Jude vs 3-4 Contend For The Faith
Jude · Bob Eckel · Nov 14, 2021
Jude, No. 02
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926192521391

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

All right, this has been an exciting couple of verses. I thought when I looked at the assignment for this week, it was two verses. but ultimately it's more than two verses actually. So this was a challenge, but also a lot of fun and education. So let's proceed. I apologize to everyone. The handout was not sent. I just spaced it this morning. So when I get home from church this morning, I'll send it out to everyone. Bill is working on it now, but I'm not sure he can do it. So you'll get it from me a little later this morning. All right, let's read Jude one through seven, I believe. So I will go ahead and read that.

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called. Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, It was needed for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness until the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth, for example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

So today our verses are three and four. And I thought this was very appropriate to kind of begin today's verses. And this comes from Darby, and I thought it was a nice kind of summary of what we're studying here in the Epistle of Jude. The Epistle of Jude develops the history of the apostasy of Christendom from the earliest elements that crept into the assembly to corrupt it, down to its judgment at the appearing of our Lord, but as moral apostasy by turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. In John, they are gone out. Here they have crept in corrupting.

So very short epistle and containing instruction presented with much brevity and with the energetic rapidity of the prophetic style, but of immense weight and extensive bearing. It's a nice summary of this epistle. And Andrew got us off really nicely last week in kind of bringing us to the same kind of summary of what this epistle is all about. But I think Darby said it much more succinctly than I could have ever. All right, let's turn to the first verse that we're covering today.

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. This verse I think essentially is the reason for the epistle. Let's look at it again. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

So that's really the purpose of this. This is written to the saints, but yet we're dealing with the apostasy of individuals who have crept in to the body wherever that was. All right, so the letter is directed to the beloved. Agapitos, indicating beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love. And here I think specifically to the body of Christ. Where? Where's this body? To whom is he writing? Any thoughts about that? Well, if you find it, let me know.

In Paul's epistles, we know that a lot of times, Paul will say, to the brethren at Colossae, at the brethren at wherever. But here, it's not mentioned where. So do you think this maybe was to, in general, as opposed to, I mean, because Paul had written to specific churches, those churches were obviously well-grounded, most of those, Paul's message.

And so maybe this is more to all of those churches, because they would all read this. They would all get this letter. I think Margaret's on the right track here. It's not clear where or to whom, but for the entire body, the epistle was perhaps to Jews, particularly noting that Jude's Jewish heritage really reflects his background. But, you know, there's nothing more specific about it.

So I think What I can conclude from that is this epistle is just as important for us today as it was way back then, as if the rest of the epistles are not. I mean, I think this is a general message to the church, and this is something for us to note and be aware of. Ironside said, the same Holy Spirit who caused him to give all diligence to write directed his mind as to the theme he must dwell upon, not the common salvation, precious as that is, was to be his line, a note of warning and exhortation it was that the Lord would have him give. So in other words, his being compelled to write is of the Lord and I think it's for us today. So let's just leave that there.

Describe what it means, think of this personally or as a body, what does it mean to be very diligent concerning our common salvation? Good question. Describe what it means to be very diligent concerning our common salvation. Don't you think it means to be, to rest and to be in account for the grace, the original message that Paul laid out, and the other disciples laid out. Well, let's first of all look at kind of what these terms mean very simplistically.

Diligent is striving for results, and common is what we all share. So, if you will, to just kind of exemplify what Margaret said, it's our life, isn't it? When the Holy Spirit opens up doors to share, we wanna make sure that we respond to the direction of the Holy Spirit. And that's sometimes a challenge for us, isn't it, on a day-to-day basis? When do we force the gospel on somebody and almost do harm, when in fact there are opportunities we pass up, where in fact we can enter in to sharing this common salvation diligently? Other thoughts? Bob? Bob? Yes. It just kind of to me too.

It means kind of being focused on it not being distracted Okay, give me an example that could be I Mean it's like it's like pay attention. You know it's it's like don't be don't be going off willy-nilly chasing other stuff, but just be a you know, trying to stay in the word and stay focused and just paying attention because there's work to be done. Maybe it's also, you know what the truth is. You know what the truth is. Go with the truth. Don't be distracted, as Carolyn says, by all these other things that are being taught or brought into the church.

