Judas 1
Kenneth Wuest · Citado em PreceptAustin
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - Yet Michael, the archangel, when disputing with the devil, arguing concerning the body of Moses, dared not bring a sentence that would impugn his dignity, but said, May the Lord rebuke you. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) NET - But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses' body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, "May the Lord rebuke you!" COMPARISON OF THE BEHAVIOR OF MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL VERSUS THE APOSTATES The thrust of Jude 1:8-10 is to compare the behavior of the apostate's with the archangel Michael. In verse 8 the apostates "speak contemptuously and spitefully against authority, whether it be divine, angelic, or human. In this respect they take liberties which even Michael the archangel would reject." (MacDonald) And now in verse 9, we see that even the powerful angel Michael (powerful enough to cast Satan out of heaven! Rev 12:7,8,9+) left it in God's hands to pronounce judgment on another angel, rather than do it himself. Michael would not take the law into his own hands as the apostate false teachers were doing. At the outset, it should be understood that verse 9 is difficult, in part because this incident is recorded no where else in Scripture. We can however be assured that whatever the source, the ultimate Source was the Holy Spirit Who inspired Jude to write this epistle. It follows then that this incident between Michael and Satan arguing over Moses' body is true! God said it. That settles it, regardless of whether we understand it or not! The venerable prince of preachers C H
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - But these on the one hand revile as many things concerning which they do not have absolute knowledge, and on the other hand as many things, by instinct, like the unreasoning animals, which they understand, by these they are being brought to ruin. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) NET - But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively comprehend. ANIMALISTIC IGNORANT REVILERS But - Another term of contrast - "What is the Jude contrasting?" "“But these” (houtoi de) again centers the attention on the conduct of these arrogant sensualists." (Hiebert) How doest this verse compare to 2Peter 2:12? They continuously (present tense) revile, slander and rail against that which they are have no knowledge. They have no more knowledge than the brute beasts and make a lot of noise about things they know nothing about! "They speak contemptuously of these spiritual realities because they do not personally “know” them; these realities are beyond their ability to perceive and comprehend mentally. Lacking the Spirit (Jude 1:19), they are spiritually blind to spiritual realities (cf. 1Cor. 2:7-14)… Their verbal reaction is a revelation of their inner nature. (Hiebert) Revile (blasphemeo) the things which they do not understand (eido) - What things?
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest on called - Kletos is placed at the end of the sentence for emphasis. It is an adjective used to describe those who were called in the sense of being invited, for instance, to a banquet. The word here speaks of that effectual call of God whereby the sinner called to salvation is constituted willing to receive that which he by nature rejects, namely, salvation, this being the pre-salvation work of the Holy Spirit in which He brings the sinner to the place of repentance and the act of faith in the Lord Jesus as Saviour. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission)
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest on beloved - The participle is in the perfect tense, speaking of a past complete act having present, and in a context like this, permanent results. The distinctive word for "love" here is the word for God's self-sacrificial love which was shown at Calvary. This love here is the outgoing of God's love for the saints in which He gives of Himself for their good. He will do anything within His good will for the saints. He went all the way to Calvary for them when they were unlovely and naturally unlovable. He will do as much and more for His saints who in Christ are looked upon by God the Father with all the love with which He loves His Son. The perfect tense speaks of the fact that the saints are the permanent objects of God's love. Jude is therefore writing to those who have been loved by God the Father with the present result that they are in a state of being the objects of His permanent love, and that love extends not merely through the brief span of this life, but throughout eternity. And then some dear children of God fear that they might be lost. (Bolding added) (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Agapetos describes the love of another, this love being called out of the "giver's" heart by preciousness of the recipient of the love (the "beloved'). Agapetos is used only of Christians as united (by covenant, the New Covenant) with God and/or with each other in love. Beloved is a term of endearment and is someone that you love, and someone you are deeply devoted to. In the context of the New Testament agape love speaks of God’s divine and infinite love, a love that seeks the ultimate spiritual welfare of the one loved. Agapetos could be translated “divinely loved ones.” Jude mentions that his readers are beloved three times (Jude 1:1, Jude 1:17+, Jude 1:20+) and in Jude 1:2 prays for God's love to be "multiplied to" them! Clearly Jude wants these believers' to know their standing with God - Beloved! And this applies to you dear reader if you have placed your faith in Christ Jesus.
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - Divinely-loved ones, when giving all diligence to be writing to you concerning the salvation possessed in common by all of us, I had constraint laid upon me to write to you, beseeching (you) to contend with intensity and determination for the Faith once for all entrusted into the safe-keeping of the saints. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) when = Ro 15:15,16; Gal 6:11; Heb 13:22; 1Pe 5:12; 2Pe 1:12-15; 3:1 common = Isaiah 45:17,22; Acts 4:12; 13:46,47; 28:28; Gal 3:28; Titus 1:4; 2Pe 1:1 that ye = Neh 13:25; Jer 9:3; Acts 6:8-10; 9:22; 17:3; 18:4, 5, 6,28; Php 1:27; 1Th 2:2; 1Ti 1:18; 6:12; 2Ti 1:13; 4:7,8; Rev 2:10; 12:11 which = Dt 9:10; 21:9; Acts 20:27; 1Co 15:3; Gal 2:5; 2Pe 3:2 the saints = Eph 1:1; Php 1:1; Col 1:2 A CALL TO AGONIZE FOR THE GOSPEL Beloved = Occurring at the beginning of an epistle only here and 3 John 2. NIV's translation of "dear friends" loses some of the tenderness of agapetos. NLT is not bad "dearly loved friends", but best of all is being called "beloved." Beloved (27) (agapetos from agapao = to love, agape = unconditional love borne by Spirit - Gal 5:22-) means very much loved. “Divinely-loved ones,” loved by God, God’s beloved ones. Dear to the heart of God! While I was making every effort (spoude) to write (grapho) you about our common (koinos) salvation (soteria) - Making every effort portrays him as earnestly and aggressively occupied with a project that involved his readers. NET NOTE - Grk “while being quite diligent to write to you,” or “while making all haste to write to you.” Two issues are at stake: (1) whether σπουδή (spoudē) here means diligence, eagerness, or haste; (2) whether ποιούμενος γράφειν (poioumenos graphein) is to be taken conatively (“I was about to write”) or progressively (“I was writing”). Without knowing more of the background, it is difficult to tell which option is to be preferred. Effort (4710)(spoude from speudo = hasten, make haste) refers to eagerness, earnestness, willingness or zeal. It denotes quick movement or haste accompanying the eagerness, etc, in the interest of a person or cause. Thus spoude can refer to swiftness of movement or action and means haste or speed (like our expression "in a hurry"). It can refer to an earnest commitment in discharge of an obligation or experience of a relationship. Spoude was often used in Greek and Roman literature and found on inscriptions in reference to extraordinary commitment to civic and religious responsibilities, which were frequently intertwined, and also of concern for personal moral excellence or optimum devotion to the interests of others. Henry Alford - Spoude “implies more than mere earnest desire; a man’s spoude is necessarily action as well as wish. ‘Giving diligence’ seems the exact idea required.” Write (1125) (grapho from root graph- = primarily means to scratch on or engrave as on an ornament, reports, letters, etc; English = graph, graphic, etc) means to engrave or inscribe with a pen or stylus characters or letters on a surface which can be wood, wax, metal, leather, stone, parchment, dirt (John ), paper, etc Common (2839)(koinos) means that which is open to all. Some uses have the sense of inferior, but that is not Jude's intended meaning. He is describing the salvation that genuine believers everywhere share. "The word “common” is koinos, the verbal form being koinoneo, “to become a sharer, a partner.” Thus, the idea is of “a common salvation” possessed in common with others." (Wuest (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) ) Salvation (4991) (soteria) describes rescue or deliverance from danger, destruction, peril. In context soteria is deliverance from slavery to and consequences of sin and to restoration to a former state of safety, health, well being and preservation. If you don’t have a cause that is worth dying for, you very likely don’t have anything worth living for. —Unknown I felt the necessity (anagke) to write (grapho) to you appealing (parakaleo) that you contend earnestly (epagonizomai) for the (definite article = "the") faith (pistis) which was once for all handed down to the saints - CSB = "I found it necessary to write and exhort you." Jude was constrained. NET = I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you." The verb contend earnestly (epagonizomai) is an intensive form (epi) of agonizomai and thus conveys the picture of a heightened degree of struggling, fighting, contending, etc. "The faith here is not faith as exercised by the individual, but Christianity itself in its historic doctrines and life-giving salvation." ( Wuest - Eerdmans Publishing - by permission) NET NOTE - Grk “I had the necessity.” The term anankē, “necessity” often connotes urgency or distress. In this context, Jude is indicating that the more comprehensive treatment about the faith shared between himself and his readers was not nearly as urgent as the letter he found it now necessary to write. Wuest - Jude had originally intended writing a letter containing a positive presentation of the doctrines of the Christian faith. The Holy Spirit laid upon his heart the necessity of writing in defense of the faith. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Jude is like the duty of a watchman given to Ezekiel - At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. “When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. “Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. “Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.” (Ezek 3:16-21) Necessity (318)(anagke from ana = up, again + agcho = to compress, press tight) literally means to compress. It refers to feeling of an necessity, constraint or compulsion. Because of the surreptitious nature of the attack on the believers he is preparing to address, Jude senses a compelling obligation (I would suggest that it is one energized by the Holy Spirit in a Spirit controlled man) to correct the subtle doctrinal errors. Earnestly contend (1864)(epagonizomai from epí = toward + agonizomai = to strive, contend earnestly) with the prefix epi in this context (Jude 1:3), this prefix is used as an intensifier conveying the meaning of a little additional (epi) striving to the already strong agonizomai (agon = contest). Only here in New Testament (hapax legomenon). This word group gives us our English "agony" suggesting pain too intense to be borne! This describes Jude's internal turmoil and consternation upon hearing of the "creepers" in Jude 1:4. Compare our English = agonize = picture of a devoted athlete, competing in the Greek games and stretching his nerves and muscles to do his very best to win. You never fight the Lord’s battles from a rocking chair or a soft bed!
