Key Topics – Page 83 – Three Minute Bible

April 27, 2020April 27, 2020

Jude 1: 6 — Wayward Angels

Closeup of statue showing arms bound together.

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.

April 26, 2020April 26, 2020

Jude 1: 5 — A Change of Residence

a person carries boxes from a van to a house.

Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

Having introduced himself in his letter and explained his topic, Jude begins a short review of history.

In Sunday school, I learned that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. I was also told it took forty years to get there. One day it dawned on me that forty years is a really long time. How is it possible that a trip could take that long? (Even if you only walked one mile each day, a trip of forty years would cover 14,600 miles!)

Of course, there is a lot more to the story.

April 25, 2020April 26, 2020

Jude 1: 4d — The Test

…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.

April 24, 2020April 24, 2020

Jude 1: 4c — The Slippery Slope

A young girl slips down a snowy slope with a scared look on her face.

… into a license for immorality …

What is the most immoral thing you can think of?

Now that you have that in mind, ask yourself: What is the most immoral thing God can think of?

The book of Jeremiah answers this question. In the first chapter, verse eleven, Jeremiah records the essence of God’s judgment of immorality against Jerusalem:

April 23, 2020April 23, 2020

Jude 1: 4b — Ungodly People

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?

April 22, 2020April 23, 2020

Jude 1: 4a — The Tares Among Us

A picture of wheat stalks against a stormy sky.

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?

April 21, 2020April 22, 2020

Jude 1: 3 — Battle Call

Silhouette of a man playing a trumpet against the sky.

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:

I firmly believe that God is the author of all Scripture.
I believe Scripture is written the way God wanted it written.
I believe that all the hands that have touched the book over the years have been guided by God.

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.

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020

Jude 1: 2 — Form

A clay pot is formed on a potter's wheel.

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

There is a very pleasant formality in the form of letters in the first century. The writer introduces who they are, and acknowledges the person or peoples they are writing to. They say something nice.

In this case, Jude offers mercy, peace, and love.

These are not random words pulled out of thin air. They are three things that only God can give and that humans need to survive.

April 19, 2020April 20, 2020

Jude 1:1c — A Hard Thing

…who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

As we begin our study of Jude’s letter, he tells us who he is and who he is writing to. The people he writes to “have been called” by God to walk in light and mercy. Today he adds that they are “loved in God the Father.” (NIV)

The Greek in this instance is either difficult to translate or it reflects an idiom that was common in Jude’s day but is not common now. The English Standard Version (ESV) translates the Greek this way: “…beloved in God the Father….” This formulation makes more sense to me than the NIV in this case.

Unless a person knows Greek, it is a good idea to explore different translations when a passage is difficult for you. This Bible website allows you to see all the available English translations at once.

April 18, 2020April 18, 2020

Jude 1: 1b — Six Little Words

To those who have been called…

The second mystery of Jude’s letter is found in these six little words: “To those who have been called.” What does he mean by “called,” and who are these people who have been called?

To answer the question of what it means to be “called,” let’s turn to Peter’s first letter:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

— 1 Peter 2: 9-10