An Overview of Jude

Yesterday at Yorkshire Training we looked at an Overview of Jude. Here are the notes I used for the talk:
Author: 

• Refers to himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James (1)
• James is the leader of the church and Jesus half brother, therefore Jude is Jesus brother (Mark 6:3) 

Date:

• False teaching Jude writes to contend against is quite developed 
• Probably 65-80AD 

Destination:

• Probably written to Jewish Christians, given reference to Assumption of Moses and the Apocalypse of Enoch 
• Is written to deal with specific problems in a specific context 
• But there is no evidence to where 
• False teachers have entered the church and are living immoral lives 
• Problem is ethical 
• Letter is a prophetic denunciation 

Theme:

• God keeps and protects his people and will bring them home, but we must defend ourselves and others. 
• Jude has a lot of similarities with 2 Peter
• 'God's keeping' features and is repeated, it calls them to keep in turn. 
• 'ungodliness' is the mark of false teachers 
• 'immorality' also features repeatedly as the outworking of perverting the gospel

Outline of Jude 1-2 Greetings
3-4 The Church in Peril 

5-7 Warnings Given
8-11 Warnings Applied
14-16 Prophecy fulfilled
17-19 Recognising the signs
20-23 Contending for the Faith
24-25 To the God who can keep you

Greetings (1-2) 

• Jude sees himself as a servant of Christ. Doesn’t mention rel, just another servant of the one who matters. 
• Notice how Jude describes those who he writes to. 
• God is the active one in the description “have been called, are loved and kept…” 
• This is a letter to a church with false teachers in their midst. 
• Begins with encouragement: God is active and he is faithful. 
• (2) He writes so that they know Mercy, peace and love in abundance. 

The Church in Danger (3-4)

• Are two letters mentioned here, 1 he wanted to write and the 1 he was compelled to write 
• He had intended to write about the salvation that is theirs. 
• But having heard something that concerns him his is compelled by his love and concern for them to write this letter 
• But he has to write to urge them to contend, to continue to fight, to stand up for – that word implies an ongoing wrestling match. 
• “the faith that the Lord has once for all entrusted to us…” 
• “the faith” is the simply Christian truths, “once for all” it is historical not to be added to, “entrusted” – from God through the apostles to them to be passed on as it is. 
• He still writes about salvation but this is a letter for a church in peril. 
• The gospel is unchangeable, it is historic, changing it destroys it 
• Why does he have to contend for it because it is under threat 
• Why under threat? Because (4) of false teachers whose teaching perverts the grace of God into licence – ‘unrestrained vice’ (c/f v8 – pollute own bodies – sexual sin in 1 Cor) 
• These false teachers are saying God has forgiven so you are free to live as you like. 
• They are denying Jesus by their actions 
• Just notice some features of this false teaching – it is not blatantly obvious “secretly slipped in”, it is ungodly, it is sensual, it is heretical, it was predicted. 
• Jude uses the word “despot”, Sovereign, to describe Jesus. 
• Error is that their living and theology are wrong; Luther said they “consider not him as their Lord but themselves as their own Lord.” 

Warnings Given (5-7) 

• #1 - (5) God saved Israel from Egypt but judged those who did not believe. God lavished his grace on them but Numbers 13-14 their refusal to believe leads to judgement. That refusal was seen in their actions. 
• #2 – (6) Could be ref to fall of Angels who rebelled against God as seen in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 or Gen 6:1-3 when unsatisfied with role God gave them they intermarried with humans. Either way rebellion seen in action led to judgement. They didn’t keep but God has kept them. 
• #3 – (7) Gen 18:1-19:29 – Emphasis here is on the sexual sin, in this instance homosexual gang rape. Judgement of those towns is to be an example and warning. 
• God’s judgement is certain and not to be treated lightly. All rebellion will be punished. 

Warnings Applied (8-11)

• (8) Gives us more detail about false teachers and their sin. Sexual immorality, rejecting authority (related word to Lord v4) of Bible, abuse celestial beings. 
• “abuse celestial beings” – It may be they were denying their existence, but probably rejecting law which tradition says was given to Moses by angels and saw angels as its guardians. (5 – would link back to ref to Israel) 
• “Dreamers” – in OT dreamer claimed to have a message from God (Deut 2:1, Joel2:28, Acts 2:16-17, Deut 13:1-5, Is 56:10…) 
• Possibly these dreamers are claiming God gives them a new revelation/explanation in contrast to v3 the faith – Jude’s point is that this will lead to judgement 
• NB: Jude’s use of extra Biblical material causes some people probs, it was an area for debate over its inclusion in the canon. But he is not alone, in OT are ref to records of Nathan the Prophet, Gad the Seer, and the annals of the kings of Isr and Judah. In NT Paul quotes pagan Greek writers (2 Tim 3:8, Acts 17:28, 1 Cor 15:33, Titus 1:12), even calls Cretan poet a ‘prophet’. [For more info see BST] 
• (9) Over time the story of God digging Moses grave (Deut 34:5-6) was elaborated into a story found in the Assumption of Moses. 
• Zechariah 3 gives us a similar story with high priest and Satan acting as accuser. 
• Here Satan the accuser contends with Michael for Moses body (one trad has Satan wanting to use it as a snare to Isr) charging Moses with murder. Michaels response is to appeal to God’s judgement. 
• Phrase “bring a slanderous accusation” is a legal phrase meaning ‘ to pass judgement on or decide on slander’. 
• Even Michael is not autonomous, he is not above the law and God who gave it therefore he will not dare to pass judgement unlike these dreamers. 
• Only God can declare us innocent through the death of his Son. 
• (10) These dreamers do not understand, they are dangerously ignorant. And they dismiss or attack what they cannot understand. 
• What they do understand is their appetites and they seek to fulfil them which is what will see them judged. 
• (11) Gives three more OT warnings 
• #1 – way of Cain – knowingly and deliberately infringed God’s warning (Gen 4:6-7). He refuses to submit to God’s word. 
• #2 – error of Balaam – He takes Cain’s error to the next level, not just rebelling but causing others to do so (Num 31:16) even after his earlier experiences of God’s grace and hearing Gods word. 
• #3 - Destroyed in Korah’s rebellion (Num 16) – Korah challenged Moses, and in so doing rebelled against God, the result is judgement from God as the earth swallows them. Jude actually makes these false teachers participants in Korah’s rebellion and judgement. 
• The sequence of 3 OT warnings climaxes in phrase they were destroyed 
• That is the warning, notice progression: way, error, rebellion. taken, rushed. Destroyed. 
• (12-13) Jude gives 6 graphic descriptions of what is happening in the church to whom he writes, that is every bit as rebellious as those 3 examples he has mentioned. 
• They are a danger (blemishes) 
• Why? Each of images is about something that is unproductive, that does not do what it should. Greedy shepherd, empty clouds, barren trees – are not teaching God’s ppl or his word. They are wild waves – not just barren but dangerous, wandering stars – stars used for guidance as fixed, but not these teachers they could/should not be guides. 
• And Judgement is reserved for them – it has their name on. 

