The book of Jude, like all the books of the New Testament, is inspired by God and is the product of many individuals working together to write it. It is anonymous but attributed to Jude because he was the only one who knew this author personally. It is also called The Epistle of Jude because it is addressed to the people in Judea who were followers of Jesus Christ, so it may be considered an epistle (a more formal letter).
The Book of Jude is a letter discovered in the late 19th century on papyrus that dates from around 100–150 AD and was written by a believer whose name was Judas or Jude while they were both in the second Temple era. The book of Jude was first published in 1886 by Wilson and this edition is now considered the official version.
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Spiritual Meaning of Jude
Jude introduces himself as “a bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James” (Jude 1:1). It is strongly believed that this Jude was the half-brother of Jesus Christ.
“At the time when Jesus visited His own town Nazareth and preached in their synagogue, the people were offended at Him. They said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” (Matthew 13:54-56, Mark 6:1-3)
We see Jude, Jesus’ half-brother being introduced in these verses where Jesus is being rejected and down-played by His neighbors and townsmen (his name was often shortened by English translations in order to disassociate Jude from Judas Iscariot, the betrayer).
Even Jesus’ own brothers rejected His authority. At another time during His ministry, Jesus was walking in Galilee to avoid Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him. But his brothers insisted that He go to Judea so that His disciples and the world might see His works, yet Scripture says, “For even His brothers did not believe in Him” (John 7:5). Can you see how strong their unbelief was? They were possibly blinded by jealousy that their step-brother received all the attention.
You can see how, for Jude, it was a huge leap from the gospels to the epistle of Jude where he introduces himself as a “bondservant of Jesus Christ.” Somewhere along the line, Jude’s eyes were opened. He recognized the Messiah in his brother. Jesus Christ’s resurrection sealed his belief. (1 Corinthians 15:7) He was changed forever. Jude is now humbled that he stoops himself to the position of a bondservant.
Who Did Jude Write to?
“To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:1)
Jude makes a lot of references to the Old Testament. He reminds his audience of the Exodus, the fall of the Angels, and the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 1:5-7). He also refers to other Jewish literature outside the canon of the Bible in verses 9 and 14. With the inclusion of these references, the audience are more likely to be familiar with the Old Testament and other Jewish Literature. So the recipients were most probably Jewish converts to Christianity.
Why Did Jude Write?
Jude clearly defines the purpose of the book in the opening lines.
“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 was once for all delivered to the saints.”(Jude 1:3)
Jude originally intended to talk to them about salvation, but due to the onset of false teachers amidst the church, he felt a pressing need to talk to them about the faith that was delivered to them and how to maintain their life in the truth.
Verse 1:3 says that Jude was exhorting them and contending earnestly with them, meaning he was strongly encouraging and at the same time insistent with them. He takes a rather passionate yet compulsive tone with the audience in this book. Jude’s approach in defending God’s word and faith is similar to that of Nehemiah’s workmen, who used one hand for the construction of the wall and the other hand to hold weapons to defend the wall from the enemies. Their zeal was palpable because “this work is great and extensive” (Nehemiah 4:19). And so is Jude’s passion for the word of God and his faith.
Jude Teaches Us to Distinguish Truth from Lies
“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 and our Lord Jesus Christ.”(Jude 1:4)
In these lines, Jude warns them about ungodly men who have made their way among God’s people rather casually and unnoticed. The term “unnoticed” calls for our attention and careful discernment. We need to be able to rightly divine the word of God and His truth so that we can distinguish it from the lies of ungodly men.
Jude 1:4 points out two tactics ungodly men act on:
They turn the grace of God (which is salvation) into lewdness.
They deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thankfully, God’s word addresses these attacks, and it will serve us well to learn these defenses and integrate them into our lives, so we can stand firm against the enemy and his lies.
First, salvation comes from the Lord. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are saved for good works and not by them. If it were up to our works, we would never be able to match His expectations. Graciously, God sent His son to die in our stead, so that by His grace, we can be made whole.
However, as Jude explains, certain men took this as an excuse and a license to live immoral lives. If God can forgive all our sins, and all we need is His grace to be free, why not keep repeating this sinful cycle? But as the apostle John points out in 1 John 2, we have an advocate who pleads for our case before the Father if and when we sin. But John also tells us, ever so pleadingly, that he writes these words so that we don’t take it as an excuse to keep sinning.
Second, we must acknowledge the person of Jesus Christ as Lord. Peter, in his sermon after Jesus’ resurrection, says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Denying the Lordship of Jesus Christ is a sin. In fact, acknowledging Jesus’ lordship is a prerequisite for our salvation.
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9 NIV)
Jude’s Warning Brings Us Back to God’s Grace
Jude opens the book by recognizing his position as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Right there we see his transformation from a doubter to a believer, from an envious person to a humble professor of truth. He set out to write this epistle with his zeal for the Lord, gently reminding the believers of God’s original grace.
