Peace & Blessings Beloved,
TGBTG for allowing us to see another day. I pray all is well with you and yours, and that your week has been fruitful & blessed thus far.
Today we are going to visit our Getting to Know the Bible Series. In this series, our goal is to come to a comprehensive understanding of each book of the bible. At this point of the series we're going to focus on Jude. But before we get to Jude 1, I want to ensure we have a baseline understanding of the book of Jude. This way we can have a full appreciation for the exquisiteness of the entire book, as well as each individual chapter.
And so, in that spirit, see below for a comprehensive overview of the book of Jude, as we prepare to behold and discern Jude, beginning with Jude 1 in our next installment of this series.
Book Type: General letter, also known as a catholic epistle. Twenty-sixth book of the New Testament, and the sixty-fifth book of the Bible.
Author: Jude, the brother of James; likely the half-brother of Jesus
Date of Writing: ~A.D. 65-80
Audience: Believers (Jew/Gentile)
Theme: Warning (False Teachers & Ungodly Doctrine)
Original Language: Greek
Genre: Letter
Purpose of Writing: The letter of Jude warns against those who, having gained admission to the church, were perverting the grace of God, denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (v. 4). Jude used Old Testament examples to warn of these blemishes on the church. He wrote multiple denunciations of these ungodly people who defile the flesh and reject authority (v. 8). He urged Christians to continue in godliness and love toward such people, in some cases reasoning with them, in other cases snatching them out of the fire (v. 23). Jude closes with one of the most beautiful doxologies in all of Scripture (v. 24-25). Jude was the brother of James (probably James the Lord's brother, Gal. 1:19).
Summary: Jude was anxious to write about our salvation; however, he changed topics to address contending for the faith. This faith embodies the complete body of Christian doctrine taught by Christ, later passed on to the apostles. After Jude warns of false teachers (verses 4-16), he advises us on how we can succeed in spiritual warfare (verses 20-21). Here is wisdom we would do well to accept and adhere to as we go through these days of the end times.
Overview: Jude's letter is short; this is one of five single-chapter texts contained in the canon of Scripture.
Jude's emphasis is on the dangers posed by false teachings. The concern is not merely about competing religious ideas. Rather, Jude warns of those who claim to be Christian believers, yet teach doctrines contradictory to the truth. Such persons are a danger to the church's spiritual health, as they promote selfishness, sinfulness, and division.
What's rebuked in this letter sounds very much like Gnosticism: an early heresy which many early church fathers would confront in their own writings.
Application: As believers we must be on guard against false doctrines. In order to effectively accomplish this we must know the word of YHWH well.
Key Verses (ESV):
Jude 1:3: 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.
Jude 1:17-18: 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.
Jude 1:22-23: 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.
*Note: : Jude is written to a general audience, rather than to a specific congregation or person. According to the text itself, concern over apostasy changed the writer's intent. Rather than writing about common salvation, he felt led to warn fellow believers about false teachers and ungodly doctrines. The reliance on references to Old Testament ideas suggests that Jude wrote to Jewish Christians, or to well-informed Gentile believers.
I pray you receive this with the love intended, and apply it to wisdom.
May the joy of the Lord continue to be your strength.
Love you much.
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Blessed!
-Humble Servant
P.S- If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, I implore you to take the time to do so right now. Use John 3:16 & Romans 10:9-10 as a foundation for making your confession of faith. And use Ephesians 2:1-10 to provide proper context for your salvation.