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - The Greek athletes exerted themselves to the point of agony in an effort to win the contest. With such intense effort does Jude say that saints should defend the doctrines of Christianity. Peter, in his first epistle (1Pe 3:15+), tells us how we are to do so. He says that we should “be ready always to give an answer” to the opposition. The words “give an answer” are in the Greek a technical term of the law courts, speaking of the attorney for the defense “presenting a verbal defense” for his client. This is part of the ministry of every pastor. He must guard the flock of God under his charge from the inroads of Modernism by presenting evidences of the divine source of Christianity and the falsity of the modernistic position. The intensity of the defense must be adjusted to the intensity of the opposition which comes from Satan through Modernism. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Guy Woods - These efforts are, it is surely unnecessary to add, of a moral and persuasive nature only; all force of a physical nature being expressly forbidden the faithful. When Peter sought to defend the Lord with a sword he was rebuked for his pains; and in bidding him sheathe it, he forevermore made it clear that his followers are not to fight with carnal weapons in his behalf.” (A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles of Peter, John, and Jude) Cedar says "Jude has two major concerns—that they [his readers] will not be led astray by false teachers. He prays that they will instead take the initiative and contend for the faith.” As Paul warned the elders at Ephesus "Therefore be on the alert, (present imperative = command for continual alertness so as to be able to detect savage wolves) remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears." (Acts 20:31) THOUGHT - How does one "CONTEND EARNESTLY"? See [Titus 1:9, Acts 18:28, 2Ti 2:25, Jer 13:15-17] for some possible ideas on what it means to contend earnestly. Also just about any of the OT prophets are a good picture of those who contended earnestly for OT truth.. Involved is the thought of the expenditure of all one's energy in order to prevail. Here, as often, the verb is used metaphorically to denote a spiritual conflict in which believers are engaged. A CALL FOR DISCERNMENT Scripture repeatedly reminds us that we are in a "life and death" spiritual battle (Eph 6:10-13; 1Th 5:8; 1Ti 6:12; 2Ti 2:4, 4:7), a competition (1Co 9:24,25; 2Ti 2:5) against the forces of evil. Jude later reminds his readers that one fights for the faith not only by opposing false teachers but by prayer, mercy, and love (Jude 1:17-23). In the name of tolerance, many tend to ignore questionable teachings in the modern church. Jude says defending the faith and warning against false teaching can actually be a sign of love for the brethren. John
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - For certain men entered surreptitiously who were of old predicted with reference to this judgment, (men) destitute of reverential awe towards God, putting anarchy in the place of the grace of God, and denying the only absolute Master and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Compare 2Peter 2:1 (see notes) But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. crept = Mt 13:25; Acts 15:24; Gal 2:4; Eph 4:14; 2Ti 3:6; 2Pe 2:1,2 who = Ro 9:21,22; 1Pe 2:8; 2Pe 2:3 ungodly = Jude 1:15; 2Samuel 22:5; Ps 1:1; 1Pe 4:18; 2Pe 2:5,6; 3:7 turning = Ro 6:1,2; Gal 5:13; Titus 2:11,12; Heb 12:15,16; 1Pe 2:16; 2Pe 2:10,18-22 denying = Titus 1:15,16; 2Pe 2:1; 1 John 2:22 only = Ps 62:2; John 17:3; 1Ti 6:15,16; Rev 15:4 The Wolves Blend in with the Sheep For (gar) - Always pause to ponder this strategic term of explanation, asking at least what is the author explaining? (Why? How? What has Jude just stated previously?, et). Wuest - Now Jude gives the reason why the saints should contend for the faith. False teachers crept into the Church. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Hiebert - With for (gar) Jude explains the reason he changed the nature of his communication with them. He informs them that the change was due to the intrusion of "certain men." (BORROW Second Peter and Jude An Expositional Commentary - page 220) Certain persons have crept in unnoticed - Peter warned that men like these were coming (2Pe 2:1). How could false brethren get into true assemblies of the saints? The soldiers had gone to sleep at the post! The spiritual leaders in the churches had grown complacent and careless. This explains why Jude had to “blow the trumpet” to wake them up. Our Lord and His Apostles all warned that false teachers would arise, yet the churches did not heed the warnings. Sad to say, some churches are not heeding the warnings today. They come in secretly, without notice, like a thieves (and their effect would be like that of a thief!!! Loss would occur to those who listened to their lies). Spiritual leaders grow complacent, careless or concerned about nickels and noses had better be warned: danger lurks around the next pew. So Jude was BLOWING THE TRUMPET call to alert the troops of Jehovah. These false brethren would say you are saved by grace so go for the gusto. Live as you please. Anything goes. After all, all you have to do is "confess" it. They promised freedom but it was the kind of freedom that led to terrible bondage (2Pe 2:13-14, 19+). These certain men had slipped in, stealing in undercover, as under the cover of darkness (if the light of God's Truth is dim it makes it easier for them to creep in.) Thus the importance of men and women in the body who are LIGHTS because the light shines into the darkness and the darkness does not overcome the light (Jn 1:5). In fact when exposed to the light of Christ, ''rats'' tend to flee for cover (Jn 3:18) and may even leave completely. The TRUTH exposes The LIE, so once again the critical importance of holding fast to the Word of Life, the Word of Truth. (Titus 1:9) Crept in implies an "inside job," and that these purveyors of error are even now among the brethren. Paul had warned the elders of the church at Ephesus "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30+)
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - There is a Greek word in 2Cor 11:13-15 which admirably describes the methods of the Modernist, who takes after his father, the Devil. It is metaschematizo, translated “transformed”. It refers to the act of an individual changing his outward expression by assuming an expression put on from the outside, an expression that does not come from nor is it representative of what he is in his inner character. Lucifer did that after he struck at God’s throne and became the fallen angel, Satan. As a fallen angel he gave expression to his sin-darkened heart. But he knew that he could not attract the human race that way. He must impersonate God if he expected to be worshipped as God. He therefore assumed an outward expression of light, put on from the outside and not representative of his inner sinful being. He disguised himself as an angel of light. His ministers, (servants), Modernistic preachers, have done the same (v. 15). Using evangelical terms such as “salvation, faith, regeneration, atonement, resurrection,” they put their own private meanings upon them (which negate the orthodox view), and pose as orthodox exponents of Christianity. Reader, do not trust a Modernist any farther than you would a rattlesnake. A rattlesnake will give you warning before it strikes, but not a Modernist. The eternal welfare of your soul depends upon what you believe regarding the person and work of our Lord on the Cross. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Those who were long beforehand marked out ("Long ago the Scriptures predicted the condemnation they have received." = TEV; men spoken of in ancient writings as pre-destined to this condemnation = WEY) - These false teachers did not surprise God Who wrote beforehand about their coming and their condemnation even before they existed.
