Jude, verse-by-verse
Session 1 | Jude 1-4
Jude 1-2 | Jude's Introduction
Verse 1 --
Unlike most, I date the book of Jude early (mid 40's), prior to the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. There is no hint of knowledge of the Pauline mystery, and nothing in the book that demands the traditional late date.
The names Jude / Judah / Judas are all the same. This was a very popular name in the first century and had been since the days of Judas Maccabees in the 2nd century BC. The fact that this Jude is the brother of James narrows authorship to two: either the sons of Zebedee or James, the half-brother of our Lord. All early evidence was that this is the half-brother of our Lord. If such is the case, church historian Hegesippus says that Jude was married, had children, and was a traveling evangelist. His marriage would be corroborated in 1 Cor. 9:5.
His reference as a servant of Jesus Christ while being the brother of James is more than likely an acknowledgement of the Messiahship of Jesus and his own humility toward Jesus than testimony that he is not the Lord's half-brother. Furthermore, James became the non-apostolic leader of the congregation by this time, and so it is not surprising that brother of James would be important.
Jude mentions two characteristics of these who are sanctified by God the Father. First, they are preserved in Jesus Christ. This perfect passive verb shows that their sanctification status is secure in Jesus. It echoes the words of Jesus to the nation in John 6:39, that He will lose nothing. This also is problematic to those who teach progressive sanctification. Those who do so misunderstand sainthood and its completion in Jesus Christ.
Verse 2 --
This is a standard greeting in Biblical texts. However, this is the only epistle in which love is included in the salutation.
Jude 3-4 | The Current Situation
Verse 3 --
Jude set out with diligence to write concerning the common salvation“the salvation that we have in common." The phrase is used in Titus 1:4 without the definite article in the Greek (though included in the English). I think it is best understood in both places as “the salvation common between us."
It is hard to tell if Jude means to say that because it was needful for me to...exhort you that he was *unable to write about that which he intended to write*“as I write about the common salvation, I want to exhort you to earnestly contend for the faith." In either case, Jude's desire is that his recipients would indeed earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
The Greek word translated earnestly content αγων [agon] from which we get agony. Though Jude is not writing directly to us, there is a secondary application here that is universal to faith. Those who believe that, in matters of faith, should "let go and let God" fail to consider that there are enemies of the faith and existential threats to the church. Even when it causes agony, struggle, and division, we should earnestly contend for the faith.
This faith was once delivered“once and never again," for which there is another word, but rather “once and for all." It is a faith which has been delivered unto the saints and will not be revoked.
By the 40's A.D. the Jewish faith was in desperate shape, having rejected Jesus as Messiah, and coming into a self-fulfilling prophecy that We have no king but Caesar (Jn. 19:15).
Verse 4 -
“name names," but left it with certain men. No doubt they were very real and well known.
These men crept in unawaresπαρεισδύω [pareisduo], for which we have no English equivalent. The compound word is, in its etymology, to come along into the sunset“cover of darkness" that is only necessary because they are not what they claim to be. the men were of old ordainedπάλαι [palai] is translated of old. The English paleontology comes from this word. It is important to recognize that the word doesn't have to mean ages ago, but can be a former time in the individual's lifetime. For example, see Mark 15:44, in which the word is used in a situation that could not have been more than a few hours old.
The men were before...ordainedπρογράφω [prographo]. This is not the typical word for ordination (which is "to set one in a certain position"). The word is pro (beforehand) and grapho (written). See Rom. 15:4 and Eph. 3:3. In the normal meaning of words, this simply says, "others have previously written about these men and sentenced them to condemnation." Condemnation is from the Greek word κρίμα, [krima] from which we get the English word crime.
There were two crimes of these men. First, they turned God's grace into lasciviousness“until he shocks public decency." (See Lightfoot's commentary on Galatians 5:19). Certainly, by the time Paul wrote 1 Corinthians (mid-50's), there was fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles by the Jewish congregation at Corinth (1 Cor. 5:1).
The grace of our God that these men turned into lasciviousness was likely the grace of God not destroying Israel immediately on the death of Jesus (Lk. 23:34) or at the rejection of Stephen's message (Acts 7:60).
The second crime was denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Clearly the early assembly had understood Jesus as the Lord God (from the earliest date). Yet some had crept in and begun denying this.
