Daily Meditations on the Bible
These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—
What is a “love feast?” Who eats there? Why should anyone have qualms about it?
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, is a great resource on this question. He describes in detail what the love feast is, who and how to eat it, and why it should be taken very seriously.
What is it?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 12A — Food”
Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
Jude continues his discourse on the ungodly who infiltrate the Body of Christ with this: “They slander what they do not understand.” I think Jude is being rather kind here. The implication is that if these people could understand who God is they would change their ways.
I like this view of these ungodly people. It is a view that offers hope. Hope that maybe, at some point, they will come to understand the importance of bowing to God. But Jude is realistic. He knows that if they do not bow to God, they will be destroyed.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 10 — Horse and Water”
In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams …
What do people stand on if they are not standing on the Truth? I have heard it said that there are different kinds of truth: objective truth, personal truth, and political truth. But the only truth that matters, after everything else is said and done, it eternal truth.
Personal “truths” are known as opinions. Opinions change. There is no personal truth that survives a person’s lifetime.
Political “truths” are also temporary. The only political “truth” is power. Who has it and how much do they have? If someone with more power comes along, then their “truth” becomes the reigning political truth.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 8a — If Only”
They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
As Jude dives into the topic of his letter, we immediately understand that there are three groups of people involved.
The first group, the group that James is part of, are “loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.”
The second group, not mentioned by name but implied, are the people of the world who do not know Jesus but need Him. These people are not “lost” to Christ, but neither are they yet “found.” The one thing about this group that applies to all of them is that none of them claim to be Christians.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 7b — The Third Group”
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.
Jude is talking about ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality. This passage is EXHIBIT “A” in the world’s case against Christianity. The world’s point of view is that everything is okay unless everyone agrees that it is not okay. The judge of what is okay and not okay is the imaginary collective conscience of the entire world.
What has the entire world ever agreed on? Can you think of one thing? No, I can’t either. This argument assures than nobody will ever be able to accuse anyone else of doing what is wrong.
Wait! That’s not right! People tell Christians that they are wrong all the time.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 7a — The Undiscovered Country”
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
In verse 5, Jude begins, “Though you already know all this…” and then tells me this thing about angels that I didn’t know. Maybe there is information about angels that was common knowledge in Jude’s day that didn’t make it into the Bible.
In some respects, this information should not surprise us. We know that God created all things (Colossians 1: 16), and we know about Satan (Job 1:6). What we don’t know is why a created angelic being would turn against God.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 6 — Wayward Angels”
…and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Jude warns us about people who secretly slip into our churches and are ungodly, pervert the grace of our God, and deny Jesus Christ.
We have talked about the first two. What about the third? How do they deny Jesus?
One way to deny Jesus is to proclaim a false Jesus. These people redefine Jesus to fit their concept of religion.
Jesus is unique. The Jesus we meet in the Bible is unlike anyone else that has ever lived or will ever live. Jesus has power over all things physical and spiritual. Jesus knows you and me inside and out. He knows our hearts and what is in our minds. He “sees” everything about us. He is one with God the Father and serves Him faithfully.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 4d — The Test”
They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God…
Jude begins to describe the people who have secretly slipped in among the believers who are loved by God and kept for Jesus.
He starts by saying they are ungodly people. Thinking back to James, chapter 3, we are reminded that the same tongue can both praise and curse. If someone were to walk into a church and curse God, they could not be said to have “secretly slipped in among you.” So if the ungodly were to sneak in secretly, they would make every effort to appear godly.
So what does it mean to be godly? Is it about what we say, or what we do?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 4b — Ungodly People”
For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.
To put this passage into context, let’s ask two questions:
Who is Jude? Answer: A servant of Jesus Christ.
Who is Jude writing to? Answer: Those who belong to (are “kept for”) Jesus Christ.
To summarize: Jude, called by Jesus, is writing to people who are also called by Jesus. The common name for a group of people who gather together to worship and honor Jesus is a church.
So let’s review: “certain individuals… have secretly slipped in among you.”
Is Jude being overly dramatic? He almost sounds as if he is describing a spy thriller. Who would want to secretly slip into a church group anyway?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 4a — The Tares Among Us”
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
There are three things I stand on as essential beliefs regarding the Bible:
These are my personal beliefs. They are based on a lifetime of searching for God. I see no contradiction between what I believe and the Bible as it has come down to us through the ages.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 3 — Battle Call”