of Jude
Part 4—The Southern Kingdom
The logic of the grammar suggests that, while Jude intended to write about their common salvation, he was constrained to write instead about the imminent dangers to the Christian community (Schreiner, et al.). The repetition of the verb “write” supports an apparent change of intent and content. Apparently, Jude originally wanted to lay out for his audience an encouraging exposition of the salvation believers held in common, but the Holy Spirit redirected his thinking and drew his attention to a different priority, an urgent “necessity.” The infinitive to contend earnestly is an intensive form of the verb from which we derive our word agonize. It is the same term Paul uses (twice) in 1 Timothy 6:12 (“Fight the good fight of faith”). This is a passionate, forceful, striving, struggling, sweaty word of exertion. 4–19: Our posture toward those who attack, undermine, or pervert (in doctrine or practice) the faith that has been entrusted to us by God—identify them. This is not to say that “contending earnestly” means name-calling or defamation. Jude’s point is not to furnish a Biblical vocabulary of verbal abuse but to unveil the true character and motives, strategies and influence, danger and destiny of such persons. Strong language can be delivered with a proper spirit without personalized “railing accusations” but with an express reliance on the Lord (9), out of loyalty to Him and to His truth. Such language as Jude employs is to be reserved for the outright enemies of the faith—not those of the household with whom we disagree (even rightly or on issues of significance). 20, 21: Our posture toward ourselves—Guard yourselves (by building, praying, looking). Our security lies not in our militancy or bravado but in a humble reliance on the love of God, by constantly building ourselves up in our faith (cf. 2 Peter’s emphasis on personal spiritual stability through the Word), praying in the Holy Spirit, and looking for the mercy of Christ that is our only hope of eternal life. 22, 23: Our posture to those in danger of succumbing to false teaching—mercy and urgency. Jude balances our posture against the influence of false teaching between two essential attitudes and activities: contending for the faith (3) and compassion for the deceived (22). Message Jude “is calling his readers to consider what follows when people who profess to be followers of Christ deny the faith in teaching and in life. . . . This letter is a strong challenge to its readers to oppose resolutely all teachings FrontLine • July/August 2010
and habits of life that profess to be Christian but deny the essence of the faith. . . . In our century it is the fashion to be tolerant of anything that calls itself Christian, no matter how wide of the gospel it may be. Clearly tolerance is important. . . . But Jude reminds us that there are limits. . . . It is possible to reinterpret the Christian life so that it ceases to be too demanding and degenerates into a way of living indistinguishable from that of the world” (Carson, Moo, and Morris, Introduction to the NT, 463). In his hymn “O Word of God Incarnate,” William How (1823–97) voices the historic ambition of the Church—to be “a lamp of purest gold”—wedding doctrinal light with purity of life. O make Thy church, dear Savior, A lamp of purest gold, To bear before the nations Thy true light as of old. There is much less sympathy, or even understanding, of that complementarity in modern, grace-abusing Christianity. “Contending earnestly for the onceentrusted-to-the-saints faith” is a call to a militant defense of the purity of the Christian faith—both in its doctrine and in a lifestyle that is consistent with that doctrine. “Militant” does not mean belligerent, mean-spirited, pugnacious, or arrogant—these are all manifestations of spiritual immaturity and/or personal insecurity. We do not operate from a position of weakness or vulnerability or insecurity or fearfulness. Mark Sidwell aptly condenses the Biblical posture and practice of separation that is the necessary consequence of earnestly contending for the faith. True biblical separation is manifested in love: a love for God that rejects the world system, a love for the church that will not tolerate false teachers who desire to lead the sheep astray and to devour them, and a love for the Christian brother that is willing to endure even a break in fellowship in order to provoke him to do right. In the practice of separation, Christians should not become frustrated or vindictive. They should not be hasty to condemn others on the basis of unproven rumors. Instead they should demonstrate a godly patience because they know that God will eventually judge all ungodliness (Jude 14–15), whether it be the ungodliness of the world, of the false teacher, or of a disobedient brother (The Dividing Line, 67–68). In this fight for the faith, our motivation is the fear of God (not man), loyalty to His truth (not to self), and love for His church (not for the fight). 31