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest on arneomai - It is used of followers of Jesus who, for fear of death or persecution, deny that Jesus is their Master, and desert His cause; also of those who deny God and Christ, who by cherishing and disseminating pernicious opinions and immorality, are adjudged to have apostatized from God and Christ (Thayer). (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Master (1203)(despotes; English = despot) means one who possesses undisputed ownership and absolute, unrestricted authority, so that the Greeks refused the title to any but the gods. The despotes was one who has legal control and authority over persons, such as slaves. In the NT despotes and kurios are used interchangeably of God, and of masters of servants. In Greek culture and terminology, servant and despotes went together. The English word despot often congers up a negative image of one who exercises power tyrannically, harshly or abusively, but the Biblical uses do not convey such a connotation. Despotes is one who has legal control and authority over persons, such as subjects or slaves and was used especially as the ruler over a household. Lord (2962)(kurios from kuros = might or power) describes the supreme one, one who is sovereign and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership and uncontested power. Kurios is used of the one (God) to Whom a person or thing belongs, about which He has the power of deciding. The construction our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ in v4 follows Granville Sharp’s rule (see What is the Granville Sharp Rule?). The construction strongly implies the deity of Christ. In sum, note the three reasons listed in this verse that deserve condemnation - ungodliness, licentiousness, and denial that Jesus is Master and Lord. THOUGHT - How are you doing in these three areas, beloved? We all "wrestle" with each of these from time to time and in varying degrees, although clearly these attitudes and actions can never be a genuine believer's continual practice, for if that is the case, there is no evidence that he or she has the indwelling Holy Spirit (Who prompts holy impulses and "pushes against" unholiness), Who is given to all believers at the new birth. Ultimately "We can't (live holy)! He never said WE could. But He can and He always said HE would." ILLUSTRATION OF CREPT IN UNNOTICED - ADRIAN ROGERS - When I was a little boy, on Saturday afternoons, I used to like to go to the movies. It cost about a dime or fifteen cents to get in the matinee. And we liked to see Tarzan. I enjoyed seeing Tarzan, and we watched Tarzan and all of his episodes. There was one time when I would get especially frightful, and worried, and concerned about Tarzan, and that would be when Tarzan would be swimming, and there would be a crocodile on the shore. Do you remember that? And that crocodile would be there, like a log; and then, he’d open those eyes and blink a couple of times. And then, the crocodile would slide off the bank and into the river. And Tarzan would be there, swimming, and the crocodile would not hardly make a ripple but just, very silently, would slip into the river. And I used to think, “Oh, Tarzan, swim faster! He’s going to get you!” Somehow, Tarzan always out-swam the crocodile—obviously. But that was a time of trauma for a little fellow. Now something like that is what Jude is describing here, in the Book of Jude. He talks about the apostasy that is going to come. Now the word apostasy means “to fall away from the faith.” And Jude is warning about the apostasy of the last days. And he tells how apostates get into the Church and into the institutions. (Read full sermon - The Battle for the Bible) To Pray Or Prey - A local official sadly observed, “The place to pray has now become a place to prey—that’s P-R-E-Y.” When Jesus lived on earth, He said to the money changers in the temple, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves’” (Lk. 19:46). And Jude spoke of another kind of thievery. He referred to certain men in the church who had “crept in unnoticed” and were motivated by greed (Jude 1:4). Still today, dishonest and scheming men lurk within the church. They use their positions to prey on the unsuspecting with their false teaching. Jude exhorted believers to be strong in their faith so they could repel these “ungodly men” (Jude 1:4). Leaders who talk but do not teach, Who fail to practice what they preach, Blind leaders of the blind are they, Causing the flock to go astray. —HGB Follow the leader who follows Christ. Abusing Grace? - Paul said in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” But that radical concept opens a theological floodgate. The biblical writer Jude warned that it is possible to “change the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (Jude 4 NIV). Why be good if you know you will be forgiven? Not even an emphasis on repentance erases this danger completely. In Romans 6, Paul spoke directly to the point. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” He gave a short, explosive answer: “Certainly not!” (vv.1-2) and used an analogy that starkly contrasts death and life. “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (v.2). No Christian resurrected to new life should be pining for sin. Yet wickedness does not always seem to have the stench of death about it. Sin can be downright appealing. Paul recognized this, so he advised: “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” and “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (vv.11-12). I am unworthy to take of His grace, Wonderful grace so free; Yet Jesus suffered and died in my place Even for a soul like me. —Roth God does not save us by grace so that we may live in disgrace. —Faber BEWARE! - When Secret Service agents train bank tellers to identify counterfeit bills, they show them both fake money and real money, and they study both. To detect a counterfeit problem, they must look for the differences in the genuine bill compared to the counterfeit—and not the similarities. In 1 John 2, the apostle John helps to protect believers from heresy by showing them examples of counterfeit Christians and teachers. One of the signs of the last days is the coming of antichrists (1 John 2:18). Antichrists are those who claim to have His power and authority but don’t, or those who reject and oppose Him and His teachings. John gave three marks of false teachers who are controlled by the spirit of the antichrists: They depart from the fellowship (v.19), they deny Jesus as the Messiah (v.22), and they draw the faithful away from Jesus (v.26). He encouraged believers to protect themselves against the spirit of the antichrists by depending on the indwelling presence of the Spirit, knowing the truth, and remaining in fellowship with Jesus. Beware: The devil may add a few grains of truth to what is false. Beware! Take heed that you not be deceived. — Luke 21:8 Today's Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 An acquaintance of mine was “taken in” by a smooth-talking salesman who stopped at his place of business. The man displayed some attractive jewelry that he said he had purchased at a tremendous discount. He was especially proud of some very expensive-looking watches that had a well-known name on the dials. My friend was impressed and bought several watches. But after the salesman left, he examined his “bargains” more carefully. He was surprised to discover that the trademark was not that of a famous brand after all. Two letters in the name were different, but the print was so small he hadn’t noticed it before. The watch straps were not genuine leather but “genuine lizard,” and on the back of the cases were the words “Swiss base metal.” O grant us grace, Almighty Lord, To read and mark Your holy Word, Its truths with meekness to receive, And by its holy precepts live. —Beddome Examine all teaching in the light of God's Word. Gotquestions has an excellent article on apostasy What is apostasy and how can I recognize it? | GotQuestions.org as described in Jude and the following is an excerpt... The Characteristics of Apostasy and Apostates Jude was the half-brother of Jesus and a leader in the early church. In his New Testament letter, he outlines how to recognize apostasy and strongly urges those in the body of Christ to contend earnestly for the faith (vs. 3). The Greek word translated “contend earnestly” is a compound verb from which we get the word “agonize.” It is in the present infinitive form, which means that the struggle will be continuous. In other words, Jude is telling us that there will be a constant fight against false teaching and that Christians should take it so seriously that we “agonize” over the fight in which we are engaged. Moreover, Jude makes it clear that every Christian is called to this fight, not just church leaders, so it is critical that all believers sharpen their discernment skills so that they can recognize and prevent apostasy in their midst. After urging his readers to contend earnestly for the faith, Jude highlights the reason: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (vs. 4). In this one verse, Jude provides Christians with three traits of apostasy and apostate teachers. First, Jude says that apostasy can be subtle. Jude uses the word “crept” (found in no other book of the Bible) to describe the apostate’s entry into the church. In extra-biblical Greek, the term describes the cunning craftiness of a lawyer who, through clever argumentation, infiltrates the minds of courtroom officials and corrupts their thinking. The word literally means “slip in sideways; come in stealthily; sneak in; hard to detect.” In other words, Jude says it is rare that apostasy begins in an overt and easily detectable manner. Instead, it looks a lot like Arius’ preaching in which, in a nonchalant manner, only a single letter differentiates his doctrine from the real teaching of the Christian faith. Describing this aspect of apostasy and its underlying danger, A. W. Tozer wrote, "So skilled is error at imitating truth, that the two are constantly being mistaken for each another. It takes a sharp eye these days to know which brother is Cain and which is Abel." The apostle Paul also speaks to the outwardly pleasing behavior of apostates and their teaching when he says, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). In other words, do not look for apostates to appear bad on the outside or speak dramatic words of heresy at the outset of their teaching. Rather than denying truth outright, apostates will twist it to fit their own agenda, but as pastor R. C. Lensky has noted, “The worst forms of wickedness consist in perversions of the truth.” Second, Jude describes the apostates as “ungodly” and as those who use God’s grace as a license to commit unrighteous acts. Beginning with “ungodly,” Jude describes eighteen unflattering traits of apostates so his readers can more easily identify them. Jude says the apostates are ungodly (vs. 4), morally perverted (vs. 4), denying Christ (vs. 4), ones who defile the flesh (vs. 8), rebellious (vs. 8), people who revile angels (vs. 8), who are ignorant about God (vs. 8), those who proclaim false visions (vs. 10), self-destructive (vs. 10), grumblers (vs. 16), fault finders (vs. 16), self-satisfying (vs. 16), people who use arrogant words and false flattery (vs. 16), mockers of God (vs. 18), those who cause divisions (vs. 19), worldly minded (vs. 19), and finally (and not surprisingly), devoid of the Spirit/unsaved (vs. 19). Third, Jude says apostates “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” How do apostates do this? Paul tells us in his letter to Titus, "To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed" (Titus 1:15-16, emphasis added). Through their unrighteous behavior, the apostates show their true selves. Unlike an apostate, a true believer is someone who has been delivered from sin to righteousness in Christ. With Paul, they ask the apostates who promote licentious behavior, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) But the apostates’ false teaching also shows their true nature. Peter says, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1). Another aspect of true believers is that they have been delivered out of spiritual darkness into light (Ephesians 5:8) and therefore will not deny core truths of Scripture like Arius did with the divinity of Jesus. Ultimately, the sign of an apostate is that he eventually falls away and departs from the truth of God’s Word and His righteousness. The apostle John signifies this is a mark of a false believer: “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). (Gotquestions - Apostasy) Jude 1:5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe: hupomnesai (AAN) de humas boulomai (1SPMI) eidotas (RAPMPA) humas panta hoti o kurios apax laon ek ges Aiguptou sosas (AAPMSN) to deuteron toua me pisteusantas (AAPMPA) apolesen. put = Ro 15:15; 2Pe 1:12,13; 3:1 having = 1Co 10:1-12 afterward = Nu 14:22-37; 26:64,65; Dt 2:15,16; Ps 106:26; Heb 3:16, 17, 18, 19; Heb 4:1-2 Click for over 60 versions of this verse. NET Now I desire to remind you (even though you have been fully informed of these facts once for all) that Jesus, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe. NET NOTE: The reading Iēsous, “Jesus” is deemed too hard by several scholars, since it involves the notion of Jesus acting in the early history of the nation Israel. However, not only does this reading enjoy the strongest support from a variety of early witnesses, but the plethora of variants demonstrate that scribes were uncomfortable with it, for they seemed to exchange kurios, “Lord” or theos, “God” for Iēsous (though P72 has the intriguing reading theos Christos, “God Christ“ for Iēsous)… As difficult as the reading Iēsous is, in light of Jude 1:4 and in light of the progress of revelation (Jude being one of the last books in the NT to be composed), it is wholly appropriate.
