Jude

Introduction

The Letter of Jude is a brief but fiery pastoral warning written by Jude, who identifies himself as "a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James" (Jude 1:1). This is traditionally and commonly identified as Judas (Jude), the half-brother of Jesus mentioned in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3, though the identification is not universally accepted -- whose brother James became the leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:13, Galatians 1:19). Like James, Jude humbly identifies himself not by his family relationship to Jesus but as his servant. The letter is addressed broadly to "those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ," suggesting a general audience of Jewish and Gentile Christians, though the heavy use of Old Testament examples and Jewish traditions may point toward congregations with a significant Jewish-Christian presence. Most scholars date the letter between AD 65 and 80, though some place it earlier. The striking parallels between Jude and 2 Peter 2:1-22 have long been noted; the majority view is that 2 Peter drew upon Jude, though the reverse relationship and a common source have also been proposed.

Jude states that he had originally intended to write about the salvation they shared, but felt compelled instead to urge his readers to "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3). The occasion was the infiltration of the church by certain individuals who perverted the grace of God into a license for immorality and denied the lordship of Jesus Christ. Jude responds with a cascade of Old Testament and extra-biblical examples of divine judgment — the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness (Numbers 14:29-30), the fallen angels (Genesis 6:1-4), and Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25) — as well as the cautionary figures of Cain, Balaam, and Korah. Notably, Jude draws on Jewish traditions beyond the canonical Old Testament, apparently quoting from 1 Enoch (Jude 1:14-15) and possibly alluding to the Assumption of Moses in the dispute between Michael and the devil over Moses' body (Jude 1:9). This use of extra-biblical literature does not imply that Jude regarded these works as canonical Scripture, but rather that he employed well-known traditions to make his point to an audience familiar with them. The letter concludes with one of the most magnificent doxologies in the New Testament (Jude 1:24-25), shifting from stern warning to soaring praise of the God who is able to keep believers from stumbling and present them blameless before his glory with great joy.

Structure

Greeting (vv. 1-2)

Jude identifies himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, addressing those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ, with a prayer for mercy, peace, and love.

Purpose: Contend for the Faith (vv. 3-4)

Jude explains that he felt compelled to write urgently, warning that certain ungodly people have secretly crept into the church, perverting God's grace into immorality and denying the Lord Jesus Christ.

Three Examples of Divine Judgment (vv. 5-7)

Jude recalls three Old Testament precedents of God's judgment against unfaithfulness: the Israelites who were delivered from Egypt but later destroyed for unbelief, the angels who abandoned their proper dwelling, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah that gave themselves over to sexual immorality.

The Arrogance of the False Teachers (vv. 8-10)

Jude contrasts the false teachers — who defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander celestial beings — with the archangel Michael, who did not presume to pronounce a slanderous judgment against the devil but said, "The Lord rebuke you."

Three More Old Testament Warnings: Cain, Balaam, and Korah (vv. 11-13)

Jude pronounces woe on the false teachers, comparing them to Cain's murderous path, Balaam's greed for profit, and Korah's rebellion against God's appointed authority, and describes them through a series of vivid nature metaphors — waterless clouds, fruitless trees, wild waves, and wandering stars.

The Prophecy of Enoch (vv. 14-16)

Jude cites a prophecy attributed to Enoch, the seventh from Adam, declaring that the Lord will come with tens of thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on the ungodly, and he characterizes the false teachers as grumblers and flatterers who follow their own sinful desires.

Apostolic Warning and Pastoral Counsel (vv. 17-23)

Jude reminds his readers that the apostles had predicted the coming of scoffers in the last times, and he urges the faithful to build themselves up in their holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep themselves in God's love, and show discerning mercy to those who are wavering or endangered.

Doxology (vv. 24-25)

Jude closes with a majestic doxology praising God who is able to keep believers from stumbling and to present them blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ascribing glory, majesty, dominion, and authority to the only God and Savior through Jesus Christ.

Chapter Summaries

1. 1Jude urgently warns against false teachers who have infiltrated the church, illustrates God's certain judgment through Old Testament examples and extra-biblical traditions, exhorts believers to contend for the faith by building themselves up in love and holiness, and closes with a magnificent doxology to the God who is able to keep them from stumbling.