Part 2 Jude
Jude (EXB) 1 From Jude [Mark 6:3; Acts 1:14], a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of Jesus ·Christ [the Messiah] and a brother of James [the half-brother of Jesus; James 1:1].
Jude (EEB) 1 . . . I am Jesus Christ’s servant and I am James’s brother. I am writing to you people that God, the Father, loves. God has chosen you to be his own people. He is keeping you safe until the time when Jesus Christ returns.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV) 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Jude (AMP) 3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I was compelled to write to you [urgently] appealing that you fight strenuously (with great effort and determination) for [the defense of] the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints [the faith that is the sum of Christian belief that was given verbally to believers].
Jude (ESV) 3 . . . I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith . . .
KJV Dictionary Definition | Contend: to strive against; to struggle in opposition. To use earnest efforts to defend and preserve.
R.C. Sproul- Defending the faith to the best of our ability is not a luxury or an indulgence in intellectual vanity. It is the task given to each one of us as we bear witness to our faith before the world.
Jude (KJV 1900) 3 . . . and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith . . .
KJV Dictionary Definition | Earnestly: with fixed attention; with eagerness.
Penned Thought: The Gospel of faith and truth from the pages of the bible are so valuable we must protect and defend it.
Penned Truth: Contending for the faith is not complacency but challenging the culture.
Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 5:14–15 (ESV) 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Matthew 5:13 (ESV) “You are the salt of the earth, . . .
Penned Truth: Many believe that ignorance of the Bible is a blissful state. Just the opposite; it is a dangerous state.
Martin Luther- All the cunning of the devil is exercised in trying to tear us away from the Word.
1 Peter 3:15–16 (NLT) 15 . . . And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way . . .
Penned Truth: Contending for the faith is not being obnoxious and difficult but having compassionate concern.
Ephesians 6:12 (EXB) 12 [For] Our ·fight [conflict; struggle] is not against ·people on earth [flesh and blood] but against the rulers and authorities and the ·powers [or cosmic powers/rulers] of this ·world’s darkness [darkness], against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly ·world [realm; places].
Final Statement: The book of Jude is the very definition of punchy and forceful proclamations and statements. The forcefulness of Jude’s truths is causing pushback because too many in the church prefer a softer, non-convicting gospel so they do not feel compelled to change. However, Jude reminds us that we must be aggressive in protecting the truth of God’s word from those who would seek to tear it down. We are to be world changers, not to be changed by the world.
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