This book is a great reminder for us to get back to the basics of our salvation. It encourages us to not let the myriad of doubts and lies derail us from the one true gospel. I hope as you read through Jude, you will understand even more the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the price He paid for our salvation.
what is the main theme of the book of jude
I love a good hike. There’s nothing quite like breathing in the fresh air, feeling the sun on your face, hearing the steady rhythm of your feet, God’s green earth beneath you.
The joy of the first step is almost as exuberant as the joy in the final step. As the hike nears its end, there is a different kind of joy in the heart. Our legs now weary, our lungs now heaving, the end point takes on new glory. We are almost home and though we plod along more slowly, our eyes are lit with the sight of the finish line up ahead.
The End of Our Journey of Faith
Our journey of faith in Christ can take a similar feel. We have such joy when we first begin, overwhelmed at the love and grace of Christ. We travel up and down hills and valleys, with delights and downfalls along the way.
Each day of life, we are one day closer to our final day on this earth. Whether we breathe our last breath or whether Christ returns, the end is drawing near.
Messages for the End – Finish Strong
There are important messages to hear as we approach the end.
God has provided one such message in the book of Jude. The second to last book of the Bible, the book just before Revelation. Just before the end. Its placement in the Bible and its unique warnings and encouragement for end times believers are fitting.
As we gaze out upon a culture that has turned farther and farther from the truth of God’s Word…
As we witness more churches, pastors and believers lay down their Bibles and take up the world’s teachings…
As we grieve the many Christian leaders who have turned from their high calling in Christ, to instead teach or seek sexual sins to please themselves…
We see how desperately we need the message God provided through Jude, so that we can finish strong.
Here are 5 lessons from the Book of Jude
1.Contend for the faith.
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 1:2-4 (ESV)
Contend for the faith: both in your heart and in your actions.
Our faith is more than mere mental assent. There is grave danger in defining faith as an intellectual pursuit. Faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26)
We must cling to the gospel. We are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. We are not saved by our own merits or good works. (Romans 10:9)
However, a transformed-heart is demonstrated by a transformed-life. Not perfect, but humbled, surrendered and growing toward the image of Christ. (Romans 12:1-2)
Our faith is authenticated when we desire to live in obedience to Christ’s commands, even in areas of sexual morality. (1 Peter 1:14-16) The bloody grace of Christ which covers my sin and yours, is not a license to sin even more. If that is our mindset, one can only wonder, have we really met Jesus? How we live matters. (John 14:15)
Verse By Verse Study of Jude
Following after Jesus is not a cakewalk. (Matthew 16:24-25) We must count the cost. But you can be sure, Jesus is worth it.
2.Remain faithful to Christ day by day.
Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Jude 1:5-7
Remain faithful to Christ day by day.
Past beliefs, past positions, and past protection of God cannot be assumed if we oppose Him in the present. Additionally, the lesson in this text is that actions reveal a person’s level of faith in God.
If we now reject Jesus in our hearts, demonstrated by our rebellious choices, how can He welcome us into His kingdom? We cannot be with Christ if we refuse Him. Jesus will not force Himself on anyone.
There is always forgiveness for those who have fallen, who then repent and return to Christ. Jesus is always waiting with open arms. Jesus is always calling us to come back home. However, we must be willing to reach for Him and receive the forgiveness and salvation of Christ.
May we cling to Christ and finish strong!
3.Be ready for scoffers.
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. Jude 1:17-19
Be ready for scoffers and false teachers, IN YOUR MIDST.
Jesus warned us repeatedly, in the last days, there will be those who mock Christians. False teachers who twist God’s Word will be rampant. The tactic that Satan used in the Garden of Eden, “Did God really say……?” is alive and well.
God’s Word will stand forever, long after every fleeting opinion of mankind has fallen. Let’s anchor ourselves to Christ and His Word, the Bible.
There are many today who are asking God to bow His knee to human opinions, instead of us bowing the knee to God’s eternal truth.
May we hunger and thirst for the Word of life, God’s Word, the Bible. His Word nourishes and feeds our soul with God’s unchanging truth. God spoke this whole universe and our very frames into existence. Is it any wonder we need His Word to survive?
4.Build yourself up in faith and love of Christ.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 1:20-21
Build yourselves up in the faith and love of Christ.
As Satan stirs up more division, animosity and hatred between people, may we return to Christ again and again, prayerfully looking at our Savior on the cross. As we pray in the Holy Spirit, may our hearts be melted at the mercy and love poured out for us through His blood, that we may be loving and merciful to those we meet.
5.Snatch others from the fire.
And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Jude 1:22-23
Snatch others from the fire.
Whenever possible, speak the truth in love to all who are willing to hear and turn to Christ. Pray for them and never stop praying. May we remember above all, that earthly blessings are temporal. Eternal blessings are forever. May we keep an eternal mindset in these days we have left.
Closing Blessing
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25