of confidence in God (Eph. 2:88For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8), etc.). But when “faith” is used with the article, as here in our text, it is referring to the precious deposit of truth that God has given to us—the body of Christian knowledge.
Jude’s simple but important exhortation is that we need to stand uncompromisingly for the truth. Like Shammah defending the field of lentils against the Philistines (2 Sam. 23:11-1211And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. 12But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory. (2 Samuel 23:11‑12)), we are not to give up one iota of the truth to the enemy. We are not to relinquish it, nor to sell it (Prov. 23:2323Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23)), but to keep it, as Paul exhorted Timothy: “That good thing [deposit] which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us” (2 Tim. 1:1414That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. (2 Timothy 1:14)).
We are to “earnestly contend” for the faith by first knowing the truth, and then by walking in it. We cannot defend the truth if we haven’t taken the time to learn it. Some have great devotion of heart to Christ, and this is commendable, but sadly, they lack intelligence in the truth. Consequently, in desiring to be faithful, they will sometimes hold onto error ignorantly, and valiantly defend it, thinking that it is the truth. But this kind of misguided energy only adds to the confusion in the Christian testimony. (Compare John 16:22They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (John 16:2).) Let us, therefore, give due diligence to learning the truth (1 Tim. 4:6; 26If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. (1 Timothy 4:6)
6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6) Tim. 2:15) and to seek grace from God to walk in it (3 John 33For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. (3 John 3)).
Earnestly contending for the faith is not done by arguing for the truth. There is such a thing as doing a right thing in a wrong way. Being right on some point of truth doesn’t make fighting and arguing acceptable. Paul warned Timothy of this, stating that he was “not to have disputes of words, profitable for nothing” (2 Tim. 2:1414Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. (2 Timothy 2:14)). As alluded to already, we are to keep the good deposit of truth “by the Holy Spirit” (2 Tim. 1:1414That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. (2 Timothy 1:14)). That is, we are to act in the Spirit, not in the flesh, in holding the truth. It is one thing to contend and quite another to be contentious. “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men” (2 Tim. 2:2424And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (2 Timothy 2:24)). Thus, it is not enough to uphold the truth; our behaviour must compliment the truth that we profess (Phil. 1:2727Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Philippians 1:27)).
Jude says that the faith was “once” delivered unto the saints. This means that the truth has been given once for all time; the delivery of it is complete. There is, therefore, no more truth to be revealed or added. False teachers love to say that there is more truth to be revealed, and that what they have is such—but that erroneous notion only opens the door to spurious doctrines. On the grounds of what Jude says here, if someone were to come to us with something new, we should know immediately that their new idea couldn’t be the truth, because all the truth has been given.
Note: the truth was “delivered,” not discovered by searching through the Old Testament Scriptures. This is because the Christian revelation of truth is not in the Old Testament. It was revealed to the apostles and prophets by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:1010But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10); Eph. 3:55Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (Ephesians 3:5)) and communicated by them to the saints in the power of the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10-1310But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:10‑13)).
Moreover, the body of Christian knowledge was delivered “to the saints.” It was not delivered to the apostles, but rather, through the apostles to the saints. Thus, the apostles were but the channels; the saints are the terminals of the truth. The term “saints,” refers to the whole Christian company; it includes both the brothers and the sisters. This shows that we are all the custodians of the truth. It is the responsibility of every saint to know the truth and to walk in it, and also to contend for it. Some have the idea that contending for the faith is a work that belongs to those who are teachers, but really it is a privilege and responsibility of all the saints. A sister might say, “I leave all that to my husband and the brothers in the meeting.” But that idea does not have the support of Scripture, for as Jude shows here in his use of the word “saints,” sisters are to be engaged in holding the truth too. What is so commendable about the Bereans is that there were among them many honourable women who searched the Scriptures; it was not something that just the men did (Acts 17:11-1211These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts 17:11‑12)). In fact, leaving the defense of the faith to a few “qualified” persons, or gifted teachers, has contributed to the loss of the truth as evidenced in Church history. Roman Catholicism has taken that idea to the extreme; it teaches that the Scriptures should be left in the hands of the clergy and stowed away in monasteries. Thus, in doing so, they have, in effect, taken the Scriptures (the truth) out of the hands of the saints!
A Twofold Evil
(Vs. 4)
Jude goes on to explain why contending for the faith is so important—many deceivers had crept into the Christian profession and were corrupting people with their evil doctrines and practices. He says, “For certain men have got in unnoticed [unawares], they who of old were marked out beforehand to this sentence [condemnation], ungodly persons, turning the grace of our God into dissoluteness, and denying our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.” These ungodly men had a mental acquaintance with the truth, but their ways were not in accordance with it. They had stolen in among the saints “unawares” by making an outward profession of faith, but they were charlatans. Simon the sorcerer was the first false professor to sneak in, but he was exposed by Peter and John and rejected (Acts 8). These whom Jude speaks of crept in undetected, and have remained among the saints, doing their evil work.
The KJV says that they were “ordained to this condemnation,” but the text should read, “marked out beforehand to this sentence.” God does not pre-ordain people for judgment; no one is predestined for Hell. What Jude is saying here is that God knew beforehand who these persons were and had the apostles and prophets forewarn the saints that they would arise, and to tell us that their end would be judgment. Therefore, being forewarned of their presence, we shouldn’t be surprised to see them at work in Christendom. Their seeds of ungodliness have a twofold character:
• The abuse of grace.
• The denial of the rights of Christ their Master.
“Turning the grace of God into lasciviousness [dissoluteness]” is to twist the truth of Christian liberty into license for the flesh (Gal. 5:1313For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)). These men pervert the truth of freedom from sin (Rom. 6:1818Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Romans 6:18)) into freedom to sin! H. Smith said, “The great principle by which God is saving men from sin, and teaching them to live soberly is made the occasion by these ungodly men to gratify the flesh and indulge their lust, at the same time keeping up a fair profession and moving in the Christian circle” (The Epistle of Jude, p. 5).
“Denying our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ,” is not necessarily denying His name outwardly, but refusing to submit to His authority over them practically—while at the same time avowing that they do! He is their “Master” by virtue of His purchase on the cross (Matt. 13:4444Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Matthew 13:44); Heb. 2:99But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9); 2 Peter 2:11But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1)), but He is not their Lord and Saviour. They deny His right to rule over them, by lowering Him in their doctrine to the level of themselves. Thus, their doctrine strips the Lord of His deity, of His sinless humanity, and of His divine attributes, making Him as any other man (Psa. 50:2121These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. (Psalm 50:21)). The practical outcome of their erroneous notions is not to submit to His authority.