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - Moreover, after mature consideration, I desire to remind you, (who) know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved the people out of Egypt, then destroyed those who did not believe. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) APOSTATE ISRAEL Hiebert - Having remarked that such men will surely be judged (v. 4), Jude now illustrates the truth that divine judgment upon such flagrant evildoers is no novelty. He cites three historic instances that establish the certainty of the fate that awaits such rebels against God’s established order. God’s revelation of His love and mercy in Christ Jesus will not hinder Him from judging such wicked individuals now. The message which these examples declare is intended to assure and embolden Jude’s harried readers. Kelly suggests that he also intends “to steady the resolution of wobblers” by setting forth the terrible punishment that awaits such individuals. (BORROW Second Peter and Jude An Expositional Commentary - page 228) Now I desire to remind you - Thomas Schreiner refers to this as "The new section begins with a disclosure formula, “I want to remind you,” signifying the beginning of a new section. Disclosure formulas are common in other letters as well (Ro 1:13; 11:25; 1Cor 8:1; 10:1; 12:1; 2Cor 1:8; Gal 1:11; Phil 1:12; 1Th 4:13), and here it functions as the transition to the next section of the letter." (The New American Commentary- 1, 2 Peter, Jude) Wuest - After referring to the occasion of his letter, namely, the presence of apostate teachers in the visible organized church on earth (Jude 1:3, 4), Jude speaks of apostasy in Israel and among the angels, and the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 1:5-7). (Ed: This section closely parallels Peter's descriptions of fallen angels and Sodom and Gomorrah, except that Peter replaces Israel's apostasy with the story of unbelievers in the day of Noah.) (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Desire (1014)(boulomai) refers to a settled desire, one born of or springing from reason and not from emotion. To will, to wish, to will deliberately, to intend, to have a purpose, to be minded. Boulomai expresses the idea of the deliberate and specific exercise of volition (an act of making a choice or decision). Stated another way boulomai conveys the sense of more than simply wanting a desire or wish to be fulfilled. It conveys the stronger sense of choosing one thing over another or of preference of one thing before another. Remind (5279)(hupomimnesko from hupó = under + mimnesko = to remind) means to put another in mind of something, to cause one to remember, bring to one's mind, remind (remind suggests a jogging of one’s memory by an association or similarity). Note that hupomimnesko is first in order in the Greek sentence for emphasis, which means to put one in mind of. In Jn 14:26 Jesus says ultimately the Holy Spirit carries out this function ("He will… bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."). Root word mimnesko gives us our English word memorial. In a sense Jude is exhorting them to recall those memorials of what God had done in their life (the Gospel) and in Biblical history (which he will now review)! THOUGHT - It is a good practice for all of us to make memorials, because the memorials serve as markers of past faithfulness, goodness and grace of God in our life. Remembering these memorials serves to renew and/or revive the way we think and subsequently the way we behave.
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - The instance to which Jude has reference is that of the Jews, after having been convinced by the spies of the truth of God’s assertion that the land of Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey, most productive as proved by the grapes they brought out, yet refused to enter it, not trusting God to give them the land as He said He would do. This was apostasy, sinning with the eyes wide open, and could only be dealt with by the infliction of the death penalty. That generation died a physical death in the wilderness. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Thomas Schreiner - Israel’s apostasy stands as a warning to all those who think that an initial commitment secures their future destiny without ongoing obedience. Those who are God’s people demonstrate the genuineness of their salvation by responding to the warning given. The warnings are one of the means by which God preserves his people until the end. Those who ignore such warnings neglect the very means God has appointed for obtaining eschatological salvation. Nor should such a perspective be considered a form of works righteousness. Jude pinpointed the fundamental reason Israel was judged. They failed to “believe” in God. The call to perseverance is not a summons to something above and beyond faith. God summons his people to believe in his promises to the very end of their lives. Christians never get beyond the need to believe and trust, and all apostasy stems from a failure to trust in God’s saving promises in Christ, just as the wilderness generation disbelieved that God would truly bring them into the land of Canaan, thinking instead that he had maliciously doomed them to die in the wilderness… The Israelites destroyed in the wilderness probably believed they were truly part of God’s people. Their disobedience demonstrated otherwise. Similarly, some in Jude’s community may have thought they were genuinely part of God’s people, but Jude insisted that continued faithfulness is the only way to demonstrate this. Those who “Apostasize” reveal that they were not truly members of God’s people (cf. 1John 2:19). Responses to warnings reveal, retrospectively, who really belongs to the people of God. (The New American Commentary- 1, 2 Peter, Jude)
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - And angels who did not carefully guard their original position of preeminent dignity, but abandoned once for all their own private dwelling-place, with a view to the judgment of the great day, in everlasting bonds under darkness, He has put under careful guard. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) NET You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day. APOSTATE ANGELS And - Continuation of the sentence in Jude 1:5.
