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Commentary
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 Jude Jude open with greeting to all those that are sanctified in God, heirs to the kingdom, predestined by the faith of Jesus Christ. (v1) Blessing them with the grace of God's mercy and the peace of knowledge of their sure salvation and in love prays they be fruitfully multiplied in number. (v2) Jude writes that he had written to them of the one gospel, that it was needed for them to not only keep the one gospel but also to contend with those that preached false gospels, as false heresies are growing. (v3) There are certain false christians that have infiltrated the fellowship of true believers that are perverting the truth of the gospel, preaching a different God and a different Christ. (v4) They are noted to be frustrating the grace of God preaching freedoms that are not obedience to the laws of God, allowing disobedience and even encouraging others that this is permissable. Jude writes that he will remind them then that the age will have its share of false disciples who fall away to sin, in having the wrong faith. Giving examples of Egypt, (v5) the fallen angels (v6) and Sodom (v7) Jude makes identification with adultery and fornication of old testament examples with the adulterising of the truth of the gospel and its reward - ending in destruction by God. These false disciples also show in themselves that the corruption of the gospel that perverts the obedience of God is evidenced in their behaviour also. (v8) Jude shows that the proper way to dispute the truth is not to slander the opponent, but to rebuke them in the Lord (v9) - yet these false disciples are not disputing the truth with the truth but are are opposing it with the lust of their flesh that they use to reshape the gospel to fashion it after themselves. They are deciding for themselves what God's perfect will for man should be - denying Christ that came to show that example by fulfilling the law. (v10) Jude states that these have gone in the way of Cain, leading their brothers into death as their murderers, swapping the Spirit of God for spirits of demons to satisfy their own madness and have perished in faith by claiming their lusts are justification for false liberty in a false gospel. (v11) Jude states that these false disciples are blemishes on their meeting in fellowship - that they are not of God and should not be enjoined with believers in fellowship - being spiritually dead, and having frustrated the grace of God, breaking its bands. (v12,v13) Jude quotes Enoch that they will have no inheritance in Christ with the believers but are under judgement already. (v14,15) Jude states they complain about obedience to God and do not obey the grace of God but follow after their own lusts instead of the ministrations of the Holy Spirit, and attract others because their words are pleasing to them because they have the advantage of pleasing the listeners with falsely obtained liberties (license). (v16) Jude calls them to remember the words spoken by Christ and the apostles (v17) how that in the last time there would arrive such as they that dispute the true gospel and present false gospels with false doctrines and religion without repentance. (v18) These have fallen from grace or either never known it, separating themselves from the true believers by not meriting that Holy Spirit's payment in earnest (of predestined eternal life). (v19) Jude states that the wider and true fellowship of the Holy Spirit are increased only upon the truth of the one faith and the one gospel (v20) and should keep themselves under the grace of God, remaining repentant obeying the Spirit's ministering until they inherit their eternal life into which they are predestined. (v21) Jude instructs them to save those that obey false teaching - some by compassion (v22) and others by rebuke (fear) - hating even the least spot of falsity in the faith of the man. (likened to as a garment) (v23) Jude puts them in the knowledge that only God has the mercy and power to bring them into eternal life in faultless obedience before Him; he gives glory to God and closes the letter. |
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