Jude 1-10, How does our own doctrinal deviations affect our witness?

Background:

Assume Jesus death	33
Galatians	49-51
1 & 2 Thess	49-51
Mark / Matt / Luke	60-68
Destruction of Temple	70
John / 1,2,3 John / Rev	80-90

Jude - Geisler says 67-69; Ryrie 70-80; Unger et al 67-80
We will look at the audience and author next


Jude 1-2 (NIV) Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, // To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: // 2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.


• What does Jude say about himself and also what does he not say about himself?
• He is the brother of James
• James is head of the church of Jerusalem
• James is associated with the idea of maintaining the law (Gal 2:12)
• James takes the lead in describing the requirements for Gentile believers (Acts 15:13, 19-21)
• He does not say he is the brother of Jesus
• Could be humility
• Could be shame, because he did not believe
• Not sure when Jude did believe, although 1 Cor 15:7 mentions Jesus appearing to James after the resurrection
• Audience is probably a Jewish audience
• Because of his association with James
• Because of the use of the Hebrew scriptures
• Because of his use of topics that most Gentiles would not be familiar


Jude 3-4 (NIV) Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.


• What was his original intent in writing a letter, and why does he change it?
• He wanted to write a letter about the salvation they share (would be a positive aspect)
• He felt "compelled" to write about contending for the faith (negative)
• Particular Greek word is the only usage in the NT. It is a compound word, but the gist is that one agonizes in a struggle or wrestling match
• So the issue at the heart of this letter is what? Error and false teaching
• How does Jude describe these men the must be contended with?
• Condemnation written long ago: this is not an indication of predestined but rather that this behavior was expected and to be judged
• Secretly slipped in among you: not noticed, possibly never believers, clearly do not hold to the basics truths of scripture but have kept their rebellion hidden
• Godless men: characterized by an irreverent attitude toward God; a scoffer; a person who lives in opposition to God
• What is their philosophical bent?
• Misunderstanding of grace: they basically use the idea of grace to justify sin
• Antinomianism: free from the moral law by virtue of grace
• Gnosticism: somewhat related to both arguments in the sense of some secret knowledge available to a select few
• Deny Jesus as God
• And by denying Jesus' authority it removes the need to obey him
• APPLICATION: Doctrinal deviation often accompanies and often justifies ethical and moral sin (Constable, 2010)


Jude 5-7 (NIV) Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home — these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.


• Three examples are given. What is the common theme?
• In two of the three, are cases of groups of people who pervert God's grace
• In all three cases, we see the results of denying God's authority
• First case is the Exodus. What do we know of the people?
• Saved. Passed through the water. Saw God's great power. Fed by manna. Given the word in the wilderness. Protected
• Rejected God's command to take the land because of the Giants. Continually complained to God because life lacked variety (lust of the flesh)
• [As a side note, being chosen and elect of God is not a guarantee of anything on earth]
• Second case is the Angels
• Jude seems to be quoting an apocryphal book (Book of Enoch), in which case, he would be confirming what it said, but not ascribing diving inspiration (Constable, 2010). Paul also quoted non-biblical references (Ac 17:28)
• Special rank, privilege, and access
• Followed Lucifer's lies. Satan is the first Gnostic
• Third case is Sodom and Gomorrah
• No sense are they believers, but apparently they knew God's prohibition against sexual immorality and perversion (which would be homosexuality)
• They had life, but they gave it up for sin
• They are also judged and serve as an example of the punishment of eternal fire
• Why warn believers? Two of the three cases are believers


Jude 8-10 (NIV) In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"   10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals — these are the very things that destroy them.


• Why call them dreamers?
• Possibly they profess prophetic visions
• How do they pollute their own bodies?
• 1 Cor 6:18-20 (NIV) Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
• Sexual sin is a sin against God (Ps 51:4) and against our own body, which in the NT is a temple of the HS
• We also see the same characteristics of these ungodly men:
• Reject authority -- There is no higher authority. I am my own master or god
• Slander celestial beings -- Idea of a scoffer. I can say what I want because they don't exist
• This is a Jewish story about an argument over the body of Moses
• Michael is one of the chief angels and according to tradition is Israel's defender. The story says that Moses' tomb was put under the authority of Michael. In some manner, Satan brings an insulting charge against Michael, but Michael does not reply in the same way
• The point of the story, is that even though Michael was in the right, he still didn't speak abusively against Satan, though we might think he was in the right
• We need to watch our words. Specifically I think of Facebook
• Our words need to be gracious and seasoned with salt
• When we talk and act like the world, we hurt our witness and our opportunity to show the difference Christ can make in our life
• APPLICATION: The NFL handed down a punishment against Sean Payton, coach of the Saints. In his apology, he talked about the not demeaning the shield (the reference to the NFL shield--
"Respecting our great game and the NFL shield is extremely important to me"). Why don't we as believers care more about our witness for Jesus Christ?