Jude 1:12-25/Commentary

Jude 12-25

“These men” Jude 12 “Hidden reefs”: Men who were like sunken reefs, waiting to shipwreck the unwary. This reveals that such individuals did not always come right out and publicly proclaim their error. They often worked behind the scenes, one-on-one, taking someone aside and casually indoctrinating them. “Hidden”: Reveals that at first glance they do not look dangerous. “In your love feasts when they feast with you”: Contrary to the claims of some this is not a potluck at the church building, for Paul places all social meals outside the assembly in 1 Corinthians 11:22,34. Rather, these “love feasts” are either social meals in members homes (Acts 2:46), or another name for the Lord’s Supper. This reveals that such men were actually members of the local church. “Without fear”: Probably connected to the next clause. “Caring for themselves”: That is, “they brazenly look after themselves” (Green p. 174). Their focus on self does not even bother them, they are not shocked by the degree of their selfishness. “Clouds without water”: They promised a great deal but when it came right down to it, they either did not deliver or delivered only what is unsubstantial and unproductive. Like men who always seem to be promising the “secret to….”, yet all they offer are the same old worn out human opinions. Compare with 2 Peter 2:19; Proverbs 25:14. They claimed “advanced” and “enlightened” teachings that did not benefit one spiritually and failed to nourish the soul. There is a great warning here for preachers and teachers, “is your lesson going to benefit anyone spiritually?”

“Carried along by winds”: Often carried along by the latest religious fad (Ephesians 4:14).

“Autumn trees without fruit”: “Jude is underlining the gap between promise and performance. Go to an apple tree in the season and you expect to find apples” (Stott p. 203). “Doubly dead, uprooted”: All they are good for is firewood. The expression doubly dead or “twice dead” may refer to the fact that these men were once dead in sin (then converted) and now are back in sin and dead once more.

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Jude 13 “Wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam”: “No doubt Isaiah 57:20 lies behind the image, as it conjures up the restlessness of the wicked and their continual production of filthy scum, such as is found littered about the seashore when the tide recedes” (Green p. 176). False teachers often leave behind a mess in a congregation, and such people are “restless”, even when they are teaching what they want to teach unopposed and living as they like they still do not have any rest. Notice the emphasis on “shame”, here is an individual who loudly proclaims a teaching that should be viewed as an embarrassment, as something shameful, as a point of view that one should want to hide.

“Wandering stars”: “Before compasses and radar, the only sure guides for a traveler on a dark night were the fixed constellations in the sky. So a wandering star provides a neat image for a deceptive leadership that promises security and a safe road home, but actually delivers uncertainty and danger. The longer the traveler believed in the certainty of his wandering star, the greater the peril he was in” (Stott p. 204). “For whom the black darkness has been reserved forever”: One single destiny awaits such. “It is true that Cain’s murder, Korah’s rebellion and Balaam’s subversion received almost instant retribution, whereas the false teachers in Jude’s churches and ours often seem to go from strength to strength, gaining in influence and popularity, and growing in credibility. But the position that faith takes is that God is God even over rebels” (p. 204).

Jude 14 The writer agrees that Enoch mentioned in Genesis 5:21-24 was a real historical person and that God spoke through him. This reveals that the world prior to the Flood had plenty of opportunities to understand and obey God’s will.

Noah was also a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5) during this period of time.

The early Church Fathers assumed that Jude here is quoting a non-biblical book known as 1 Enoch which first appeared in the second century B.C. At one point this book says, “Behold, (God) shall arrive with ten million of the holy ones in order to execute judgment upon all. He will destroy the wicked ones and censure all flesh on account of everything that they have done, that which the sinners and the wicked ones committed against him” (1 Enoch 1:9). Jude might be quoting this verse, for this was a very popular uninspired book among the Jews (just like various uninspired books are popular among Christians today) but seeing that Jude is inspired, Jude had direct access to God and is giving the true original prophecy. Remember, just because a biblical writer quoted an uninspired book or 2