Well, it relates to that, but it relates to the life we live in a world system, right? And we could have gone witness to that guy on the train the other night, but he was not in a position to hear the gospel. We might have had a sore lip after meeting with him. So anyway, it was just an example of the day-to-day existence. It's our life in Christ, Holy Spirit led, where we diligently striving for results to share the Lord, the common salvation we all have. All right, good. Let's go ahead.

It's stated in this verse, what made it necessary for Jude to write? What do you think? Well, what's the theme of the book? Remember Darby very nicely stated that. creeping in, teaching the wrong people, creeping in. And Patty, what was the result of that creeping in?

Even today, what would be the result of that? looking for a single word, apostasy. So I think that's what prompted him to write. And Weiss says, the first infinitive to write is in the present tense, speaking of continuous action. The second is the aorist tense, inspiring an act performed at once. Kind of interesting. Kind of like he, you know, let's go back and look at the verse. Let's scroll back here a second, take a second to do that. We love, while I was very guilty to write present tense, continuing to write well concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write eros one time only to you exhorting you to contempt. So I think that puts that into perspective. He's had an intention to write all along, but nevertheless, he did write once, and this is the letter that resulted from that.

So is it also possible, because you mentioned that he has the Jewish roots, Could it also be that there were a lot of Judaizers that were bringing, you know, things back into the church of, you know, don't eat meat or whatever it was back into the church that was corrupting it? Well, is that apostasy? Let's say the Jewish traditions that were attempted to be brought into the church, is that apostasy?

I don't know. It's certainly law. It could ultimately take a form of it, particularly if these Jewish believers, quote unquote, are really not saved because they're trying to modify the principle of what the church age is under grace. Well, it's all about law. Yeah, well, they're going back on the law rather than grace. And that's certainly, that's a falling away from what, in a sense, departing from the message.

And Roger, to some extent that relates to what Paul shared with St. Galatians 1 about another gospel, right? Right. Another gospel is one of law. Right. And if Christ died for us to be applying our Christian life to the law, he died in vain. His death was worthless. All right, good.

Mayor comments, the heiress contrasted with the preceding present, implying that the new epistle had to be written at once and could not be prepared for at leisure like the one he had previously contemplated. Well, I mean, that's, that's... Mayor's opinion, sure, whether or not that's validated or not but the idea, the right is two different verb tenses which points to the idea, the thought of writing but now this is the letter, ultimately, it sounds like he was, he wanted to make sure this guy out quickly because there is a his mind there was a present danger happening right now. Things are, you know, not looking good. I'm sure in the early church age they were experiencing that like we are today. We'll come back to that near the end of the lesson.

All right, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. How's this for a series of superlatives, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith, which was once delivered to all the saints? You know, just one thing after another really is a very strong statement. Contend is, it's the only use in the New Testament, and I think when we think of this Greek verb, it relates to agony. as experienced in an athletic event. So this was a Greek term that really is best understood as not a simple, you know, yearning, if you will. This is earnestly, contending earnestly for the faith. And I thought I'd share a couple of verses that I think represented this.

1 Peter 3.15, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always. okay, to give an answer to every man and ask you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear, great verses. And we need to be ready always to contend for our faith, always. Secondly, Philippians 127, only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. the same kind of implications that ultimately this agony, if you will, of the athlete can be applied to us as the body of believers. 1 Timothy 6, 12, fight the good fight of faith.

This is not simple at times, is it? lay hold on eternal life to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. So all these verses kind of reflect on this contending earnestly for the faith that we all have. Any thoughts about that? All right, Cedar says, Jude has two major concerns that they, meaning his readers, will not be led astray by false teachers. And he prays that they will instead take the initiative and contend for the faith. So that's a very simple summary, I think, of what this verse indicates.

And here, 2 Peter 2.21, for it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it, the term from the holy commandment delivered to them.

All right. What faith is this? Contending earnestly for the faith. It's the faith. So when it's the faith, what does that mean? It's the truth. It's it's like the body of truth. Whenever we see any faith, it's a body of truth. That was that was delivered by the apostles to the church. Right, and here I state the substance of Christian faith or what is believed by us Christians.

And ultimately this once, you know, keep in mind in the verse, it used the term once. Let me go back and make sure you see that. I'm not gonna scroll back three slides now. But beloved, while I was very diligent to write to concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith, which was once. for all delivered to the sakes. And here's an interesting verse, and I'm going to summarize this in a moment.

So, Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation. Therefore, notice bold print here, there remains nothing to be added. Once is best translated in the Greek, once for all.

I mean, You know, if you think about those people who live with kind of this legal tent above them, they never are quite convinced that everything's been accomplished. It's not only our sins that have been forgiven, but we're, if you've read The Hungry Heart today, you know, we keep kind of, we're called to reckon ourselves dead in the sin, but we are dead. under sin. It's not that we need, I mean, we need to reckon it because we need to keep being reminded of this. But when the flesh shows up, which it does too often, we just need to account ourselves dead. God sees us as dead. And so I love this because there remains nothing to be added. Christ died once for all. And that's the nature of the once here that Jude is emphasizing in this particular verse.

Any additional thoughts here? Well, Bob? Yes. Can you hear me? It's Andrew. Plus, he qualifies it by saying that it was handed down by the apostles. So it's a specific body of truth handed down by the apostles, basically, right? Right. So it's it's it's so it's very he's very specific what the faith is to. Good, good point, and I think if we think of apostles, we think of the 12, but it goes beyond that, because apostles can be interpreted as teachers like we in this classroom. I mean, we need to sustain and exemplify the truth that was accomplished once and for all, the faith. It's not some faith or a kind of faith, it's the faith that's based on the crucifixion and resurrection. Thanks, good. All right, we're gonna turn to verse four now. How are we doing time-wise? Okay.

For certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation. We'll come back to that here. Ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ. In some versions it says the only Lord God, but God is omitted from most translations. So we're just saying the only Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ. for certain men have crept in unannounced.

Crept in unannounced or unawares. And that's to enter secretly and slip in stealthily. What does that mean? Well, they're not noticed so that they somehow enter the body and people don't pick up on the fact that they're really, you know, not sincere or not, you know, so. It could be they pretend to be someone else or believe something else but secretly they're a different person. Good comment, Bonnie. We're going to build on that comment. Is that possible here at Holland Hills? Pretty much. Anywhere. Try. Anywhere. Okay, it is possible here.

I think maybe our antennas are up a little higher for this, but nevertheless. but they don't stay very long here. They find resistance. So we've seen through the years, there have been, we've seen through the years, people come and go and they try to, you know, share their thought process with us, but they aren't, you know, so far haven't been too successful. Yeah. Let me give you some, did someone in the video audience have something to share? Okay, let's see what a couple of theologians have to say about this.

Let's start with Lise. It is metakamino, nevermind. It's translated, transformed in the AD. It refers to the act of an individual changing his outward expression by assuming an expression put on from the outside, an expression that does not come from, nor is it representative of what he is in his inner character. Okay, so this is a plasticity, if you will, it's plastic. There's no firm basis of it, but there's an outward appearance that this person's fitting in quite well.

I almost like what Ironside said a little bit better. They are men who have a mental acquaintance with the truth, but whose ways are not in accordance with that which they profess to hold. Clandestinely, they have slipped into the assemblies of the saints. But they are not unknown to God, though they have managed to deceive his people. I think that's really a good definition of this.

And Roger, I want to thank you. I mean, the Ironside is a great source of additional insight into this epistle. It makes me want to be connected to him and other of his commentaries. And I'm going to end with it today, so I'm going to promise you a great ending.

All right, a couple of examples, 2 Corinthians, we have a number of them, but I listed a couple of them for you here. For such as false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, and no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

I mean, doesn't that well scripturally describe this group of people? It's funny, we always look for, we always think of, you know, The evil one is being somebody despicable, but not according to scripture. He's pretty good. So that should tell us that we need to be on guard and test the spirits. And Andrew did a great job last week making us realize when we studied 2 Peter, we often referred to Jude, and Andrew did a great job reminding us about how these two books are really very complementary or actually fairly redundant in many ways.

But here's an example from 2 Peter 2.1.

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you. you will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. Sometimes I don't think it's so swift though. And then finally Romans 16, 17, and 18, now I urge you brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you've learned. and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the heart of the simple." Now notice the hearts of the simple. I think that's where I think maybe our antennas up a little bit higher. that I think most people at Holly Hills chew meat and don't drink milk.

I mean, I'm not making, I mean, I'm just making an opinion that I think we're, you know, interpreting scripture appropriately in terms of, you know, our sin nature being crucified in addition to our sins being forgiven. And that puts you, I think, in a position, positionally based so that we understand the condition as it currently impacts our lives day in and day out. Other thoughts about this?

