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The Epistle of Jude – Introduction

 

The letter of Jude is one of the shortest and, at the same time, one of the most serious and weighty letters in the New Testament. We would do well to apply it to us in its full scope. No one who prayerfully reads this letter in its context can avoid the impression of having a significant document before them. At the same time, this letter contains encouraging exhortations to trust our Lord and God even in difficult times.

Its content

The Letter of Jude has rightly been described as a kind of introduction to the Revelation of John because it reveals moral, ethical, and religious character traits and evil that will be encountered on this earth before the final judgment we read about in Revelation comes.

Jude does not describe the evils of this world in general but speaks of people who have a Christian confession. Nor does he deal with misconduct and obvious evil in a local assembly. The order of the assembly of God is not his subject.

Jude has a different task. Guided by the Holy Spirit, he describes the deviation and decay within the Christian confession. Even in the days of the apostles—i.e., at the beginning of the history of Christians on earth—it was clear that people would not keep what God had entrusted to them in Christianity. Paul, as well as Peter and John, wrote that Christians would not be faithful and warned against apostasy in Christendom. Jude speaks in clear terms of apostasy and decay and shows the direction in which this downward development will move until it finally ends in apostasy.

Jude does not speak of apostasy, but he makes it clear that the path that Christendom is on will one day end in the complete rejection of everything divine. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 7, Paul describes the final apostasy of Christendom and, at the same time, makes it clear that this can only come after the true Christians have been caught up to heaven. However, the “mystery of lawlessness” is already at work within the Christian profession (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Jude writes about this.

Although he already had the first deviations from the truth in his time before his eyes, his message was primarily prophetic. From the first deviations, which were already visible at that time, he traces the lines of development to the end, i.e., to the time when the Lord Jesus will come to judgment and thus put an end to the Christian confession on this earth. It is a dark picture of a constant downward development within Christendom, which began with the invasion of “ravenous wolves” (Acts 20:29) and will end with the Lord's coming to judgment.

Jude refrains from any whitewashing. He uses clear words to unmask the people who have crept in. He uses examples from nature as well as from the Old Testament. However, he not only exposes the character traits of these evil and godless people who do their evil work among true Christians, but he also repeatedly speaks of the judgment that will befall these people. This is what makes this letter so serious.

Jude addresses his letter to those who are called by God. But in it, he speaks of people who pretend to be Christians through their words but are not. They only have a profession but no life from God. So, this is not about erring believers but about traitors and deceivers who have not been born again.

The structure of the letter

The letter can be divided into the following four parts:

  1. After a brief salutation and a blessing, the letter's recipients are called upon to fight for the faith once delivered to the saints (v. 3). The short introduction appeals to our responsibility, and at the same time, we recognize what sources of help are available to us.
  2. In the long main section (vv. 4-19), Jude describes the character traits of the wicked people who have crept in and repeatedly points to the judgment that will befall these people.
  3. In verses 20-23, Jude again turns directly to the recipients of the letter and shows them how they should behave. He appeals to their hearts and consciences so that they can take refuge in the available sources of help on the one hand and behave correctly towards those who have been deceived on the other.
  4. The letter ends in verses 24 and 25 with a unique doxology that directs our attention to the One who alone is able to preserve us in difficult times and present us blameless before His glory (Jude 24-25).

The recipients of the letter

The original recipients of this letter are not known. Although it is obvious that Jude—like Peter—wrote to believing Jews, the salutation does not explicitly mention this. But it is not without reason that they remain unmentioned. So, no one can claim that the content of the letter is none of their business.

The letter is addressed to the “called ones.” This refers to all believers because we can all count ourselves among those called by the grace of God. At the same time, the address “called ones” gives the letter a very personal touch because calling is always presented to us in the New Testament as a personal—and not a communal—blessing. With the exception of the first letter of John, no other letter in the New Testament is as general as the letter of Jude because it is addressed directly to all believers. In view of the sad development within the Christian profession, no one can, therefore, escape responsibility. We need this letter in order to be vigilant.

This form of address reminds us of the words “but you,” with which Paul addresses his co-worker Timothy personally on several occasions (1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 3:10, 14; 4:5). In the second letter in particular, the personal address to Paul's younger friend is linked to the serious message of the letter. We also remember the serious messages in the seven letters to the assemblies in Revelation 2 and 3, where entire assemblies, or the leaders of these assemblies, are addressed collectively. At the same time, however, at the end of the letters, it says quite personally: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches!” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). The word is addressed to the assemblies, but everyone is personally called upon to listen.

The author of the letter

Although the sender gives his name, the identity of the writer has been the subject of much speculation over the centuries. All we know is that the writer was called Jude and had a brother called James. The difficulty lies in the fact that there are various people to whom this applies.