author does not mean that the writer was endorsing everything the writer said (compare with Acts 17:28). “It was also about these men”: Thus Enoch’s prophecy did not relate to the Flood but to the final judgment when the Lord will deal with the false teachers Jude’s listeners would face. Thus knowledge of the final judgment has been virtually around since Creation. The very beings that these false teachers slander (verse 8) will accompany the Lord in judgment (Matthew 25:31). Jude 15 “Upon all”: Four times in this verse Jude will stress the word “all”. “We meet the idea that no-one and nothing escape God’s scrutiny. He will judge everyone, and convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts and all the harsh words they have spoken against Him” (Stott p. 208). Possibly these false teachers were not denying the reality of the Second Coming but rather were denying that it would mean condemnation for them, after all, they were members of the church (verse 4). “Surely God would reward them rather than judge them when He came? But Jude is adamant that there is no way that we can hide from God either words or acts which have offended Him” (p. 208). And God will condemn “all” ungodly acts and words among His professed people as well as among unbelievers. There is no once-saved-always-saved in this verse. “All” means “all”. “The ungodly”: Judgment will be executed on a moral basis. “Once people think that they are free from any scrutiny by God, they will feel free to cut themselves loose from His standards. God will be seen as a grumbling but ultimately soft-hearted parent who makes impressive threats but cannot bring himself to act upon them. That is the assumption of many people today, who honestly do not believe that God will act as He has said He will act. Such a view hampers any Christian, because once we cease to believe in the God the Bible reveals, we will feel free to indulge ourselves by making God in our own image.

We devise a God who changes His mind about evangelism because we prefer to think that everyone will be saved” (Stott p. 209).

Jude 16 “Grumblers”: Like the “smouldering discontent of the Israelites in the desert (1 Corinthians 10:10). Whenever a man gets out of touch with God he is likely to begin complaining about something. To grumble and moan is one of the distinguishing marks of man without God (Philippians 2:14)” (Green p. 178). This would include making complaints both against God and His people. “Murmuring is therefore no sin of minor importance, no mere weakness of the flesh. It is one of the hallmarks of apostasy (Psalm 106:24-26)” (Jude, The Acts of the Apostates, S. Maxwell Coder, p. 96). “Jude’s concern is Christians who are grumblers about conditions on earth. Since we have not been magically whisked off to heaven, but 3

instead face a daily battle against temptations and sins that we do not always want to resist, some might wonder whether we would not be better off living as non-Christians, free to set lower standards for ourselves if we wish. We need not jeopardize our eternal security, they might think, because we are already saved; but the fight to be holy is an unnecessary weight” (Stott p. 210). “Finding fault”: The literal meaning of the word here refers to those who are dissatisfied with their lot in life. This includes people who are always cursing their “luck”, not wanting what they have, longing for what they do not have and in winter wishing it were summer. Complaining is serious because God is the author of all blessings (James 1:17), and therefore such murmuring is accusing God of being a very poor manager of the universe. “They are forever gazing over the fence at the nonChristians’ greener grass (so they think), at people who are free not only to behave as they wish but to do so with a clear conscience and with as few inhibitions as they choose” (Stott p. 211). Yet remember Proverbs 23:17-18. This would also include people who are always dissatisfied with God’s rules and Bible doctrine. “Following after their own lusts”: Instead of following Christ wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4), their allegiance is to their own lusts. Self is all that matters at this point. Recently I read an article where the author noted “my struggle with lust seems to intensify when I have an ungrateful heart” (Eternal Perspectives Fall 2005, p. 14). Both pride and self-pity are avenues to lust, either we say to ourselves, “I deserve something” or “I deserve the right to comfort myself considering what I have to put up with in life”. “Most of us seem quite able to bounce back and forth between pride and self-pity, giving ourselves all kinds of justification for plunging into the polluted pool of lust” (p. 15). “They speak arrogantly”: This is especially seen in confidently contradicting the claims in Scripture. “Flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage”: The Bible often warns against the dangers of being flattered (Proverbs 18:5). This person easily slips under our guard and the most dangerous flatterer is the person who misleads people concerning their spiritual status. “In order to win followers and gain influence, these men have deliberately chosen to teach a wrong gospel that will make fewer demands and more promises of instant blessing” (Stott p. 212).

