“…I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

• Jude 3b

[We] need to understand that false teachers exist, that their teaching can be attractive and dangerous, and that their condemnation is certain…Jude’s strategy in making these points is particularly effective: by associating the false teachers with sinners, rebels, and heretics in the Old Testament and Jewish tradition, Jude effectively reminds us that defections from true revelation and sound morals are to be expected in every generation. The atmosphere of postmodernism in which the church now lives requires us to guard vigilantly against the temptation to welcome heresy in the name of “tolerance.”

• D.A. Carson & Doug Moo

As we come to conclude our study of the letter of Jude we must recall the important truth that the experiences of a person’s life frequently inform their beliefs and passions. When we consider the message of the letter of Jude, we see that he is greatly concerned that the churches properly understand who Jesus is in order that they may be faithful to Him in contending for the faith. As one of the members of the Lord’s earthly family, Jude had failed to fully appreciate who Jesus was throughout His life, and it was only after His resurrection that he came to recognize Him as Lord. Truly knowing Jesus completely changed Jude and he recognized that for the churches to be able to contend against false gospels and false teachers they too must truly know and worship Jesus.

Recall that his primary exhortation to the churches was that they contend for the faith (v. 3). In order to do this, they must recognize know Jesus as Lord for themselves, but also be able to engage those who deny His Lordship. They do this by way of warning, pointing out that Jesus has judged sin in the past and will do so again in the future (v. 5). They also, however, do this by way invitation, showing mercy to those trapped in sin because Christ Himself has shown great mercy to His people (vs. 21 & 24).

Along with his exhortation, he has warned the churches of the threat of false teachers (v. 4). This warning implies that Jesus and His people have enemies who seek to introduce error and to lead people astray. These false teachers present a false gospel (v. 4), live lives that dishonor God (v. 15), and are ultimately aligned with those who the Old Testament associates with the serpent or adversary of God presented in Genesis 3 (v. 11). The irony is that these false teachers believe that they can slander demonic forces and perhaps even Satan himself, while in reality they are carrying out his purposes against Jesus’ people.

In order to resist these attacks, believers must be those who are characterized by love for one another (vs. 20-22). As those who have received the mercy of God through the work of Christ, they must show mercy towards one another. They are those who are “beloved in God” and must therefore demonstrate that love for one another in order to guard against discouragement and error. This love will arise naturally among them if they are a community that is characterized by the worship of the Lord, something Jude emphasizes in the closing of the letter (vs. 24-25).

As we think about our own moment in history, we must consider how to apply Jude’s the exhortations and warnings. First, we must recognize that although we are not called to be contentious people, we are called to contend for the faith. Second, we must be warned that we still have an enemy and he still uses his people to try to deceive others and to damage the church. Finally, we must be reminded of the importance of knowing Christ as our Lord and orienting our lives around worshiping Him.

Join us this Sunday as we gather to be reminded of these things as we partake together at His table!

Soli Deo Gloria.

-Thomas