My Redeemer > Bible > Jude > Chapter 1 JUDE Chapter 1 Skip Table of Contents Table of Contents Salutation: 1,2 Warning against false teachers in the community: 3-19 Reason for the warning: 3,4 Reminder of people in the past who didn't obey GOD: 5-7 Character and judgment of false teachers: 8-19 Exhortation to persevere 20-23 Keep the faith: 20,21 Rescue those who have been deceived: 22,23 Doxology24,25 Jude 1 Sanctified: Refers to GOD's special action in separating the believers for himself. However, an appropriate reading of the expression here would be "beloved". In any case, the divine initiative is evident, as the word employed immediately after indicates: called. Jude 3,4 Apparently Jude momentarily abandons the composition of another letter that he had been writing, that is, he wanted to write to those Christians, to alert them about the false teachers who had infiltrated the Church. The faith which has been...given to the saints: Refers to the apostolic doctrine imparted to the believers in the first days of the Church. This is the teaching that is being twisted and for which the Christians must contend. The corruption of "the faith" is manifested by an egotistical conduct and lack of love, sensual and immoral lifestyles, and distorted or deceptive doctrines. Jude 3 it was needful for me (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary) rather, "I felt it necessary to write (now at once; so the Greek aorist means; the present infinitive 'to write,' which precedes, expresses merely the general fact of writing) exhorting you." The reason why he felt it necessary "to write with exhortation," he states (Jude 1:4) "For there are certain men crept in," &c. Having intended to write generally of "the common salvation," he found it necessary from the existing evils in the Church, to write specially that they should contend for the faith against those evils. Jude 4 See section 1 of "Truth in Action" at the end of Jude. LITERARY RICHES Jude 4 sovereign, despotes; Strong #1203: The origin of the word "despot". The word means owner, master, one who has absolute dominion, supreme authority and unlimited power that emanates from the right of ownership. Despotes includes total submission on our part to GOD's will, not as an expression of fear or servitude, but as a joyful and voluntary submission. Jude 6 The angels who abandoned their own habitation are probably the "sons of GOD" mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4. According to the Jewish teachings of the first century, especially in the apocryphal book of I Enoch, angels came down and cohabited with the women who lived before the Flood. Thus the sin of these fallen angels is compared to the "sexual immorality associated with Sodom and Gomorrha (v.7). The first Christians knew and utilized those writings, in spite of the fact that they weren't considered a part of the Sacred Scripture. Although the Bible isn't clear how these angels fell, it's clear that now they have been confined, awaiting the "judgment of the great day" , after Christ returns and the evil are cast "into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41); see Mark 1:24). Their situation illustrates the lot of the unbelievers. Jude 7 Sodom and Gomorrha...suffering the punishment of eternal fire: Another example of what awaits the immoral. Their punishment is irreversible, as was that of Sodom and Gomorrha, a paradigm of GOD's justice. The neighboring cities were Admah and Zeboim (Gen. 19:20-22; Deut. 29:23). Jude 8-19 See section 1 of "Truth in Action" at the end of Jude. KINGDOM DYNAMICS Jude 9 Archangel ANGELS. The only archangel whom the Scriptures specifically mention is Michael. It's probably his voice we will hear in the Second Coming (I Thes. 4:16). As Gabriel is a prominent person in the Bible, and also due to his name being derived from a root word meaning, "force" or "chief" (political), which characterizes the archangels, there are some who also consider Gabriel to be an archangel. That opinion, even though it has no scriptural support, gained popularity with the classical work, "Paradise Lost" by John Milton. Many scholars hold that Lucifer was an archangel before his fall (Ezek. 28). This is only speculation, however, based on the influence he exercised over the angels who fell with him. LITERARY RICHES Jude 11 error, plane; Strong #4106: Originally, a love of walking, a wandering individual; thus, the word "planet". Metaphorically, the vocabulary refers to walking off course, an error. In the New Testament, the leading astray would always be in respect to morality and doctrine. Jude 11 Instead of looking after his brother, Cain murdered him (Gen. 4:8; I John 3:11,12). Balaam was offered money to curse Israel. After GOD prohibited the curses, Balaam led Israel to sin (Num. 22-24). After inciting a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, Core and his followers were swallowed up by the earth (Num. 16:1-24). The judgment against the false teachers is so assured that they are spoken of as if they had already perished, like Core did. Jude 12 The feasts of charity (agapes, in Greek) were fraternal meals of the first Christians, that possibly included the LORD's Supper (see I Cor. 11:20-34). The false teachers are clouds without water, that is, they promise spiritual relief, but don't supply it. Jude 14,15 About Enoch, see Genesis 5:3-24. The seventh from Adam includes Adam. Jude cites I Enoch, a popular book of early Judaism and respected by Christian antiquity. This book doesn't make