See 2 Timothy 4:3; 2 Peter 2:19.

Jude 17 “Remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles”: “Forgetfulness of the teaching and warnings of God in Scripture is a major cause of spiritual deterioration” (Green p. 180). Even though Jude may have quoted from 1 Enoch, the authoritative standard is the words of the apostles (Acts 2:42; 2 4

Thessalonians 3:14; 2 Peter 3:2). Jude 18 “That they were saying to you”: The imperfect tense here is used, they were in the habit of teaching the following. “In the last times there will be mockers”: That is, the apostles had repeatedly predicted the arrival of these false teachers (Acts 20:28ff; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1ff; 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1ff). “Last times”: The apostles did not teach that such false teachers would simply arrive about a week or so before Jesus returned, but rather the whole period of time between the establishment of the New Covenant and the Second Coming is known as the “last times” (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:1-2), and during this entire period of time the church will battle against such men. “Mockers”: Those who ridicule Biblical truths. “Following after their own ungodly lusts”: Here is a refreshing insight, the motivation behind people saying such things as the “bible is filled with errors” is not actual evidence, but rather a desire to justify their own lusts. The ungodly desires arrive first and then the bad theology is invented. Thus the root cause of skepticism is not some noble intellectual motive, but rather someone is trying to rationalize sin in their life.

Stott reminds us, “The fact that someone has a theology, and is able to justify his position by quoting Bible verses, is no guarantee that he is being totally honest with himself in his thinking. The Bible has been used to support a variety of unsavoury lifestyles” (p. 215). Jude 19 “These are the ones who cause divisions”: Green notes that that Gnosticism was the revolt of the well-to-do, half-educated bourgeois class. “They were spiritual aristocracy, immune to the laws of conduct which bound the ordinary man” (Green p. 183). “Worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit”: Apostates often claim that they are the more “spiritual minded” and that they are simply trying to find a truer walk with Jesus, one not bound by the “traditions” of the church or organized religion. Jude tells his friends, “Don’t believe that for a moment”. The motivation behind apostasy is not “spiritually” it is self. “Far from being spiritual giants, they are being pulled down by the very things over which they claim to have victory. Sin still controls their destiny” (Stott p. 217). These “Spirit-led” people do not have the Spirit!

Exhortations to the Faithful Jude 20 “Building yourselves up on your most holy faith”: The Christian has an obligation to edify and strengthen himself and our faith comes by hearing the faith (Romans 10:17; Jude 3; Acts 20:32 “Now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up”). “Most holy”: First the gospel message is holy because it comes from a holy God and it is not the figment of the 5

collective imaginations of the apostles. “We are not to be so fearful of the awesomeness of this faith that we make the error of treating it like a fragile antique vase, which must be kept locked up and guarded for its own safety. When the Bible urges us to defend the gospel, it tells us to do so by teaching it fearlessly (2 Timothy 1:14)” (Stott p. 220). “The faith is most holy, because it is utterly different; entirely set apart from all others. It is unique in the message it teaches and in the moral transformation it produces” (Green p. 184). “Praying in the Holy Spirit”: This is not praying while using the gift of tongues, rather these are prayers that issue from a heart being led and controlled by the Spirit’s revelation (Ephesians 5:18,20; 6:18). “To outrun the apostolic scriptures and prayer is to outrun Christianity altogether” (Green p. 184). “Our prayer for ourselves and one another will be that we may not deviate from our faith and hope. For new Christians we shall pray that they will put down good and healthy roots; for our teachers and leaders, that they will not be led into error and so lead us into error; and for those who have fallen into error, that they may come back” (Stott pp. 222223).

