An Overview
Today I'd like to begin a new series of weekly expositions. This new series of messages will focus on the little letter written by Jude. This letter only contains 25 verses in the English, but power packed, I may be here for awhile. Through my reading and interactions with a couple of men over the last few weeks, I have been reminded of the absolute importance of Scripture. To be more specific, I have been reminded of the importance of understanding and affirming the Scripture's sufficiency, reliability and authority. I don't know if you have seen the cover of this week’s Time magazine. In large red letters it states, "What if there is no Hell". This cover story was sparked by a recent book written by a Michigan Pastor named, Rob Bell, his book is entitled, "Love wins". Bell's book is a straight on attack against the Bible's sufficiency, reliability and authority. Pastor Bell, "what do you mean there is no Hell? "Of course there is a Hell, because the Scripture says there is a hell". Some of you may have seen my Facebook post concerning the Ordination of Omarosa. Her so-called Ordination is a blatant attack against the Sufficiency, reliability and authority of Scripture.
Therefore in light of such attacks, I feel compelled to remind us of Jude's central theme in his letter, we must, "...contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints" (vs. 3). I hope my feeble attempt at exposition will be a blessing and encouragement in your daily walk with the King.
When I begin a study of any book of the Bible, I always begin my study by trying to get a big picture overview. In other words you must first ascertain the Historical context before you do anything else. The way you nail down the historical context is by answering several important questions:
Question number one: By whom was Jude written?
Open up your Bibles to Jude, right before the book of Revelation. Look at verse one, it states the letter was written by Jude himself. Well, who is Jude? There are several Judes mentioned in the New Testament:
1. Judas Iscariot - The betrayer of our Lord (Luke 22:47)
2. Judas Barsabbas - A man appointed to travel with Paul and Silas (Acts 15:22-29)
3. Judas of Damascus - A man who housed the newly converted Apostle Paul (Acts 9:11)
4. Judas of Galilee - A rebel who opposed Roman taxation and who was killed in an insurrection (Acts 5:37)
5. Judas the Apostle (Aka Thaddeaus) - He was one of the twelve (Luke 6:16; Matt 10:3)
Unfortunately, none of the Judes mentioned above are the author of this epistle. Verse one though, gives us another clue as to the identity of the author. The writer states that he is the, "...brother of James....". The James referred to here is none other than the Lord's half brother who was head of the Jerusalem church (cf. Act 12:17; 15:13)). Therefore Jude the writer of this epistle was also one of the brothers of our Lord (cf. Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3).
Question number two: To whom was Jude written?
It seems that Jude had a specific audience in mind evidenced by use of the personal pronoun, "you" (cf., vs. 3, 5, 17 etc.,) but we don't know who they are. Therefore Jude's epistle is considered a "general" epistle written to all believers without distinction (vs. 1).
Question number three: What was the purpose of the writing of Jude's epistle?
Kenneth Boa, writes, "...this letter is concerned with the threat of heretical teachers in the church and the believers proper response to that threat. The contents of this letter reveal two major purposes:
(1). to condemn the practices of ungodly libertines who were infesting the churches and corrupting believers.
(2). To counsel the readers to stand firm, grow in their faith and contend for the truth as well as reach out to those who are misled by error" (211).
Question number four: The Time of Jude's writing?
Jude’s epistle was probably written very shortly after 2 Peter was written. This would put the writing of the letter in the late 60's early 70's. Harrison writes, "If Jude made use of 2 Peter, due time must be allowed for that epistle to have reached Jude. This interval need not have been great. A date between 66 and 70 is feasible..."(436). Another reason for this early date is because no mention is made in Jude's letter of the Fall of Jerusalem (c. A.D. 70).
Question number five: From where was Jude's epistle written?
To be perfectly honest, no mention is made within Jude's letter as to location, therefore the location of writing is unknown.
There you have it, a general overview of this power packed epistle. I can't think of a timelier letter in days like these. I hope these expositions over the upcoming weeks will be a blessing to you, my dear brothers and sisters.
For His Glory,
Todd
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