up part of the Sacred Scriptures, but the teaching which is referred to here agrees with biblical truth. Jude considers that Enoch prophesied of the Second Coming of Christ, when the unholy will be judged (see II Thes. 1:6-10). The reference to the ten thousands of saints is taken from the book of Deuteronomy (33:2). The saints who accompany Christ in the judgment are the angels (see Matt. 16:27; 25:31). Jude 17,18 See section 1 of "Truth in Action" at the end of Jude. KINGDOM DYNAMICS Jude 20 Benefits of the prayer in the Spirit SPIRITUAL GIFTS. A benefit of the private practice and devotional of "speaking in tongues" is personal edification. The multiple benefits of the prayer with or in the Spirit can be studied along with other aspects of its action in human lives. See the article, "Gifts and power of the Holy Spirit", linked above.   (Gal. 5:22,23/I Cor. 14:1-40) P.W. Jude 20,21 See section 1 of "Truth in Action" at the end of Jude. Jude 20 Jude exhorts his readers to edify themselves with the apostolic doctrine (see the note for verse 3). A vital part of your spiritual growth is praying in the Spirit. Such prayer includes praying in our own language following the inspiration of the Spirit (see Rom. 8:15), praying with "unspeakable groanings" (Rom. 8:26), and praying in an unknown tongue which prays (see I Cor. 14:4,14). Jude 23 See section 2 of "Truth in Action" at the end of Jude. Jude 23 The fire may allude to the passion of desire (see v.18), but it more probably deals with the fire of the coming judgment (verses 7.15). Jude 24,25 See section 2 of "Truth in Action" at the end of Jude. LITERARY RICHES Jude 24 powerful, dunamai; Strong #1410: Power to do, to have power. The word combines power and will, inherent force and action.

Introduction to Jude - Ch. 1 - Truth in Action throughout Jude OLD TESTAMENT Genesis - Exodus - Leviticus - Numbers - Deuteronomy - Joshua - Judges - Ruth - I Samuel - II Samuel - I Kings - II Kings - I Chronicles - II Chronicles - Ezra - Nehemiah - Esther - Job - Psalms - Proverbs - Ecclesiastes - Song of Songs - Isaiah - Jeremiah - Lamentations - Ezekiel - Daniel - Hosea - Joel - Amos - Obadiah - Jonah - Micah - Nahum - Habakkuk - Zephaniah - Haggai - Zechariah - Malachi NEW TESTAMENT Matthew - Mark - Luke - John - Acts - Romans - I Corinthians - II Corinthians - Galatians - Ephesians - Philippians - Colossians - I Thessalonians - II Thessalonians - I Timothy - II Timothy - Titus - Philemon - Hebrews - James - I Peter - II Peter - I John - II John - III John - Jude - Revelation . Jude 12 - LOVE FEASTS (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International) "These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear." The agapae or love-feasts, here called "feasts of charity", were feasts which were celebrated in connection with the sacrament of the LORD's Supper; whether before or after is a disputed question. Possibly the precedence varied at different periods of Church history. Bingham gives this account of it from Chrysostom: "The first Christians had all things in common, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles; and when that ceased, as it did in the apostles' time, this came in its room, as an efflux or imitation of it. For though the rich did not make all their substance common, yet, upon certain days appointed, they made a common table; and when their service was ended, and they had all communicated in the holy mysteries, they all met at a common feast: the rich bringing provisions, and the poor and those who had nothing being invited, they all feasted in common together." The same authority also quotes from Tertullian, who represents the order of service of the agapae. "Our supper, which you accuse of luxury, shows its reason in its very name - for it is called agape, which signifies love among the Greeks. Whatever charge we are at, it is gain to be at expense upon the account of piety. For we therewith relieve and refresh the poor. There is nothing vile or immodest committed in it. For we do not sit down before we have first offered up prayer to God; we eat only to satisfy hunger, and drink only so much as becomes modest persons. We fill ourselves in such manner as that we remember still that we are to worship God by night. We discourse as in the presence of God, knowing that he hears us. Then, after water to wash our hands, and lights brought in, every one is moved to sing some hymn to God, either out of Scripture, or, as he is able, of his own composing; and by this we judge whether he has observed the rules of temperance in drinking. Prayer again concludes our feast; and thence we depart, not to fight and quarrel, not to run about and abuse all we meet, not to give ourselves up to lascivious pastime; but to pursue the same care of modesty and chastity, as men that have fed at a supper of philosophy and discipline, rather than a corporeal feast." See BINGHAM'S Antiquities of the Christian Church, book xv, chap. 7, paragraphs 6-9. Most commentators suppose an allusion in I Corinthians 11:21 to the feasts of love, which were used in connection with the Eucharist. Dr. Lightfoot, however, while conceding that there were such feasts, denies that they are the agapae mentioned by Paul and by Jude. He supposes that both Paul and Jude refer to entertainments which were provided for traveling brethren at the cost of the Church, in imitation of the custom of the Jews in their synagogues. His entire comment is curious and interesting. See his Works, (Edition, Pitman,) vol. xii, p. 522.