JUDE 22-23: LIBERATING FELLOW BELIEVERS

Verses 22-23: And refute some who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and to some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. [corrected translation]

In approaching verse 22, it should be noted at the outset that there are some major Greek manuscript discrepancies. Even the 20^th Century Greek scholar A.T. Robertson has agreed that “The text of this verse is in much confusion.”1 Therefore, the alternate reading preferred by many respectable Bible scholars, may be the better reading then the English translation we are using in this study. The various manuscripts contain different verbs: some have the Greek verb mercy and others the Greek verb refute, reprove—both have similar spelling in the Greek.2 The renowned textual critic, Dr. Bruce M. Metzger, regarded this as maybe “a scribal modification introduced in order to differentiate the statement from that in the clause of ver. 23, thus producing a sequence progressing from severity (“reprove”) to compassion (“show mercy)”3.

The question to be consider is exactly who are the “some” and the “others” to whom Jude is referring in these two verses?  It is highly probable that Jude means fellow believers within the church, for the believers were apparently in various stages of being deceived by the false teachers. In these two verses, he is focusing on three distinct groups that require the intervention of mature believers.

First, for those who are doubting sound doctrine, Jude advises that their objections need to be refuted, by showing why they are wrong. This is supported by the directive of the Apostle Paul to Titus:

Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. (Titus 1:9; cf. 1:13; 2:15)

There is a need in our day also to do this, but we must not do it in a belligerent or arrogant manner. Let us instead follow Paul’s instruction:

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

And he explains the reason for this approach in the next verse:

Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

It is imperative that the unity of the Body of Christ be maintained by sound doctrine and upheld by all believers, regardless of denominational affiliations.  

Second, we are commanded to save others. The saving that Jude is referring to is not for eternal life. The reason is made clear when it is realized that Jude has relied upon a passage in Zechariah chapter 3 for this verse. Let us recall that when Jude mentioned the confrontation of Michael with the devil (v.9) that too was a parallel reference to Zechariah contained in the Book of Enoch:

The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” (Zechariah 3:2)

The word fire is common Old Testament imagery for the judicial wrath of God4 (cf. Ezekiel 15:7; Amos 4:11). Note that in Zechariah, ‘fire’ describes the divine discipline of Israel having “been saved [plucked] out of the fire of the Babylonian captivity.”5 Jude is employing this same imagery to describe ‘snatching’ out, literally, to forcibly seize6 fellow believers being captivated by the false teachings of apostates. Hence, the ‘fire’ Jude refers to is figurative of divine discipline for those who believe false doctrines.

I have heard it humorously stated that this verse refers to someone making it to heaven “smelling of smoke.” The idea being that they escaped from Hell and were singed by its fire. This is a distortion of what Jude is writing—no one will enter heaven smelling like smoke. Remember, there is nothing funny or amusing about the eternal punishment of Hell.

Third, we are commanded to have mercy with fear on some. Having mercy is simply demonstrating compassion. Our Lord affirmed in His famous Beatitudes that “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) Hence, mature believers who are compassionate with fellow believers caught up in the mire of false teachers, by their demonstration of mercy they are blessed, being “the nature of that which is the highest good”7 in God’s estimation.

But we are to show our compassion with fear. Some commentators believe this indicates that one should be afraid of being contaminated by “the contagion of sin while we are rescuing them.”8 However true this may be, the word fear does not always infer to be afraid, it is used elsewhere to denote the showing of respect— esteeming someone with high regard, especially God (Acts 10:2, 22, 35; 13:16, 26). It follows that the one showing compassion should do so respectfully, without hostility towards the fellow believer. We should beware not to influence others into thinking too lightly of their sins; keeping in mind the victory that can be achieved, rescuing them from the apostasy and preserving unity among all believers.

This compassion of ours should be focused and directed at “hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” Jude is not speaking of hating our fellow believers in Christ but in the sense of strongly disapproving and repudiating the sin that has overwhelmed them. Their sin is expressed figuratively of a polluted garment, like a shirt worn close to the body, being symbolic of one’s personal life. In this case, a life that has been stained (polluted) by sinfulness brought on by having been influenced and led astray by the false doctrines of the apostates.

The phrase by the flesh is figurative of the “old self,” about which the Apostle Paul defined and advised:

That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. (Ephesians 4:22; cf. Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:9)

And Paul warns of indulgence in the sins of the flesh:

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8; cf. Romans 8:12f)

This is a reminder to us, that the believer is responsible for all personal sin, especially when they are inattentive to learning and applying sound doctrine and become indifferent to achieving spiritual maturity.