Jude 21 “Keep yourselves in the love of God”: “We know from his letter that the way we do this is by ensuring that we are constantly obeying God. If we want to know what happens to those who do not keep themselves in God’s love, we need look no further than the examples of the Israelites in the desert, the angels that sinned, the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, Cain, Balaam and Korah. If we want to see the present counterparts of those people and places, we need only look at those who behave in the same way and share their mocking attitude to God’s law” (Stott p. 223). Jude started this letter by reminding his readers that they are beloved by God (Jude 2), but here we are equally reminded that we have an obligation to maintain this relationship. Jesus noted, “Just as the Father as loved Me, I have also loved you, abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love” (John 15:9-10). Thus God’s love is in a sense conditional, and by their disobedience the false teachers had fallen out of this loving relationship. Thus Jude rejects the attitude, “God loves me no matter what I do”. “Keep yourselves”: The love under consideration is not simply a feeling that comes or goes, rather continuing to love God and be loved by Him is our choice (Matthew 22:37). “Waiting anxiously”: “Christianity makes sense only if the promises God makes are kept” (Stott p. 223). And we are not the first generation that must wait, the Bible is filled with “waiting” people (Luke 1:10; 2:26,38; 12:36 “Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding 6

feast”). Not only must we continually feast on Scripture, pray and obey, but we must keep the fire of hope burning fervently. “True Christianity is ‘worldaffirming’ in the sense that it rejoices in God’s world as made by Him, but Christianity is ‘world-denying’ in the sense that living as though this world were all there is is utter delusion” (Green p. 185). “For the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life”: “Note the need for the mercy of God, not only initially but daily; not only daily but at the last, “the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day” (2 Timothy 1:18). Even ‘man come of age’ cannot afford to without the mercy of God” (Green p. 186). Yet note who receives mercy at the last day, those who keep themselves in the love God and continually to obey Jesus’ commands.

Jude 22 “And have mercy on some”: “Once we are firmly established as growing Christians, Jude wants us to become involved in the painful work of helping those who are coming under the influence of dangerous doctrine” (Stott p. 225). Jesus has mercy on us (verse 21), therefore we need to extend some patience, kindness and forbearance to others (Matthew 5:7). “Salvation is not merely to be defined in the terms already given: faith, prayer, love, and hope. It involves service, men are indeed saved to serve” (Green p. 186). “Who are doubting”: This probably involves people who are at odds with themselves. “These are the people who are starting to weigh up the claims and arguments on both sides and finding themselves in two minds about the issues” (Stott p. 226). “We are not to go soft on the gospel or to hold out an illusory hope of salvation for everyone, irrespective of their relationship with God. But to those who have questions and who are thinking hard, there must always be a welcome and a patient understanding” (p. 226). “With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). This would include people who doubt whether or not they can be forgiven, or people hesitating on making the decision to become a Christian, or Christians who are now doubting the foundation of their faith. Such people a Christian who will sit down with them and patiently explore their questions and the Scriptures, but note, the person who has such doubts must be willing to expend the time and energy in such study and conversation. It takes maturity to be able to listen to a person with doubts and let them air all their questions and then patiently walk through each question step by step. “And have mercy on the waverers” (Mof). The King James Version here reads, “And of some have 7

compassion, making a difference”: Barclay reminds us, “Many a person would have been saved from error of thought or error of action, if someone else had only spoken in time. Sometimes we hesitate to speak” (pp. 242-243). How often had you heard someone say, “If only someone had told me that twenty years ago”? Yes, I know that often people who are wavering are not listening or resent your offer to help, but we must speak anyway (Ezekiel 3:18). Remember, the “mercy” in the above passages does not water down the truth, rather the “mercy” manifests itself in patient teaching of the truth. This equally requires that we must know what we believe (1 Peter 3:15). There is an urgency in Bible study and persona growth for I might be called upon today to answer the doubts of a wavering brother! Am I prepared? I know that someone people hide behind doubt and use it as an excuse to never obey God, yet I equally know that to live in a world of doubt is indeed a miserable existence, “for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind…being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6,8). The expression “all his ways” includes all his relationships.