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - Arche is used in the Book of Enoch 12:4 of the Watchers (Angels) who have abandoned the high heaven and the holy eternal place and defiled themselves with women (Mayor). (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission)
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them, in like manner to these, having given themselves out and out to fornication and having gone off to a different kind of flesh, are set forth as an exhibit, undergoing the punishment of everlasting fire. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Related Passages: 2Peter 2:6-10+ - and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, Matthew 11:24+ “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” COMPARISON TO SODOM AND GOMORRAH Just as (Even as) (hos) denotes a close comparison with the angels in Jude 1:5-6. "Like the angels before them, they gave themselves over to immorality. Like the angels before them, they too went after strange flesh." (Tony
Judas 1:1-13
Wuest - In the same manner nevertheless, also these who are beguiled with sensual images and carried away to an impious course of conduct, defile indeed the flesh, and set at naught authority, and speak evil of preeminence. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) 2 Peter 2:10-12+ and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, 11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, DESCRIPTION OF THE SINS OF THE INSIDIOUS INFILTRATORS Jude now turns from the OT examples to a description of the characteristics of the insidious infiltrators (Jude 1:8-16). Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming (enupniazo), defile (miaino) the flesh, and reject (atheteo) authority (kuriotes), and revile (blasphemeo) angelic majesties (doxa) - Yet (mentoi) conveys the idea of this word is "Nevertheless" or "However." Yet "marks the fact that though these modern apostates have these clear warnings before them, they brazenly continue on in like offenses. Their arrogance blinds them to the warnings of history." (Hiebert) This word emphasizes that though the these men ("certain persons" Jude 1:4) have these "fearful examples before them, yet they persist in their sin." (Vincent) Like these godless cities once found at the tip of the Dead Sea. The preceding three examples of willful apostasy (Heb 10:26) all intentionally left their "saved status" to pursue an ungodly way of life. They did not lose their salvation, for they had never been genuinely saved (and of course angels cannot be saved at all). These men were not pagans, but those who had seen miracles and even God Himself, and yet they choose to reject Him and His authority. (
Judas 1:14-19
Wuest says these men are "ordering their course of conduct in accordance with their own passionate cravings."(Wuest Word Studies - Eerdman Publishing Company Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 - used by permission) Following after (4198) (poreuomai from póros = a passing or passage <> peíro or peráo = to pierce or run thru) means to go from one place to another. Poreuomai is used figuratively here to describe their ethical "journey" which is to gratify their flesh, which is a life journey which ends in disaster! Hiebert comments that following after their own lusts "sets forth the real cause of their discontent. “After” (kata, “according to, down along the line of”) points to their standard of conduct, while the participle “walking” (following) or “journeying,” denotes a planned course of action. Their course of conduct is governed, not by the Word of God, but by “their lusts”, their own sinful desires and cravings. The inevitable result is dissatisfaction with what life brings them. (Second Peter-Jude: An Expositional Commentary) Plummer - Men who “walk after their lusts,” and shape their course in accordance with these, cannot be contented, for the means of gratifying the lusts are not always present, and the lusts themselves are insatiable: even when gratification is possible, it is only temporary; the unruly desires are certain to revive and clamor once more for satisfaction. (Expositor's Bible Commentary) Lusts (1939)(epithumia) describes strong desires which are perverted and unrestrained and which originate from our corrupted, fallen, anti-God Sin nature we all inherited from Adam (Ro 5:12). James writes that "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (James 1:14-15-note). They speak arrogantly - Wuest says "their mouth speaks immoderate, extravagant things, catering to personalities for the sake of advantage." (Wuest) NLT says "They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want." Arrogantly (5246) (huperogkos from hupo = above + ogkos = swelling; only here and 2Pe 2:18-note) literally refers to that which has great swelling (excessive bulk) or is oversized, and conveys the idea of something larger than it has any right to be (cf "Supersized" portions at Fast Food restaurants). In classical Greek huperogkos was generally used of things of great or excessive size, and then came to be used of swollen and extravagant speech, haughty and bombastic. Rogers - The word is generally used of great or even excessive size, and in later writers it is also used of big words and arrogant speech and demeanor (New Linguistic & Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament) Peter uses huperogkos in a parallel description of false teachers in the church... For speaking out arrogant (huperogkos) words of vanity (mataiotes) they entice (deleazo = same verb used in James 1:14-note describing our own inherent lust-it has power to draw us into the web so that we commit sin) by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, (2 Pe 2:18-note) Huperogkos - 7 uses in Septuagint - Ex 18:22, 26; Dt 30:11 (translates "difficult"); 2Sa 13:2 (translates "hard"); Lam 1:9 (LXE = "has lowered her boasting tone"); Da 5:12; Da 11:36; The speech of the men described by Peter and Jude is full of high-sounding verbosity without substance. The pontification of these deceivers is with big, overswollen, ponderous words, this ostentatious verbosity being their "weapon" to ensnare the unwary with licentiousness as the bait on their hook. In short, what Jude is doing here is giving us characteristics which should help us identify these snakes in our midst -- they are boastful, pompous, haughty, tumid, grand, inflated, bombastic in their speech with the goal of such pretentious palaver (misleading, beguiling speech) being to impress and entice. Mark it down - High sounding words make a great cover for false teaching. "They impress people with their vocabularies and oratory, but what they say is just so much “hot air.”" (Wiersbe) It is fascinating that the same expression is used in the Septuagint translation of Daniel 11:36 to describe the Antichrist's blasphemous utterances against God. Here is Brenton's English translation of the Greek translation for comparison... And he shall do according to his will, and the king shall exalt and magnify himself against every god, and shall speak great swelling words (uses the same two words as Jude - laleo + huperogkos), and shall prosper until the indignation shall be accomplished: for it is coming to an end. (Da 11:36-note) MacDonald (Believer's Bible Commentary) - This is an accurate description of the words of many liberal preachers and false cultists. They are accomplished orators, holding audiences spellbound by their grandiose rhetoric. Their erudite vocabulary attracts undiscerning people. What their sermons lack in content, they make up for in a dogmatic, forceful presentation. But when they have finished they have said nothing. As an example of this sort of sterile sermon, here is a quotation from a well-known theologian of our (MacDonald's) day: "It is not a relationship of either parity or disparity, but of similarity. This is what we think and this is what we express as the true knowledge of God, although in faith we still know and remember that everything that we know as “similarity” is not identical with the similarity meant here. Yet we also know and remember, and again in faith, that the similarity meant here is pleased to reflect itself in what we know as similarity and call by this name, so that in our thinking and speaking similarity becomes similar to the similarity posited in the true revelation of God (to which it is, in itself, not similar) and we do not think and speak falsely but rightly when we describe the relationship as one of similarity."
Judas 1:14-19
Wuest - And there prophesied also with respect to these, the seventh from Adam, Enoch, saying, Behold, there comes the Lord with His holy myriads, to execute judgment against all and to convict all those who are destitute of a reverential awe towards go on a journey,” metaphorically, “to order one’s life.” The God, concerning all their works of impiety which they impiously performed and concerning all the harsh things which impious sinners spoke against Him. (Eerdmans Publishing) And (de kai) - Jude had already alluded to the judgment of the apostates several times (Jude 1:4, 6, 13). In Jude 1:13 Jude had just noted "the black darkness has been reserved forever" for "these men," the apostates. Now in Jude 1:14, he uses the conjunction "and" which indicates he is continuing to discuss this theme of judgment on the apostates ("it was about these men"). As Hiebert says "Jude now undergirds his attack upon these sensual intruders with an appeal to prophecy, showing that their judgment is prophetically established." The word prophesied is first in the Greek sentence, emphasizing the importance of the prophetic message. It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied - In this passage, Jude quotes from the apocryphal Book of Enoch, but his use of this extra-biblical Jewish writing does not signify he considered the Book of Enoch to be on a par with the authoritative Word of God, nor that he accepted all of its content. Blum also makes the point that “the prophecy does not give any startling new information but is simply a general description of the return of the Lord in judgment (cf. Dt. 33:2; Da 7:10-14; Zech 14:5; Mt 25:31)”. The ESV Study Bible adds that "Jude is simply drawing from First Enoch another example of judgment, which means that, in at least this specific instance, First Enoch 1.9 contains truth." (For more on Jude's use of First Enoch see - The Hermeneutics of Jude and 2Peter: The Use of Ancient Jewish Traditions - Walter Dunnett) For completeness here is the original quotation in First Enoch... And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones To execute judgement upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. (Chapter 1 of the Book of Enoch - see verse 9) It is notable that Jude's quotation from Enoch was the chief reason for the Book of Jude’s rejection from the Canon of the Bible for a number of years. However, by the 4th century A.D., Jude’s letter had been fully accepted by the entire church. In John MacArthur's introduction to Jude, he discusses the quotation from 1 Enoch in "Interpretative Challenges"... Because there are no doctrinal issues discussed, the challenges of this letter have to do with interpretation in the normal process of discerning the meaning of the text. Jude does quote from non-canonical, pseudepigraphal (i.e., the actual author was not the one named in its title) sources such as 1 Enoch (Jude 1:14 - [Ed: Actually Jude 1:9]) and the Assumption of Moses (Jude 1:9) to support his points. Was this acceptable? Since Jude was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2Ti 3:16-note; 2Pe 1:20,21-note) and included material that was accurate and true in its affirmations, he did no differently than Paul (cf. Acts 17:28-note; 1Cor 15:33; Titus 1:12-note). (Jude Introduction) (See also MacArthur Study Bible notes on Jude) Enoch was the seventh from Adam in the line of Seth (but see NET Note below). Lawlessness had climaxed in the time of Lamech, the seventh from Adam in the line of Cain, whereas godliness climaxed in Enoch. It is interesting to note that Enoch was a contemporary of Adam for a little over 300 years and that he lived alongside the other patriarchs listed in Genesis 5 all his life. He was in a sense "raptured" about seventy years before Noah was born. Moses records... Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. 19 Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died. 21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God (cp Heb 11:5-note) three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God (Septuagint uses the verb euaresteo and translates it "Enoch was well-pleasing to God,"); and he was not, for God took him (Septuagint uses metatithemi = to transfer from one place to another). (Ge 5:18-24) NET Note on seventh generation is interesting - The genealogical count is inclusive, counting Adam as the first, for Enoch is really the sixth in descent from Adam (Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch). In this way, the picture of perfection/completion was retained (for the number seven is often used for perfection or completion in the Bible) starting with Adam and concluding with Enoch. The Book of Enoch, which was known to the fathers of the second century, was lost for some centuries with the exception of a few fragments, and was found entire in a copy of the Ethiopic Bible, in 1773, by Bruce. It became known to modern students through a translation from this into English by Archbishop Lawrence, in 1821. It was probably written in Hebrew. It consists of revelations purporting to have been given to Enoch and Noah, and its object is to vindicate the ways of divine providence, to set forth the retribution reserved for sinners, angelic or human, and "to repeat in every form the great principle that the world—natural, moral, and spiritual—is under the immediate government of God." Behold - Jude uses this word to cause us to focus our attention on the following prophetic pronouncement.
