Greeting to the Called
Jude 1-2
Jude identifies himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. "Jude" is an English derivation of the name Judas, which is a translation of Judah.
Of the six men named Judas in the New Testament, two were disciples, the Iscariot and the son of James (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13), and one was the Lord's half-brother (Matthew 13:55). The writer of this epistle is probably the latter. He claims no blood relationship with the Lord Jesus, maybe because the natural relationship is subordinate to the spiritual (Matthew 12:48-50; Luke 11:27, 28).
It contradicts later superstitious notions in the post-apostolic ages that the earthly relatives of the Lord Jesus were to be held in reverence because they were exceptionally holy. His brothers were not His disciples and probably didn't come to believe in Him until after His resurrection (John 7:3-5, Acts 1:14).
His brother James was mentioned by the apostle Paul as one of the pillars in the church at Jerusalem (Galatians 1:19, 2:9). He wrote the epistle bearing his name, which begins in a similar way to this except that he adds "Lord" to Jesus Christ.
It is addressed to them that are called, or are being called, and these are beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. A translation by K.S.Wuest of the Moody Bible Institute brings out the true meaning of this phrase: "to those who by God the Father have been loved and are in a state of being the permanent objects of His love, and who for Jesus Christ have been guarded and are in a permanent state of being carefully watched, to those who are called ones." In short, we are beloved by God the Father and preserved for Jesus Christ.
The word preserved is the keyword for this epistle, which deals with apostasy (when people turn away from God's truth and embrace false teachings) in a unique way in Scripture. It is described with its frightful background to give us assurance in its time.
The word keep, the same as preserve, appears four times. We are kept (guarded and always carefully watched) for Jesus Christ by God Himself. Verse 21 reads "keep yourselves in the love of God" and verse 24 adds "now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling ...". In verse 6 we read of apostate angels who "did not keep their proper domain".
In Revelation 12:11 we read that " .. . they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb . . .", and that is the only way believers are going to triumph through the Great Tribulation. And that is the only way we are going to overcome today: by the blood of the Lamb. The Lord Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). A little later He added: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand" ( John 10:27-29).
A sheep is helpless, so to be kept in safety is of no credit to itself. When one of God's sheep says that he knows he is saved, he is not boasting of his own merit; he is boasting of his Shepherd. But if someone says that although a believer he is not sure of his salvation, he is throwing doubt on his Shepherd's credibility, because He says that He can keep us, and that no created thing is able to take us out of His Father's hand.
It is not a question of whether or not we can hold on to Him but it is a question of His holding on to us. He says that He can, and it is a matter of our trusting Him.
Salvation rests upon the Word of God, and it is up to us whether we will believe Him or not. Our assurance of salvation rests upon that because He has made it very clear that we have a sure salvation. Assurance is the believer's full conviction that, through the work of Christ alone, received by faith, he is in possession of a salvation in which he will be eternally kept. And this assurance rests only upon the Scripture promises to him who believes.
Even in the dark days of apostasy, God still gives us assurance in this epistle that He is able to keep His own. Not only are we preserved in Jesus Christ, safe in Him, but we are also called. The word called, as it is used in Scripture, is not only an invitation that is sent out, but it is an invitation that is sent out and accepted and made real because of the Spirit of God. "For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). Whoever finds in Christ the wisdom and power of God and trusts Him, is one of "the called." The invitation was sent out, and when he accepted and believed it, then he became one of the called. That is exactly what is meant here.
It is important to know the difference between mercy, peace and love, and the strong relationship between them:
Love is an attribute of God: because God is love, He is merciful and has provided grace. The love of God encompasses all mankind (John 3:16), and it is not His will that any should perish. But just as we can't keep the sun from shining, but can put up an umbrella to prevent it from shining on us, we cannot keep His love from surrounding us but we can keep from experiencing it, by opening up umbrellas such as resistance to His will, sin in our life, etc.
God is also holy, righteous and just. No sinner can come before Him, and we are all sinners. In evidence of His mercy, He sent His only begotten Son into the world to take upon Himself the penalty for our sin.
Now God, on a righteous basis, can save a sinner if he will come to Him and accept His salvation. This is called the grace of God. "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:9).
God's free gift in the forgiveness of sin is directly related to His compassion for the misery which is the consequence of sin. In the provision of our salvation mercy preceded grace. But grace must be availed of first by the sinner before he can experience the mercy of God in his life. The righteousness of God, which must be maintained as much as His love, demands that the guilt should be done away with before the misery can be attended to; only the forgiven can be blessed. God must pardon before He can heal. Men must be justified before they can be sanctified. The grace must go before and take away sin and make way for the mercy of God.
However, sin has brought tragedy to the human family. We often hear the question: Why does a God of love permit cancer? Well, disease and death came to the human family as consequences of sin. God sees the misery that sin has caused, and the mercy of God goes out to man. God is rich in mercy. When we come to Him as a sinner and accept His salvation, He will save us by grace. Then, because He is rich in mercy, He will extend His mercy to us. He will bring comfort to us at that time. He will help us and comfort our heart. We can trust Him in our time of need.
The peace of God is that experience which comes to the heart that is trusting Christ. "Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Peace with God is to know that God hasn't anything against us now that we know that we are sinners and have trusted Christ as our Saviour. We can now rest on God's promises. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
R David Jones
1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:
2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.