Jude 23 “Save others, snatching them out of the fire”: “Jude’s second group of falling Christians has gone further than doubt; they are actually playing with fire.

They have begun to engage with the thinking and lifestyle of those ‘who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality’ (Jude 4). The first part of our action must be to appreciate what a deadly position these people are in, our friends are already playing with fire” (Stott p. 226). “Save others”: I know that God actually does the saving through the blood of His Son, but notice that God gives to His servants the privilege of co-operating with Him in His saving work.

God is not only to simply intervene in this person’s life—someone must reach out, “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20). We cannot naively say, “Well, if God really wants them saved things will just work out”. God really wants everyone saved (2 Peter 3:9)! And we are the human instruments that God uses for that task. God calls upon us to do the teaching, rebuking, exhorting and comforting. Barclay notes, “When the power of reclaiming the lost dies out of the Church, it ceases to be the Church” (p. 242). “Snatching them”: Indicating urgency. No, this situation cannot wait something must be done right now. This phrase reminds us when the angels literally pulled Lot and his family out of Sodom before it was destroyed (Genesis 19:15,16,24). “Out of the fire”: The fire here is not merely that in they might have gotten themselves into some earthly messy, 8

that is, going from the flying pan into the fire, but rather the unquenchable fires of hell that they presently are hanging over by only their fragile life breath, “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44). Do we need any more motivation than this—that person over there is standing on the edge of eternal suffering and at any moment they might fall off? Does the word snatching indicate that we need to use force? “It is all very well to say that we must leave a man is freedom, that he must be free to make his own decisions, that he has a right to do what he likes. All these things are in one sense true, but there are times for action” (Barclay p. 243). Clearly we cannot force a person to repent or become a Christian, but we can urgently and strenuously appeal to them, we can press the claims in God’s word with all our might, we can even get a little pushy and confront them. Let us equally remember that we have been snatched from the fire as well and what worked for us? We certainly have a right to intervene or interfere, because someone did the same for us. Yes, at the moment we did not appreciate their efforts, but we are thankful now. “When there is a danger of fire, we hesitate not to snatch away violently whom we desire to save; for it would not be enough to beckon with the finger, or kindly to stretch for the hand” (Green p.

187). That is, more is required than just a token effort.

Jude 23 “and on some have mercy with fear”: “Such rescue work can never be done in any spirit of sanctimoniousness or superiority. It must be done in fear, in recognition that Christian workers have a sense of awe before the God who deigns to use us as His ambassadors” (Green p. 188). So first, there is the awe that we are God’s co-workers in saving the souls of men and that we are presenting Him to the world (1 Corinthians 3:9 “For we are God’s fellow workers”) So our attitudes and actions, even in such pressure-packed situations, must only glorify and bring honor to Him. There is equally the fear of sinning, that is becoming frustrated and angry as we deal with such a person. Finally, there needs to be the wholesome fear of becoming tempted by the same sin, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

“There is danger to the sinner; but there is also danger to the rescuer. He who would cure an infectious disease always runs the risk of infection” (Barclay p.

243). Remember, this letter was written to many Christians and not just one Christian. I have an obligation to rescue the sinner, but there will be fallen Christian that someone else needs to rescue besides myself. The fallen Christian woman who is having marriage problems and is about to leave her husband— 9