Judas 1:14-19
Wuest - But, as for you, divinely-loved ones, remember the words which were spoken previously by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, (Eerdmans Publishing) EXHORTATIONS TO BELIEVERS TO COMBAT APOSTASY But you beloved - Jude uses this term of contrast, as he "changes direction" shifting the focus from the denunciation of the apostates to loving exhortations (imperatives) to God's beloved saints. J B Phillips entitles Jude 1:17-19 - "Forewarned is Forearmed." E C
Judas 1:14-19
Wuest - In the last time there shall be mockers ordering their course of conduct in accordance with their own passionate cravings which are destitute of reverential awe towards God. (Eerdmans Publishing) Young's Literal that they said to you, that in the last time there shall be scoffers, after their own desires of impieties going on, JUDE ECHOES PETER'S WARNING That they were saying to you - Saying is imperfect tense picturing this as a repeated action - over and over they were saying the following words (as an aside, repetition is one of the keys to memorization of what God is saying in His Word. Are you actively memorizing His Word?) Jude may be quoting the apostle Peter's words spoken beforehand... Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts (2Pe 3:3-note) What were the mockers mocking? Read on - 2Pe 3:4 makes it clear that these individuals ridicule and treat with contempt the Bible's repeated promise of Jesus' Second Coming, asking “Where is the promise of His coming?" Hiebert - We accept the priority of 2 Peter and suggest that Jude had read that epistle shortly before he felt constrained to write this letter; as he wrote, Peter’s prediction of the coming “mockers” was vividly recalled. (Second Peter-Jude: An Expositional Commentary) In the last (eschatos) time - Peter has in the last days. The writer of Hebrews said "in these last days (God) has spoken to us in His Son." (Heb 1:2-see more detailed discussion of last days) To summarize the discussion of Hebrews 1:2, the last days are the time period between the First and Second Comings of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf Acts 2:17; Gal. 4:4; 2Ti 3:1; Heb 1:2; 1Pe 1:5, 20; 1Jn 2:18-19; James 5:3). This time period overlaps with the period most theologians refer to as the "church age." Kistemaker on the last times - Scripture teaches that during this period, the forces of evil will become increasingly visible and audible. (Ed: cf Mt 24:6-12) Related Resource The Last Days
Judas 1:14-19
Wuest - These are those who cause divisions, egocentric, not holding the spirit. (Eerdmans Publishing) These are the ones - Pause and ask "Who are these?" It is not a difficult question, but as you develop this "discipline" (habit), you will find yourselves more frequently examining the context (See Keep Context King) and in so doing you are beginning to practice meditation and allowing your Teacher, the Spirit, to better illuminate the true meaning of the text (1Cor 2:10-13). The Apostle Paul alluded to "divisions" using a different verb (apospao instead of apodiorizo) in his parting address to the elders of the church at Ephesus warning them that... from among your own selves men will arise (an "inside job" - cp "crept in unnoticed" = Jude 1:4), speaking (present tense = continually!) perverse (diastrepho = corrupted, distorted, "crooked") things, to draw away (apospao = lure away, attract away) the disciples (mathetes) after them. (Acts 20:30-note) How or why will the disciples be drawn away? Clearly it is because they hear men they know and trust speaking attractive words which lure them away from the Truth of God's Word. "Their appeal is usually, “We have a deeper knowledge of the Word that your church doesn’t have! We have a better understanding of prophecy, or of the Christian life, than you do.” They offer a “higher quality” religion than that of the Apostles." (Wiersbe) Cause divisions (592)(apodiorizo from apó = from dia = through + horos = a boundary line; cf diorízo = to divide by limits, to separate) means to mark off, to put a boundary between, and here to separate one from another “by drawing boundaries to disjoin." The present tense indicates that this is their continual practice and the active voice indicates that it is a choice of their will. The in a sense "draw a line through the church and set off one part from another." (Vincent) Jude uses this verb apodiorizo to emphasize that these apostates are not uniters but dividers. They make a division by drawing a line so to speak through the church and setting off one from another. This verb is used only here in New Testament. TDNT - This rare double compound means "to define more exactly" in Aristotle. It might bear this sense in Jude 1:18-19 if the sense is that false teachers engage in endless definition. But the more likely meaning is that they cause divisions in antithesis to the true task of edification (Jude 1:20). Thus in 2Pe 2:1-note the heretics introduce destructive teachings, and often the NT castigates the spirit of contention or division (Ga. 5:20-note; 1Ti 4:1ff.). John
Judas 1:20
Wuest adds that this phrase shows "how the saints are to build themselves up on their most holy faith. That is, prayer is the vital factor in the Christian life which activates all the other departments of the Christian experience." Moffatt - The real experience and possession of the Holy Spirit inspires prayer, not any proud sense of superiority to others or any false independence towards God.
Judas 1:20
Wuest - But, as for you, divinely-loved ones, building yourselves up constantly in the sphere of and by means of your most holy Faith, and as constantly praying in the sphere of and by means of the Holy Spirit, Young's Literal - And ye, beloved, on your most holy faith building yourselves up, in the Holy Spirit praying, THE ANTIDOTE FOR APOSTASY MacArthur subtitles Jude 1:17-23 "Survival Strategy for Apostate Times". Keep the overall outline in mind... Salutation (Jude 1:1-2) Exhortation - Defense of the Faith (Jude 1:3-4) Illustration - Departures from the Faith (Jude 1:5-16) Admonition - Progress in the Faith (Jude 1:17-23) Conclusion - Doxology (Jude 1:24-25) But you (humeis de) - Jude introduces a striking contrast! Remember that whenever you encounter a but it marks a strategic "change of direction" and should always cause a pause to ponder what the writer is contrasting. You will have ample opportunities to practice as there are over 4000 "but's" (Terms of Contrast) in the NAS and the ESV! So take a moment to stop and study this change asking questions like "Why now? Who? What is involved with the change?," etc. Note that in Jude 1:20-23 the writer instructs his readers (and us) how they are to contend earnestly for the faith. Every leader of every church every where at all times would do well to follow Jude's "template!" And so in this context we see Jude is contrasting the false with the true believers, the ungodly with the godly, the children of the devil with the children of God. From the mockers who were tearing down in Jude 1:19, Jude turns to the beloved who are building up. James Smith (Handfuls of Purpose) OUR PRIVILEGES Jude 1:20-25 But ye beloved— Building on the Faith of God. Praying in the Spirit of God. Keeping in the Love of God. Looking for the Mercy of God. Manifesting the Compassion of God. Active in the Work of God (v. 23). Hating garments that are unlike God. Kept by the Power of God. Faultless in the Presence of God. John MacArthur puts this next powerful section (Jude 1:20-23) in its proper context writing "For those of us who are Christians to exercise discernment and protect ourselves from being led astray, we must remain on the path of sanctification. Doing so involves first building ourselves up on our most holy faith. We must become doctrinally strong if we would recognize error and effectively fight the battle for truth."
Judas 1:20
Wuest explains that in the Holy Spirit "is locative of sphere. That is, all true prayer is exercised in the sphere of the Holy Spirit, motivated and empowered by Him. That means that if the saint expects to really pray, he must be Spirit-filled or Spirit-controlled (Eph 5:18-note). The fullness of the Holy Spirit is the prerequisite to effectual praying. The Spirit, when yielded to, leads us in our petitions and generates within us the faith necessary to acceptable and answered prayer. The expression “praying in the Holy Spirit” is also instrumental of means. We pray by means of the Holy Spirit, in dependence upon Him." Related Resource: See study on meaning and significance of locative of sphere Wuest is absolutely correct -- A Spirit Filled Church (remember all the verbs in Jude 1:20-21 are in the plural so he is addressing the church) is described in detail by Paul in Ephesians especially the "power source" of a Spirit filled church. It begins in Eph 5:18 (plural imperative) and crosses over the chapter break through spiritual warfare and down to Eph 6:18 (also in the plural - present mid/pass participle, plural, nominative - identical parsing to Jude 20!) (Actually it passes through to Eph 6:20 = boldness for witnessing!) So how do we continually pray in the Spirit? It sounds paradoxical! But we pray in the Spirit... By continually depending on the Spirit! By continually being filled with the Spirit! By continually being controlled by the Spirit! Jude is in a very real sense telling us what a A Spirit Filled Church (see discussion) looks like! It is a praying church, individually and corporately! We will have to come up with some way/time of praying together as a church. Boy, am I convicted! My weakest discipline by far is prayer! Would the church you go to or pastor be known as a praying church? A few thoughts on the Spirit Filled Church in Jude 1:20-21... (1) How do we continually build ourselves up? (Jude 1:20) By being continually filled with God's Word and God's Spirit! (2) How can we continually pray (pray w/o ceasing)? Filled with the Word and the Spirit! (3) How can we keep or guard ourselves (Jude 1:21-note) (aorist imp = Do this now! Don't delay! It always conveys a sense of urgency -- it is like a commanding general in this case Jude giving orders to his troops contending earnestly for the faith in spiritual struggle for truth)? We can only keep ourselves in the love of God by being filled with the Word of God and the Spirit of God (cp Ro 5:5, Gal 5:22)! (4) How can we wait expectantly for Jesus? (Jude 1:21-note) Filled with the Word and the Spirit! Wow! What a picture of a Spirit filled church -- a picture of church that is supernaturally empowered to contend earnestly for the faith! Let me give you a real time illustration of a Spirit filled church from the Global Prayer Digest, July 31, 2015 - China is now poised to send missionaries cross-culturally. God is calling individuals to “go to the ends of the earth.” The church in China has a keen awareness of dependence upon God and a willingness to suffer, both valuable assets in their global missions effort. They are also a praying church; in fact more than 10 times more people use this Global Prayer Digest in Mandarin than in English. - See more at (Global Prayer Digest). I pray you are as convicted (in a motivating, not condemning sense) as I am! Spirit filled churches are radical churches, continually praying in the Holy Spirit!