Bob, I was just thinking, these are people that have a purpose in mind of division. They're not just people that maybe interpret it a little bit wrong or get them, you know, in Scripture, not knowing that they're interpreting it wrong. These people know that they're doing it. It sounds like. I think you're right, Wayne. Does this in any way remind anyone of a parable? Well, it reminded me of one, in a way, tares among wheat. Matthew 13, 38, the field is the world and the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares and the sons of the wicked one. So sometimes this is not distinguishable by us.

And again, when I mentioned the antenna, we need to keep it high to make sure we're not deceived. All right. Bob. Yes, Karen. And these are people who are purposely being deceptive. Well, this is Satan directed, correct? Yeah. We think about the way Satan works. Roger alluded to this. I mean, Satan works as an angel of light. I mean, many times very subtle. And I think his greatest work is within the body, much less outside the body.

So anyway, we need to keep tuned in to this. Okay, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation. What I was thinking of is that there's like two categories of people that might behave somewhat like this. One would be a confused person. And then the other is the person who's doing it deliberately. The confused person would need discipleship and help. And then the other person is the one you'd want to avoid. That's a good comment for sure.

Yeah, I think confusion, welcome to our own limitations, right? And I think most of us have a background of maybe being somewhat legal in terms of our approach to our salvation and have come to understand that You know, we fall short. You're put under law, you're always falling short. There's never any joy or rest, is there? It's just, it's not a life that really is built on grace.

Good comment, though, thank you. So these people being marked out, prografo is the Greek term, it means they're ordained, and that's perfect passive. Interpret that verb tense for us, Roger, perfect passive. It's happened in the past and it continues on. They were marked out and they continue to be marked out. So the challenge to the class is how do you interpret this? Is this eternal? And if so, is God responsible? Well, nobody's answering this.

I mean, this gets back almost to Calvinism or Arminianism. It's hard for us to believe that, you know, ultimately God had had it with Pharaoh, right? And in the gospel account, Judas Iscariot, that is, his role was pretty much clarified and the Lord himself knew that at the table and before, I'm sure. But also you can look at Satan himself. I mean, the Lord, you know, he planned his own world and the Lord has allowed him to continue with all of that and hasn't, you know, tried to change. I mean, you know, Satan is set to go to hell.

I mean, Well, let's look at a couple of people much smarter than me have said about this. Yes, yes. Well, you know, the believer is known in Christ before the foundation of the world. Okay, good. So these people are also known of God as to what they would be. That's true, and we need to contrast that with God would call all people to himself, right? He would have all be saved.

So you need to balance this. And I think there have been theologians for centuries trying to understand this balance between ultimately, you know, if you will, being marked out for condemnation versus not. And right now we need to leave that with the Lord. But Satan has a major role to play in this for sure.

But don't you think it's also because the Lord doesn't have a timeline? I mean, the Lord sees everything at one time. Well, but it's, I think it's so true because it's hard for us as humans to get our brain around the lack of timeline. And so the Lord can, that's why the Lord can see even though he doesn't, um, He would like everyone, he would want everyone to come to himself. But in that looking at all of past, present, future, he sees what will happen. I mean, that's how I have to think about it.

As promised, turn to a couple of commentators here. Constable says, probably God had marked them previously for condemnation in the sense that he knew their sin long ago, meaning the fact that you're coming on eternity, which is now, and would punish them in the future for it. This condemnation refers to the sure punishment that lay ahead of them for their sin. And Constable lists a number of verses there which we'll not turn to. And Jameson, Fawcett, and Brown, I like them often in terms of their commentation.

Jude graphically puts this judgment as it were present before the eyes, this. Enoch's prophecy comprises the ungodly men of the last days before Christ's coming to judgment. And we're gonna get to that in Jude as we continue. As well as their forerunners, the ungodly men before the flood, the type of the last judgment. the disposition and the doom of both correspond. So anyway, as we continue in this epistle, we're gonna see how the history that's largely represented by the Old Testament ties in to this condemnation.

Second Peter 2.3, by covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words for a long time and their judgment has not been idle and the destruction will not slumber. So in other words, this is simply the enactment of this being marked for condemnation. This is an active process and presumably Satan driven.

Ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness. Doesn't their being called ungodly reflect on this disposition? I mean, they're called ungodly, so. And they act ungodly. And ultimately it means refusing subjection to God, acting independently of and in opposition to God.

And so I asked the class, can you imagine turning God's grace into lewdness, which is what's in the verse? So lewdness is kind of a crude term and relates mostly here kind of the sexual mindset, but it's unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, those big terms that all kind of reflects that this lust is just not for a new car. I mean, this is really sexually driven kind of mindset. And in context, this lewdness really reflects that this ungodly sort, he or she is turning God's grace into lewdness or something very, very morally unacceptable. Wiest.

That is the spirit of modernism, which refuses to acknowledge the authority of God's word and itself sits in judgment upon it. Modernism is unitarian in its theology. And this description of a false teacher of the first century fits the modernist of the 20th. Mankind's not changed.

The garden exists as much today in terms of the sin nature as it did way back when. And the question is, is it true today? And I think I already answered that. But Romans 6, what shall we say then? As Paul said, shall we continue in sin, including lewdness and everything that represents fleshly desire that grace may abound? Certainly not or God forbid. How shall we who died to sin any longer live in it? Yes.

Sounds like these people are unbelievers. You know, they're denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Yeah. So that that's an unbeliever right there. Right. You're absolutely correct. There's no other conclusion we can make. But these are not believers. Right. But but they come in. Pretending to be prepped unawares, right? Unnoticed kind of is what we're dealing with this. Reese has something more to share.

Christendom today abounds with them. In the seats of honor and also among the so-called laity, they feed themselves without fear, professing allegiance to Christ while ignoring his word and even treating with contempt and assume superiority the sacred writings. Nothing is too holy for their profane reasons to set aside from such turn away, okay? Now to finish up, and deny the only Lord, Despotis, and our Lord Jesus Christ. The word despotis, or despotis, is always used of God the Father in the Greek New Testament. Therefore, the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is expressed and denied. In other words, the fact that God and Christ are in this verse in terms of the Greek interpretation of despotis, ultimately, again, the unity of the Lord Jesus Christ with the Heavenly Father is connected here.

Titus 1.6, they profess to know God but in works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified from every good work."

1 John 2.22, I love this one. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. So we're thinking about the Antichrist in the book of Revelation. Yes, there's one Antichrist, but John speaks repeatedly about every non-believer is an Antichrist.

All right, let me conclude with Ironside here. And again, I was really moved by a lot of the things he had to say. The evil which had stolen in among Christians would not cease until it's destroyed by judgment. We have already noticed this difference between the epistle of Jude and the second of Peter, that Peter speaks of sin and Jude of apostasy, the departure of the assembly from its primitive state before God. Departure from the holiness of faith is a subject that Jude treats.

And my final slide is this, and I want to remind everyone that Ironside was born in 1876 and died in 1951, I was born in 1947 and Margaret 1950, and I think they're Some in this body who clearly were alive before Ironside was taken home. But anyway, I thought this was really timely, though. To no time in the past history of the church have Jude's words applied with greater force than in the present latitudinarian age, big term.

In Romanism, emissaries make strenuous efforts to allure the unwary by presenting a softened, subdued Catholicism to non-Catholics. They emphasize, they emphasize this, that's a direct quote. They emphasize this largely whatever is scriptural or ethically and aesthetically lovely in the teachings of the papacy and carefully cover the grosser and more disgusting dogmas and practices of that apostate church. In Protestantism, the boldest infidelity and skepticism are proclaimed from thousands of pulpits. And minor sects of all shades of heterodoxy are everywhere busy spreading their pernicious and soul-destroying errors. Hence, the man of God needs to be alert and vigilant, devotely to stand for the faith, once for all, delivered to the saints." Isn't it? He died in 1951.

The 2021 Ironside, nothing much has changed here today. The only changes is probably double what you just said. It's double now. Yeah, and you think of that, kind of just the world system and its morality level today, and it's just apostate, it really is. So I'm going to stop there.

Let's close in prayer. Father, these are hard, hard things to read and to understand, but nevertheless, we're warned. This is a warning that Jude has given us, and we need to be resolute in our faith, the faith, and ultimately stand above and positioned to understand the truth of the Word of God and how to ultimately uncover these false teachers and those ungodly that enter into our space. We're thankful for the Holy Spirit as he leads us and may the service to follow be bringing glory to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.