Discerning – Page 28 – Three Minute Bible

May 24, 2020May 24, 2020

Jude 1: 23c — Corrupted Clothes

A rack of shirts and jackets at a men's clothing store.

—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

As we continue to parse Jude’s closing thoughts, we run into this interesting phrase, “ — hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” Whose clothing is Jude talking about? Yours? Mine? His?

The answer, it seems, is “all the above.” Peter references this idea in his second letter when he writes, “This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.” (2 Peter 2: 10)

May 21, 2020May 22, 2020

Jude 1: 22 — Doubt

A man welds steel on a construction site.

Be merciful to those who doubt…

Jude continues to give us his advice. Perhaps what he says sounds surprising. After all, he has spent the larger part of his letter warning us against the ungodly. Now he says, “Be merciful to those who doubt…” Could it be that he is worried some might confuse doubting with being ungodly?

It is a fair question. If you have spent any time at all reading this blog you know that I have a lot of questions! And if ever there is a quiet moment, I can come up with more questions at the drop of a hat.

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020

Jude 1: 21a — Word’s Dawn

… keep yourselves in God’s love …

Jude’s language is interesting. He does not say, “Thank God, we who believe are saved!” He doesn’t rest on his laurels. There is no pointing to how smart he is to have chosen to believe in Jesus. Instead, he offers some advice and encouragement when he writes, “… keep yourselves in God’s love.”

Remember how he started his short letter? In verse three he urges us to “contend for the faith.” In the next verse, he warns us about “certain individuals” who have “secretly slipped in among you.” Immediately we, his readers, are on the alert. Our minds may have started to sift through every “brother” and “sister” we know. We are suspiciously comparing them to the list of clues that Jude gives us to identify the ungodly.

May 17, 2020May 17, 2020

Jude 1: 20b — Choices

A child stands before 12 gum ball machines, each with a different color of candy.

… by building yourselves up in your most holy faith…

As people we have choices in life. As Christians, we have choices to make, too. One of those choices is whether we choose to build ourselves up in holy faith.

This past year I suffered an injury to my shoulder. I chose to wait and see if it would get better by itself. It didn’t. Instead of getting better, I learned to adapt or guard the injury. When I finally saw the doctor a few months later, he confirmed that the injury was severe enough to have limited the motion in my arm. He referred me to a physical therapist. I now had another choice to make: live with the pain or deal with therapy. Eventually, I chose therapy.

May 16, 2020May 16, 2020

Jude 1: 20a — Dear Friends

Friends silhouetted against the setting sun.

But you, dear friends…

Jude is done writing about the “ungodly.” His letter is short, taking less than three minutes to read the whole thing. After a brief greeting, he jumps into his topic and doesn’t let go. Now, only a few words from the end of his letter, he abruptly stops and changes direction. At this point, he is talking to his brothers and sisters in Christ, those who believe. Those who are part of the Body of Christ.

But you, dear friends…

Who are his friends? These are the people who are called by God. They are loved in God the Father. They are kept for Jesus Christ. They have mercy, peace, and love. They share in salvation through the promise and presence of Jesus in their lives. And, they contend for the faith.

May 14, 2020May 15, 2020

Jude 1: 16c — Strange Reflection

A glass ball reflects a strange image of a beach.

…they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

Jude wraps up his description of the ungodly with this final clue. What is it about boasting and flattery that has drawn Jude’s attention?

In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes:

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. (Romans 12:3)

May 13, 2020May 14, 2020

Jude 1: 16b — The Face of Jesus

A photo of a statue of Jesus gazing out over the horizon.

…they follow their own evil desires…

Jude is almost done with his description of those who pollute and dilute the Body of Christ. It is as if Jude is looking into the face of Jesus himself, and in that face he sees the purity that Jesus wants for his church.

Let’s join Jude and imagine what the Body of Christ could be like.

May 12, 2020May 12, 2020

Jude 1: 16a — On Guard

These people are grumblers and faultfinders…

With deft strokes, Jude is painting a picture of what the ungodly look like. I find it interesting that he does not call out specific people he might be thinking of. Yet, I can also see a reason for this. From God’s perspective, Jude is not being asked to write to a specific church or even a specific age of the church. Instead, the Holy Spirit has commissioned him to write a description for all time.

Jude’s letter is a fitting penultimate chapter for God’s love letter to his people. From beginning to end, the entire Bible is about two things; Jesus Christ and the difference between what is godly and what is ungodly. Jude’s letter paints a picture of what to look for.

May 11, 2020May 12, 2020

Jude 1: 14b — Enoch’s Prophecy

several piles of gold coins each larger than the last.

See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

I am a little out of my depth when we get the End Times Prophecy department. Pr. Rich is the expert in that area as far as I am concerned. So outside of taking a contextual look at Enoch’s prophecy, let’s take a specific look at this passage and see what we can learn.

First, Jude is using a source of information on this topic that is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. This is new information about Enoch.

May 9, 2020October 9, 2020

Jude 1: 14a — A Faithful Walk

Silhouette of an old man and dog walking.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them…

One of the most amazing aspects of the Bible is the amount of detail it contains about the past. Of course, whether or not you believe this information depends on your view of the Bible.

As I have mentioned before, my personal view is that God exists. God created everything there is, and if God wanted to get a book published He could. If he did, it would be exactly the way He wanted to it be.