Judas 1:20
Wuest adds that the prefixed preposition pros "gives it the idea of definiteness and directness in prayer, with the consciousness on the part of the one praying that he is talking face to face with God...(thus proseuchomai) speaks also of the consciousness on the part of the one who prays, of the fact of God’s presence and His listening ear." Proseuchomai is in the present tense which calls praying without ceasing, at all times and all places (cf 1Th 5:17-note). Beloved, do not attempt to do this in your own power or out of a sense of legalism, for you are destined to fail. Spiritual praying ultimately can only be stirred and enabled by the Spirit Who lives within us. We must rely on Him for the spiritual energy to pray "present tense!" As an important aside, praying continually in the Spirit is tangible evidence of one's dependence on God. Thomas Manton, the great Puritan expositor, has twenty-three pages of commentary on Jude 1:20,21-see commentary. Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven but is getting God’s will done on earth (cf 1Jn 5:14-15). John
Judas 1:21
Wuest - with watchful care keep yourselves within the sphere of God’s love, expectantly looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ resulting in life eternal. Keep yourselves in the love of God - Jude is not telling them to work for their salvation (as if they by their own power they could keep themselves in the love of God and thereby merit salvation), but to "work out (present imperative - not "work for!") their their salvation" (Php 2:12-note), enabled to do so only by the indwelling Spirit, Who is in us both to give us the desire and the power to be pleasing to God. (Php 2:13-note)." Keep is an aorist imperative, a command calling for "urgent" attention (in light of the great danger of the deceivers!) The readers to to heed the command and guard themselves from anything that would negatively affect our abiding in the sphere of God's love. What could keep us from abiding? In simple terms sin. Any act of disobedience is the antithesis of keeping ourselves in the love of God. Yourselves (heautou) is plural indicating that Jude is addressing not just individuals but the entire church body. This pronoun is also reflexive which signifies emphasizes our responsibility -- you "yourselves" do this! Furthermore, keep is in the active voice which means that the subject ("yourselves") makes a volitional choice, a choice of his or her will, to carry out this action. MacArthur on keep yourselves in the love of God - This is a vitally important principle, and it means to remain in the sphere of God's love, or the place of His blessing (Ro 5:5; 8:39; 1Jn 4:16). On a practical level, it means that we must stay obedient to God, since divine blessing is promised only within the sphere of obedience. As Jesus told the apostles: Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:9-11; cf. 1 John 2:5) On the other hand, if we become disobedient, we move from a position of blessing to a position of chastisement (Heb. 12:3-11-note). (2 Peter and Jude MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Notice that in this section (Jude 1:20-21) the main verb is keep which is modified by three participles -- building up, praying in, waiting for. The ESV Study Bible has an excellent comment that links all four verbs together - "Christians keep themselves in God’s love by growing strong doctrinally, persevering in prayer, and “waiting” for the Lord’s coming." Notice Jude's "juxtaposition" of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility reminding us of the truth that God keeps us (Jude 1:1-note, Jude 1:24-25-note) and giving us instruction that we are to keep ourselves (Jude 1:21). And the truth is that we could never accomplish the latter, without God's provision of the former! As an aside Jude clearly believes that no genuine believer will ever lose his or her salvation. (See How can I have assurance of my salvation?)
Judas 1:22
Wuest - And some indeed on the one hand be convicting when contending with you; KJV - And of some have compassion, making a difference: CSB - Have mercy on some who doubt; ESV - And have mercy on those who doubt; NLT - And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. NIV - Be merciful to those who doubt; NJB - To some you must be compassionate because they are wavering; RSV - And convince some, who doubt; BBE - And have pity on those who are in doubt; YLT - and to some be kind, judging thoroughly, (Idea = making distinctions) FIRST OF THREE GROUPS - DOUBTERS It should be understood that Jude 1:22-23 are very difficult verses to interpret dogmatically primarily because of which of two major Greek manuscripts one chooses to translate. One manuscript (which is used for NAS, ESV, NIV) translation results in 3 groups in these two verses, whereas the other (NET, KJV) results in two groups. Since I use the NAS, I have chosen to base comments on that translation. The technical discussion of these two verses is beyond the scope of these notes and you are referred to other sources that go into more detail (e.g., Michael Green has a good and not too lengthy or too technical analysis - Jude Commentary - Tyndale). Technical note by Wuest - There is some question among textual critics regarding the Greek text here. Both Nestle and Westcott and Hort agree on the Greek which requires the rendering, "And upon some, on the one hand, be having mercy, (those) who are in doubt; be saving (them), snatching (them) out of the fire. Upon others, on the other hand, be showing mercy in fear, hating even the undergarment completely defiled by the flesh." However, Alford and Mayor read elegcho, "to bring to a confession and conviction of sin," rather than eleeo, "to have mercy on." Mayor then translates, "reprove them because of their doubts," or "convince them when they dispute with you." Alford translates, "And some indeed convict when contending with you." Douglas Moo alluding to the technical difficulties of Jude 1:22-23 says "Exactly what Jude is urging them to do is not clear, primarily because we are not completely certain what he wrote in verses 22–23. The manuscripts containing the letter of Jude offer a bewildering variety of different readings; at least six different forms of text exist. The difficulty of deciding which of these Jude himself wrote is indicated by the fact that four of these can be found in the text of major English translations, and a fifth commands support from some influential commentaries. We list these textual options below, dividing them into those that have two separate injunctions and those that have three. A quick glance at these options reveals a preference among recent translations for the first of the three-clause options. Note, for instance, that three of the major translations have changed from a two-clause text to this three-clause text in their latest editions (NRSV/RSV; NJB/JB; REB/NEB). I think his preference is justified. While the situation is so complicated that we cannot be sure about the original text, this text seems a bit superior to the others. We cannot enter here into the details of the arguments pro and con. But two factors tilt the scales slightly in favor of this text: It follows Jude’s well-established pattern of using triads, and it seems to be the reading that best explains all the other readings. (NIV Application Commentary) THE TWO CLAUSE OPTION Snatch some from the fire; but on those who dispute have mercy with fear. [The translation is from Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter, 108, who adopts this reading; cf. also Neyrey, 2 Peter, Jude, 85–86. The Greek text on which this translation is based in found in the Papyrus manuscript, p72.] And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire. (KJV) [The text for this translation is found in some of the later uncial manuscripts, K, L, P, S.] Show mercy toward those who have doubts; save them, by snatching them out of the fire. Show mercy also, mixed with fear, to others as well. (TEV; cf. also NEB) [The underlying text is found in the important uncial Vaticanus (B); it is supported by, e.g., Kelly, The Epistles of Peter and of Jude, 287–88.] THE THREE-CLAUSE OPTION Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy. (NIV; cf. also NRSV; NASB; REB; NJB) [The significant uncial Sinaiticus (א) attests this text. It is the text adopted in the two most widely used Greek New Testaments (the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece [27th ed.; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1993] and the United Bible Societies’ The Greek New Testament [4th ed.; New York: United Bible Societies, 1993]). It receives solid defense in two articles: Sakae Kubo, “Jude 22–23: Two Division Form or Three?” in New Testament Criticism: Its Significance for Exegesis. Essays in Honour of Bruce M. Metzger, ed. E. J. Epp and Gordon D. Fee (Oxford: Clarendon, 1981), 239–53; Carroll D. Osburn, “Discourse Analysis and Jewish Apocalyptic in the Epistle of Jude,” in Linguistics and New Testament Interpretation: Essays on Discourse Analysis, ed. David Alan Black (Nashville: Broadman, 1992), 292 (he reverses here his earlier preference for the two-clause text).] And convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear. (RSV; cf. also JB) [The textual basis for this rendering is the uncial Alexandrinus (A); cf. Green, The Second Epistle General of Peter and the General Epistle of Jude, ] With the firm foundation that should result by practicing Jude's exhortations (commands) in Jude 1:17-21 (Remember the Word - Jude 1:17, Read the Word - Jude 1:20, Pray the Word - Jude 1:20b, Obey the Word - Jude 1:21a, Watch for the Living Word - Jude 1:21b) Jude now calls the church to reach out to those who are influenced by the false teachers. In short now they are to actively contend for the faith to those who do not have a firm foundation for their faith. MacArthur introduces these next two passages with several questions - As Jude's letter draws to its conclusion, one crucial question arises: How can we as believers practically contend for the truth so that we will be victorious in a day of rampant falsehood? In other words, how can we personally apply Jude's cautions regarding apostasy to our own lives and ministries? To be sure, Jude's warning is unmistakable, and it clearly demands a response. But what does that response look like? And where does it begin? Jude, of course, recognized that