These two verses constitute Jude’s concluding instructions on dealing with the repercussions of the apostasy that has infiltrated among believers. It would be sensible for us to follow his wise advice for these same challenges are confronting us today.

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[1] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, Jude 22.

[2] Mercy - ἐλεέω; refute - ἐλεγχω

[3] Metzger, Bruce M. (2001). A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Stuttgart: United Bible Societies, p. 660.

[4] Lang, F. (1964–). πῦρ. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 6.935.

[5] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 update. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1463 note.

[6] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G726.

[7] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.70.

[8] Vincent, Marvin R. (n/d). Word Studies in the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1.722.

 

 © 2023 David M. Rossi

JUDE 21: DEFENSE AGAINST THE APOSTATES, PT II

Verse 21: Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

In verses 20 and 21, Jude submitted four personal qualities that his readers should possess as a defense against the deceitfulness of false teachers. The previous study developed the first two qualities in verse 20 and now the third and fourth qualities will be explored.

The word keep is the main verb of verses 20 and 21, describing the overall quality which the believer should possess. The other three qualities (the two in the previous verse and that of waiting anxiously) are Greek participles and according to Greek grammar they should be achieved simultaneously while believers are keeping themselves in the love of God.1

This Third quality, Jude directs us to keep yourselves in the love of God.  The word “keep” implies to preserve or maintain a position. Jude employs this word throughout the epistle to demonstrate that there is an order in God’s universe for everyone. Note His judicial dealings with those who endeavor to oppose Him or those who lead astray believers. The fallen angels of verse 6 did not keep their own domain—they were out of the habitation from where they belonged and are now being kept in eternal bonds (cf. 2 Peter 2:4). And in verse 13, the false teachers are doomed to the black darkness, which is described by Our Lord as “the outer darkness; in that place will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12; cf. 22:13; 25:30). This place has been reserved (same Greek word as kept) for them for all eternity (cf. 2 Peter 2:17).

You will recall that Jude has already stated that the believers in Jesus Christ are kept for Him (v. 1). This reaffirms Jesus’ request of His Holy Father to keep us in His name that we might be in union with Him and God the Father (John 17:11). Dr. Wuest explains that in essence “the Father is keeping them so that they might continue to be forever the possession of the Lord Jesus.”2 The Apostle Peter verified that we have an eternal benefit of being kept for Him:

To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved [kept] in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:4)

But now, the position that Jude directs us to keep is in the sphere of fellowship with God the Father, just as Jesus commanded: “Abide in My love” (John 15:9). It is where we experience His enduring love and express our love for Him, and where we derive our power source to serve. To reside in this fellowship “involves many other commands: be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), humble yourselves (1 Peter 5:6), love the Lord your God (Mark 12:30), love one another (1 John 3:23), grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord (2 Peter 3:18), all of which combine to form one divine system of perfect efficacy and strength for the Christian life.”3

Our continued residence in the sphere of fellowship is contingent upon doing as the Apostle Paul commanded: “keeping yourself free from sin” (1 Timothy 5:22), and by keeping His word as the Apostle John definitively proclaims:

But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him. (1 John 2:5)

Personal sin breaks our fellowship with the Father resulting in our walking in a domain of darkness. For this is what John teaches, “that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5b).  He goes on to state that:

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (1 John 1:6)

John instructs us to confess our sins (1 John 1:9) so that our fellowship can be restored. Thus, it is Jude’s desire that we maintain our fellowship with God; that by advancing in our knowledge of His truth and being free from sinfulness we are able to exhibit our love for God in an unmistakable way.

The Fourth quality, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ means that we are to eagerly anticipate the final phase of our salvation: the eternal state. It is worth noting that Scripture outlines three distinct phases of our salvation:

1.  Positional—we are justified and therefore freed from the penalty of sin. The Apostle Paul stated this:

Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are no longer at enmity with God and we obtain and begin eternal life. (Romans 5:1)

2.   Present—we are freed from the power of sin. The Apostle Paul outlined this:

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:12–13)

3.   Future or Ultimate—this phase of salvation is when we are freed from the presence of sin, forever. We enter this phase at the moment we pass from this life unto death. The Apostle Paul explains that after our death, we will be “absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8b). This is the completed phase of our salvation—our entrance into the eternal state.

Now, the present phase of our salvation has been so designed for us to know God the Father and His divine mercy extended to us by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is what the Our Lord meant when He defined eternal life:

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

Our knowing Him is not meant to be casual or unresponsive, but ideally, an intimate relationship with a profound understanding of the true significance of our existence. God’s expectation for believers is that they fulfill His objective of being effective witnesses for the gospel while on the earth.