Prophecy fulfilled (14-16)

• As with previous quote Jude is referring to something Jews of the day would have read. 
• 1 Enoch heavily influenced by OT; explained Gen 1-6, contains parables on judgment and last days, what will happen at the end. 
• It was part of normal Jewish Christian intellectual background. 
• Jude adapts this material, moulding it in the light of what the OT teaches. 
• The quotation is moulded particularly by Deut 33:2-4 – with God coming to judge with his holy ones, and Isaiah 66:15-16 – God coming to judge the ungodly. 
• Though Jude also draws on Isa 40:4, Jer 25:31, Mic 1:3-4, Hab 3:3-9 and Zech 14:5 to mould 1 Enoch. 
• NB: Jude uses such quotations differently from say those from the apostles – which he does not reframe in light of OT. 
• Prophecy is a warning of judgment that will come on “all” and “everyone” and on the “ungodly” (c/f v4) – standard they will be judged on is whether they live knowing God or rebelling against him. 
• Characterises the false teachers as ‘grumblers’ – Num 14:26-29 – they incurred God’s judgement for their grumbling 
• “fault finders” – or malcontents those who look at the world and long to return to it. 
• They are led by their appetites (c/f v10) they are their own masters/lords. 
• Boast of themselves – they are spiritual, they have knowledge and understanding. 
• Flatter others for own advantage – they do not teach what God wants but what men want to hear (those who pay them?) 

Recognise the signs (17-19)

• Jude calls on readers to remember what the apostles taught 
• Not one partic. warning but “said” = were in the habit of saying 
• last times – Luke 4:18-19 Jesus says last times have begun with his coming until he comes again. 
• In the last times scoffers will come – God knew, God warned, he is not threatened. 
• “ungodly” features again – it is the stand out characteristic of false teachers here they do not live in accord with God’s teaching. 
• They divide – they are still at love feasts so is not a split but a faction (c/f Korah v11). 
• An elitest group? 
• They do not have the spirit – despite their claims to dreams (8). Because they live by natural appetites and causes divisions they are not marks or fruits of the spirit. 

Contend for the faith (20-23) 

• “But” sets up a contrast – that is what the false teacher are like but you are to be different. Don’t be like that be like this, don’t do that do this 
• Is an explanation of how to contend (3) and are the climax of the letter! 
• Are to be building one another up (contrast – follow own ungodly desires, divisive) 
• On the basis, not of dreams and vision but, of “most holy faith” (c/f v3) 
• Praying in the Holy Spirit – means in the control of or under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – contrast (19) false teachers who do not possess the Spirit. 
• “keep yourselves in the love of God…” – Gods love requires an appropriate response – obedience. Note this is the flip side of v1 and 24 where it is God who keeps us. 
• “as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ…” – living expectantly. 
• Notice Trinitarian nature. 
• But it also reflects on how in contending they should treat others within the church who are being influenced and affected by false teaching. 
• “those who doubt” - who are being persuaded to question – you are to respond patiently to them, to treat them with mercy not to judge and condemn. 
• “save others by snatching them from the fire” they have gone further, playing with fire. 
• Is a ref to Zech 3:1-2 where Joshua the High Priest has been saved from exile, God’s judgement. it is not to late for these people to turn repent and be saved. 
• “to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh”. Mercy because we long for them to be saved. 
• Why fear? because judgement hangs over them and because of the danger they pose. 
• “clothes stained…” Prob. an allusion to Zech 3:3-4 where Joshua is clothed in filthy garments – clothes soiled by the body. Are to be merciful yet abhor sin (will deal with sin not be soft on it). 
• Joshua’s filthy garments were removed and replaced by clean ones as God forgave. Forgiveness is still possible. 
• Jude combines abhorance for sin and strong belief in God’s judgement with a Christian concern for the salvation of sinners. 

To the God who can keep you (24-25)

• (24) Jude ends as he began with the God who can keep you, who can present you faultless, to the only means of salvation. 
• He prays God would preserve believers in midst of threat and bring them to eternal destiny 
• They are to contend as God keeps. 
• To a struggling church they need such a reminder of the God they serve. 
• God has saved us in Christ (25) and the glory, majesty, power and authority are his for all eternity. 

Why Study Jude?

• Warning about false teaching is apt
• Theology affects morality
• We live in an age when the implications of Christian living are being undermined
• We need the assurance that God who is sovereign loves and calls us will keep us even when we come across false teaching
• And the guidance on how to rescue and restore those led astray