needs to be rescued, but rescued by women. “When a woman is crying on your shoulder, be careful! I am not suggesting that every woman who comes to you to out to get you or thinking sexual thoughts; I am simply pointing out that because she is hurting, your tendency will be to offer comfort. This comfort can very easily be misinterpreted and lead to sin. Always maintain a professional distance and do not sympathize too much” (Preparing the Young Man to Preach, Berry Kercheville, p. 124). We should equally fear that the person who fell might have been a very strong Christian at one time, and we need to be very sure of our faith as we cautiously attempt their salvation. “He must himself be a sturdy swimmer before he can save others who are in danger of being submerged in error. Those who would win others for Christ must themselves be very sure of Christ; and those who would fight the disease of sin must themselves have the strong antiseptic of a healthy faith. Ignorance can never be met with ignorance, not even with halfknowledge; it can be met only by the man who can say, ‘I know whom I have believed’” (Barlcay pp. 243-244). Sadly, what sometimes happens is that the person with has the zeal and love for souls to perform this rescue is the babe in Christ and not a seasoned Christian. Yet do not lose sight of the fact that mercy and fear are not opposites. True mercy is not naïve and neither it is gullible or trusting to a fault. Mercy will always act but it never forgets that sin is a messy business and that the devil is a dangerous opponent (1 Peter 5:8).

Jude 23 “Hating even the garment polluted by the flesh”: The Christian while longing for the salvation of the sinner never loses their disgust for sin (Romans 12:9). God never wants us to reach a point that we are no longer “shocked” by sin. One is not ignorant or naïve if one is taken back by what a person has done.

Jesus, God in the flesh, was shocked when He encountered stubborn unbelief (Mark 6:6). “Garment polluted by the flesh”: This might be a hyperbole, that they are so corrupt their very clothes are defiled. This is the person who may be treating sin as normal and commonplace. The word “garment” can equally refer to our lives, as in one who has not soiled his garments (Revelation 3:4). Thus, here might be the most abandoned sinner, soiled through and through, and yet such a person can still be saved (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). God may equally be saving that when saving sinners we need to view them as God views them, as clothed in filthy garments. “There may be a superficial, or even a very real attractiveness about some forms of sin, else we would not be warned concerning some types of sinner. But beyond the surface, within the aura of glamour, gaiety, and seductive appearance lurks the filthy garment of soul destroying sin” (Coder p. 119).

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Another idea is that the Christian must hate the atmosphere, the environment, the alluring garments in which sin is sometimes arrayed. “Polluted by the flesh”: At times some people in the world accuse the Christian of being afraid of knowledge, science, freedom or every common, “lighten up”. But behind sin and error is not freedom, nor true knowledge, nor science, but rather it is an attitude that seeks to rebel against what is right. “If the people Jude is describing are repenting, what we must expect of them is a compete reverse of lifestyle and a change of attitude towards their past. For their sake, we cannot afford to require anything less of them; their former lifestyle and attitude are what the gospel is saving them from, and so we must show no compromise. We cannot lower God’s standards in the hope that if the terms are easier, more people will repent. That is to love the clothing and to hate the sinners, because it denies the seriousness of their plight” (Stott p. 229).

Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling”: After hearing all these warnings against apostasy and false teachers one might be tempted to think, “then who can be saved?” Those who remain with God will be saved and remaining with God is not an impossible task, and God does not keep us from stumbling against our will, rather, when we cling to the faith (Jude 3), only then can we avoid the pitfalls of error and sin. Remember, Jude has been addressing temptations that surround all Christians. “He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3). Yes this life can be a dangerous path, but if we walk with God, which means on a practical basis listening to His instruction, we will not stumble, rather we will be able to see clearly good and evil (Hebrews 5:14). “Make you stand in the presence of His glory”: Here is the reward for an obedient life, standing (not cowering) in the presence of God’s full glory, and not only standing but “blameless”: The truly amazing thing is not that the words and deeds of all men will be examined at the last day (2 Corinthians 5:10), but rather that after this examination some will be approved! The word rendered “blameless” is a sacrificial word, one connected with sacrifices without blemish. Do we long for such a blameless condition? “With great joy”: For the faithful there is nothing to fear about being in the all-knowing presence of God. Jude 25 “to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen”

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“And now”: The present godless condition of our world does not prove that God is non-existence or powerless. God and His Son reign now, and nothing will replace them forever more. This is God’s universe, this is God’s reality, always has been, still is, and always will be. What chance then do rebels have?

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