his readers needed more than just a warning; they also needed a plan of attack. Instead of being merely defensive, they had to be proactive in their fight for the faith. And this meant taking action—not only in reinforcing their own spiritual armor (cf. Eph. 6:10-17), but also in coming to the aid of others in the church. In order to do this, Jude's readers desperately needed to develop discernment. They had to be able to recognize the difference between truth and error. Otherwise, they would not know what to embrace and what to shun. They could not “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (v. 3) unless they were able to discern true faith from its counterfeits. Thus if they were to heed Jude's warnings, they had to begin by actively pursuing spiritual discernment. The importance of discernment is underscored throughout the whole of Scripture (Prov. 2:3; 23:23; 1 Cor. 16:13; Phil. 1:9; Heb. 5:14; Rev. 2:2). (2 Peter and Jude MacArthur New Testament Commentary) And have mercy on some, who are doubting - Hiebert - The coordinating “and” (kai) lays these further duties upon the same people who are building themselves up on their most holy faith (Jude 1:20-21-note). Let them be occupied not only with thoughts of their own security and maturity, but let them also stretch out saving hands toward those affected by the apostates. As themselves the recipients of God’s mercy (Jude 1:2, Jude 1:21-note), let them diligently seek to be His agents of mercy toward those who are weak (Ed: Notice that Hiebert avoids classifying them as believers or unbelievers) and who are deceived by the apostates (cp 2Cor 5:18-19-note). (Second Peter-Jude: An Expositional Commentary) There seem to be three "spiritually needy" groups identified in Jude 1:22-23 = "some...others...some." There is not a clear consensus regarding who composes each group - i.e., whether they are believers or unbelievers (or a mixture). Perhaps the text is purposely somewhat ambiguous, which would make the three actions (have mercy...save...have mercy with fear) applicable to all who are being ensnared by apostate doctrines, whether they are believers or unbelievers. Certainly we have all known folks that we at least thought were believers and who began to be entangled in seductive teaching of a silver-tongued orator or an overt counterfeit cult. However (in my opinion) Jude does not give us sufficient information to dogmatically discern whether they are believers or unbelievers, so we should be careful not to be too dogmatic. Notice also that these three groups seem to describe a progressively greater degree of involvement with the apostates (doubting...fire...polluted). I like the way Thomas Schreiner identifies these three groups without making a distinction between believers or unbelievers. First, those who were wavering under the influence of the false teachers should not be rejected or ignored. By showing mercy to them, as they struggle with doubts, such people could be reclaimed. Second, others were close to being captured by the teaching and behavior of the opponents. Believers must not give up on them. Their lives could still be salvaged, and they could be snatched from the fire that threatened to destroy them. Third, others had already been defiled by the false teachers. (The New American Commentary- 1, 2 Peter, Jude) And have mercy on some, who are doubting. As noted in the versions listed above, others translate it "Some who are contentious rebuke." In sum, the idea is either that this first group is either doubting or disputing (maybe both!) Vincent favors the NAS rendering and feels it better suits the following context, but the reader is referred to more academic works for discussion of the textual variants in Jude 1:22-23. To be sure we who have in the past received "multiplied mercy" (Jude 1:2-note) and have a sure hope of future mercy (Jude 1:21-note), should of all people be willing to "have mercy" on others who are in need. This reminds us of Jesus declaration “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." (Mt 5:7-note) Moo - It would be easy for the faithful to shun such people or lambaste them for their doubts. But Jude wants the faithful to show mercy to them. Christians themselves have received God’s unmerited mercy (see Jude 1:2-note); they should display a similar mercy to people who are wavering. For mercy is far more likely than harsh rebuke to keep them within the fold of the orthodox faith. (Ibid) And so Jude begins with the first group that seems least affected by those who sought to turn the grace of our God into licentiousness. (Jude 1:4-note) To highlight the difficulty of (and caution against) being too dogmatic about who is in each group, I have taken quotes from two conservative, well respected expositors with different interpretations. ALL UNBELIEVERS - John MacArthur sees all 3 groups as unbelievers, writing "In these two verses Jude identifies three categories of unbelieving people who, from the church’s perspective, are both a menace and a mission field. They are the confused, the convinced, and the committed (Jude Commentary)....(1) sincere doubters who deserve compassion (Jude 1:22); (2) those who are deeper in unbelief and urgently need to be pulled from the fire (Jude 1:23); and (3) those declared disciples of apostasy who still deserve mercy, but are to be handled with much fear (Jude 1:23), lest the would-be-rescuer also be spiritually sullied (MacArthur Study Bible) (2Peter and Jude MacArthur New Testament Commentary) (Ed: Arnold Fruchtenbaum a respected Messianic Jewish expositor believes all three groups are believers exactly the opposite of MacArthur!) FIRST GROUP BELIEVERS - Warren Wiersbe sees this first group as believers writing they are "converted, but they are not grounded in the faith. Our responsibility is to have mercy on them, or show compassion toward them, by seeking to lead them away from the influences of the apostates. This kind of ministry demands a great deal of love and patience, and we must keep in mind that immature believers are like little children who think they know right from wrong. If you say no to them, they will only rebel and become more stubborn! (Be Alert 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, Jude- Beware of the Religious Impostors) I like how Warren
Judas 1:23
Wuest - be saving, snatching out of the fire, others on the other hand, upon whom be showing mercy in fear, hating even the undergarment completely defiled by the flesh. YLT - and some in fear save ye, out of the fire snatching, hating even the coat from the flesh spotted. THE THIRD GROUP: FIRE ESCAPE! As noted in he preliminary comments on Jude 1:22, it should be understood that Jude 1:22-23 are very difficult verses to interpret dogmatically primarily because of which of two major Greek manuscripts one chooses to translate. One manuscript (which is used for NAS, ESV, NIV) translation results in 3 groups in these two verses, whereas the other (NET, KJV) results in two groups. (For more discussion see Technical note) Since I use the NAS, I have chosen to base comments on that translation. The technical discussion of these two verses is beyond the scope of these notes and you are referred to other sources that go into more detail (e.g., Michael Green has a good and not too lengthy or too technical analysis - Jude Commentary - Tyndale). The second group are described as in fire, and although they are close to be completely misled by the false teaching, there is some hope that they can be rescued from the wrath to come. While clearly salvation belongs to the Lord, He calls on the saints to "bring glad tidings of good things." (Ro 10:15). The Spirit uses the proclaimed Gospel of Jesus Christ to bring about conviction, repentance, belief and regeneration. Save is an present imperative, a command calling for them to continually have a Spirit enabled "evangelistic" mindset. Save and snatching bring to mind a "spiritual intervention" if you will, much like families do when one of their loved ones is trapped in addiction to some substance of abuse and are in grave danger. The were to have the attitude of a parent who sees their child in the path of an oncoming car and runs to snatch and rescue them from harm's way.
Judas 1:24
Wuest - Now, to the One who is able to guard you from stumbling and to place you before the presence of His glory faultless in great rejoicing, Young's Literal - And to Him who is able to guard you not stumbling, and to set you in the presence of His glory unblemished, in gladness, GOD IS ABLE (See Study) Now - This conjunction marks a shift in the letter and serves to introduce Jude's beautiful, beloved benediction. This divine doxology serves "as a reminder of the divine power available to believers as they contend against heretics." In light of the great perils to which Jude's readers are exposed, He deliberately emphasizes that it is God and God alone Who is able to keep them! Apostasy will (not may) come into the church but God is able to keep the Church!
Judas 1:25
Wuest - to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, might, and authority before all time, both now and forever. Amen. PRAISE TO THE ONLY GOD To the only God our Savior - Clearly this is a reference to God the Father, which might at first seem confusing, because normally we think of Jesus as Savior (and rightly so!). However, since God is manifest as a Trinity, all three Persons of the Godhead participate in salvation. The Father initiates salvation, Jesus accomplishes it and the Spirit effects it. Kistemaker - Jude ends his epistle by ascribing glory to God alone; compare the well-known Latin motto Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory). The adjective only (“alone”) is commonly used in doxologies (Rom. 16:27; 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:15, 16) and reflects Israel’s creed, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut. 6:4). Isaiah 12:2NAB says "God is my Savior (yeshuah)," and the Septuagint translates it with the same noun (soter) which Jude uses in this passage. Compare "only God"... (Jn 5:44)"How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? (1Ti 1:17) Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (Ro 16:27-note) to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. ESV Study Bible - There is only one God, who has acted redemptively (our Savior), once for all, in his one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.