As tempting as it is to desire to escape all of the negative aspects of this life (sorrow, grief, misery, wars, etc.), we should never be too heavenly minded that we neglect His purpose for our lives today. Yet, it is not unreasonable for us to anxiously await what He has in store for us when we pass from this present life, to the eternal state in the presence of God (cf. 1 Peter 1:5, 9, 13). For there and then “we will yet receive that part of salvation which awaits us in Glory.”4 We should be like-minded as the Apostle Paul:

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:9)

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[1] Wallace, D. B. (1996) Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the Greek New Testament, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, p. 623.

[2] Wuest, Kenneth S. (1997). Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English Reader. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 16.232.

[3] Thieme, R.B., Jr. (2022). Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, Houston, TX: R.B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, pp. 164-165.

[4] Wuest, 11.22.

© 2023 David M. Rossi
 

JUDE 20: DEFENSE AGAINST THE APOSTATES, PT. I

Verse 20: But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.

Jude begins by emphasizing that the characteristics of his beloved readers are to be in distinct contrast with those of the apostates. He specifies four personal qualities that his readers should possess as a defense against the deceitfulness of false teachers. Believers, today and until the Lord comes for His church, should endeavor to attain to these same qualities. We will analyze the first two of these personal qualities in this time and the other two will be addressed in the following study.

First, building yourself up on your most holy faith. Because of the confusion over the exact implication of the word ‘faith’ in this verse, this characteristic has not been widely observed in Christianity today. The difficulty lies in the misconception of what exactly is this most holy faith? The word faith has various inferences in Scripture. It can imply the faith one expresses in Christ for salvation (Ephesians 2:8). But it can also refer objectively to the content of that which is believed—body of faith or belief, doctrine;1 denoting the embodiment of absolute truth which encompasses the teachings of Christianity based upon a correct interpretation of Scripture. This is how it is used elsewhere in Scripture2 and to which Jude is precisely referring and what he commanded that we contend earnestly for in verse 3.

Note that the Apostle Paul maintains that the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17), is an integral part of our spiritual armor. Paul informed Timothy of the spiritual objective of Scripture:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

When compared with other Scriptures, we find that it is not a coincidence that Jude advises his readers to continually build themselves up on the doctrinal truths contained in God’s Word. Consistent daily Bible study is the key defense against false teachings. But to study means more than merely reading Scripture—it is meditating, memorizing and integrating the truths of our most holy faith into our consciousness, so that we are able to think God’s thoughts and respond to every circumstance of life in a manner that reflects the reality of Jesus Christ. Just as a building has a solid foundation, God’s Word is our foundation upon which we build level upon level of our understanding of God’s plan for our lives (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:10-11).

A little sermonette on Sunday morning will not maintain a believer throughout the week. If that is all we are getting, its effectiveness would probably last only until Sunday dinner. The fact that there is so little individual study by believers today is the reason that false teachings, divisions and the craving to be entertained has entered the church today, not to mention the negative effect it has had upon our culture.

Secondly, Jude instructs us to consistently be praying in the Holy Spirit—by the powerful intercessory working of God the Holy Spirit. Prayer is the believers’ power-line to the throne of God. And yet the principle guidelines of prayer are rarely understood and employed within Christianity today—specifically, the order in addressing prayer and the scope of prayer requests.

The order of prayer is provided by Our Lord in Matthew 6:9-13. He commands His disciples to begin prayer by addressing the Father. This is the manner in which He prayed at all times, most notably in His great Intercessory Prayer recorded in John 17 and on the cross before “He breathed His last”: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46). We are never directed by Scripture to address prayer to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Prayer is addressed to the Father, our requests are asked in the name of Jesus Christ (Luke 11:2; cf. John 14:13, 16:23), in the power of the Holy Spirit (Jude 20).

Our Lord outlined the scope of our prayers in John 16:23, “if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” But this is not without its reasonable limitations, for our prayers should be in accordance with God’s purposes and that which glorifies Christ. See the converse example in James 4:3 where James pointed out that they were praying with wrong motives—seeking their own pleasures. Prayer is not intended to be a grab bag of personal desires, but instead it is to advance the spiritual plan of God in our lives and in the lives of others. So prayer is divinely intended to be an important function of the believers’ daily life: rejoicing, thanksgiving and prayers for the brethren (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 25) and also for politicians and those in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

It is important to point out that while we are building ourselves up and praying in the Holy Spirit, we are commanded to keep ourselves in the love of God. This will be examined in the next study.

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[1] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1957). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, p. 669.

[2] cf. Galatians 1:23; 3:23; Ephesians 4:5; Philippians 1:27; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:4; Jude 1:3, 20

 

© 2023 David M. Rossi