Bible Topics: Jude, chapter 1 verse 4

Jude Chapter 1 verse 4

This epistle, book, is addressed to all the believers of Christ’s gospel. It has some reflections of Peter’s writings in it, which would lend one to believe that Jude was privy to Peter’s writings. The style of writing seems to be one that is designed to protect the believers from false teachings and to lead them back into the truth they once knew. Jude is speaking out against the teachers that have chosen to spread false doctrine in an attempt to take away the importance of Christ in the Church. The teachings that Jude is coming against are ones that have taught a sinful way of life while still giving one the hope of salvation. Jude is saying that these teachings give way to allowing one to believe that they can have the best of both worlds without fear of losing Christ. The message of God through Christ Jesus is one thing only, the world and death, or God and life.

Jude is telling the people of false teachers who have used sneaky tactics to express their ideas and beliefs. He says "there are certain men crept in, who were of old ordained before." Jude is aware that Satan is an enemy and that he will never cease in his attacks against God's people. Jude knows that the false teachings are the works of Satan through men that were once ordained of God. Men that now stand before the people to fool them and sway their thinking to that which is not godly.

Jude is saying that it is not enough to say you believe and then go about your life, as always, there must be a change. Old things are passed away, so all things must become new. We can not go back and forth from Christ to sin, sin to Christ.

“2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Romans chapter 6 says, “1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin . . . 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 for sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid . . . 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness . . . 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jude wanted to stir the hearts of the people into remembrance of what they already knew to be truth; you can not serve God and man. You can not have salvation and continue to live a life of sin.

Jude is saying that Pastors, shepherds have taken to watering down the message of God to keep great numbers in the church. He is saying that the Pastors are giving the flock what they want instead of what God wants. Jude is speaking of compromising the Word of God, which is found in today's churches also. Men and women of God willing to bend the truth, willing to sugar coat the Word so as to not lose members, so as to not lose offerings and tithes, is what Jude is speaking of in verse 4.

This verse is for today also. We have a compromise of God's Word in today's churches also. We have Pastor's willing to sugar coat the Word to not offend the rich and prosperous. We have Pastor’s willing to water down the Word to keep the membership numbers high. We have Pastor’s willing to say it’s okay to do certain little things, after all God will forgive you. That is right, God will forgive you, but God desires as it says in Romans 6, that we no longer serve sin. Jude warned about this and his warning is valid today. Satan attacks and harasses the people through deceit, compromise, and sugar coatings.

Satan is crafty and he will take the control of all those that are willing to give him control. Even those that you might think are true men and women of God, can be taken over by Satan and his ways. "Before of old ordained," this speaks of men and women of God that have been turned from the true ways and taken on a way of deceitfulness.

These people of God once ordained have corrupted the grace of God. They have taken to ways of self-pleasure and turned from the fullness of truth in order that they might please all peoples at all times instead of pleasing God at all times. The false teachers lent thought to other things being as important as God, other things taking precedence above the Word of God did, but Jude says, "the only Lord God, our master and Jesus Christ." Nothing else was to take precedence over God's Word. Nothing else was more important than our Lord was and Master, Jesus Christ. Jude is saying that when the Word is falsely taught Christ is denied and the death, burial and resurrection become void. We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, bought and paid for by Him, we must remember that He died and rose again for us so that He might give unto us an avenue of return to fellowship with the God the Father.

Jude goes on to put the people in remembrance of what God once did. It did not matter what a persons status was, stature in life, their possessions or profession, nor did it matter about their religious persuasion, none were secure unless they were in God the Father and He in them. Unless they had turned away from unbelief and disobedience, they would be destroyed by the world they lived in if they did not believe in God alone.