Without examining the various possibilities in detail, it should be noted that two people in particular come into question. One is Judas, the disciple of the Lord Jesus; the other is Judas, the Lord's brother in the flesh. It is true of both that they were called Judas and had a brother named James. In addition, neither Luke 6:16 nor Acts 1:13 contain the word “brother” in the original text. It literally reads “Judas of James,” i.e., it could also refer to the son (see the respective notes on the above passages). It is, therefore, at least questionable whether the writer of the letter, Jude, was actually the Lord's disciple. The way in which he speaks of the apostles in verse 17 of his letter suggests that he himself was not an apostle.

The fact that the writer refers to his brother James right at the beginning of his letter suggests that the recipients of the letter possibly knew his brother better than him. This leads to the idea that the James mentioned was very probably one of the Lord Jesus' brothers in the flesh. In Galatians 2:9, he is referred to as a “pillar” alongside others. Passages such as Acts 12:17, 15:13, and 21:18 also mention this man and show us that he had a special place in the assembly in Jerusalem. He was obviously well-known, and this seems to be the reason why Jude refers to him. We therefore assume that the author of the letter himself was also a son of Joseph and Mary and, therefore, belonged to the brothers of the Lord Jesus. All the more remarkable is the fact that the writer does not refer to his relationship with Him but calls himself a “servant of Jesus Christ.” The earthly relationship he had had no longer counted.

The New Testament gives us few details about Judas, the Lord's brother. We only know that he did not believe in Him during the Lord's public ministry and that he was married (John 7:5; 1 Corinthians 9:5). When he came to faith is also unknown. But in Acts 1:14, he is in the upper room with the disciples. The letter he wrote allows us to draw certain conclusions about his character. He must obviously have been a serious, determined, and hard-working man who served his Lord faithfully and had the welfare of his brothers and sisters at heart. He also proved to be a compassionate person who was keen to encourage his brothers and sisters.

The purpose of the letter as applied to us

What is God's intention in giving us a letter with such serious content? Let us try to find an answer to this question. The aim of the letter is not simply to describe the decline within the Christian profession. This part of Scripture is also inspired by God and is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Seven points are mentioned below:

  1. So that we are not surprised by the development
    We have seen that the letter of Jude is predominantly prophetic in content. It describes a development that, from Jude's perspective, was still largely the future but has already clearly become a reality for us today. Should we be surprised by the conditions within the Christian testimony today? No, God has told us in advance what would happen and what will happen. Even in the Old Testament, God told His people: “I have declared the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done” (Isaiah 46:10). God does not want us to be surprised and therefore unsettled.
  2. So that we are vigilant
    The development described in the letter of Jude should be a further reason for us to be vigilant. We are living in the night of the rejection of our Lord, in a time in which His rights are not recognized. It is, therefore, more than necessary to be spiritually alert. Paul writes to the Thessalonians: “For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:5-6).
  3. So that we may stand up for the things of the faith
    In verse 3, we are called upon to fight for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Christian truth is being attacked more and more openly. Biblical values are increasingly coming under pressure. At such a time, it is necessary to stand up for the truth and defend it. God does not want passive Christians on this earth who adapt to the spirit of the times but people who are completely on His side and fight for the truth.
  4. That we may conduct ourselves in a holy manner and live godly lives
    This exhortation is taken from the second letter of Peter (2 Peter 3:11). There is a danger that, in view of the wicked activities of ungodly people around us, we no longer take our behavior so seriously. The opposite should be the case. It is God's will that we live in holiness and godliness, i.e., that we go our way to the glory of God and find our full satisfaction in Him.
  5. So that we will not be carried away by the delusion of the wicked
    This reference also comes from the second letter of Peter (2 Peter 3:17). The danger is not only that we no longer take our walk so seriously but also that we become infected by the actions of the ungodly people around us. The consequence would be that we fall from our own steadfastness, i.e., lose the foundation under our feet. But God does not want that under any circumstances. This is also why Jude's letter was given to us.
  6. So that we can see the sources of help that God gives us in difficult days
    The letter of Jude is full of such sources of help in its introduction and conclusion. God does not leave us alone. He gives us His help. These are sources that we can grasp ourselves but which are completely outside of us. As worrying as the developments around us may be, we have the opportunity to go our way unscathed.
  7. So that we can rely on Him who alone is able to keep us safe
    The circumstances described in the letter of Jude should help to bring us closer to our Lord and God. We do not stop at our preoccupation with evil or our own responsibility. We must keep our eyes fixed on the One who is able to “keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). We may have these goals before us as we read this letter. Then, we will derive the right benefit from studying these verses. May these thoughts encourage us to do so.

 

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