The Book of Jude | Bible Book Summary of Jude

Contents

Introduction

The Book of Jude is the twenty-sixth book of the New Testament of the Bible. Jude is called “Judah” in Hebrew and “Judas” in Greek. In this Book, we find a warning about apostasy. Jude wrote to motivate Christians and wanted them to recognize the dangers of false teaching, to protect themselves and other believers.

The Book of Jude is one of the shortest general epistles in the Bible. Jude calls himself a “servant of Jesus Christ” (Jude 1) at the beginning of the letter. There are several passages throughout the New Testament about the rise of false teachers:

Jesus, in His earthly ministry, spoke of false teachers in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:15).
At Olivet Discourse Jesus warned about the rise of false prophets to his disciples (Matthew 24:11-12).
Apostle Paul warned about the rise of false teachers who would draw the disciples from the truth at the church of Ephesus at his departure (Acts 20:29-30).
Apostle Peter warned about the rise of false prophets who would teach false heresies (2 Peter 2:1-3).

The Book of Jude is a warning letter against false teachers. In this Book, the writer encourages his readers to build up their holy faith through prayer in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20), keeping nearer to Christ (Jude 1:21), helping others (Jude 1:22- 23), and hating sin (Jude 1:23). He concludes the letter with a glorious benediction of praise to God (Jude 1:24- 25).

The Book of Jude teaches us to fight for God’s truth. Jude is the half-brother of the Lord Jesus. We must remember that Jude is not the Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. The Book of Jude can be titled “The Acts of the Apostates.” because the writer displays horror over the apostasy.

Vital Statistics

Author

Jude 1:1 confirms that the author of this Book is Jude. He was a brother of James. Both of these men were Jesus’ half-brothers (Matthew 13:55).

Date Written

The Book of Jude was written somewhere around 65 A.D. It could have written after the Book of 2 Peter.

Purpose of Writing

Jude is an important book for us today because it was written to warn against false teachings that were creeping into the churches. Next, to remind the church to stay strong in the faith and to defend against false heresies. Furthermore, he wanted to expose false teachings that had infiltrated into the churches. The Book of Jude is the only book that talks about apostasy. Jude intends to raise awareness for believers to stand up against the erroneous teachings.

To Whom Written

The Book of Jude was written to the Jewish Christians. The readers are identified in the epistle as “Beloved” (Jude 1:3). Furthermore, it also seems to have written to all believers everywhere.

Key Words

Sanctified – Jude 1:1
Preserved – Jude 1:1
Glory – Jude 1:24, Jude 1:25
Lord – Jude 1:5, Jude 1:6, Jude 1:9, Jude 1:14, Jude 1:17, Jude 1:21
Mercy – Jude 1:2, Jude 1:21
Faith – Jude 1:3, Jude 1:20
Peace – Jude 1:2
Keep/Kept – Jude 1:6, Jude 1:21, Jude 1:24
Eternal life – Jude 1:21
Love – Jude 1:2
Ungodly – Jude 1:4, Jude 1:15, Jude 1:18
Salvation – Jude 1:3
Beloved – Jude 1:3, Jude 1:17, Jude 1:20
Lasciviousness – Jude 1:4
Judgment – Jude 1:6, Jude 1:15
Remember – Jude 1:17
Charity – Jude 1:12
Archangel – Jude 1:6, Jude 1:21
Spirit – Jude 1:19
Love of God – Jude 1:21
Faultless – Jude 1:24
Holy Ghost – Jude 1:20
God – Jude 1:1, Jude 1:4, Jude 1:21, Jude 1:25

Key Truths

God’s judgment on the rebellious.
The Church must strongly resist False teachers.
God’s free grace is not an excuse for believers to sin.
Believers must actively pursue spiritual growth.
Believers must deepen their love for the truth.

Key People

Jude, James, Jesus

Setting

From the first century on, the church was under severe attack. It has been threatened by false heresies and doctrines. The Book of Jude tells us that we must guard ourselves against the dangers of false teachings. Thus, Jude called the church to unite and fight for the truth amid spiritual warfare.

Theme

The Book of Jude has sharp admonitions, exhortations, and warnings. Jude also mentioned the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints at the beginning and end of his epistle. It has twofold messages: the need for resisting false teachers and believers should build up their faith through prayer. Therefore, the theme of the Book of Jude is believers to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 1:3). Believers must be faithful to the end by rejecting falsehood and fighting for the truth.

Key Themes

I. False teachers

The Book of Jude gives warning against false teachers and leaders. False teachings can be disastrous to the church community. Jude wants believers to defend Christian truth and stay away from the false doctrines.

II. Apostasy

Jude also warns against apostasy. He wants believers to be careful and instructs them not to turn away from Christ. He wrote this epistle to condemn the apostates and to urge believers to contend for the faith.

III. The Common Salvation

In the Book of Jude, the writer’s thoughts were to write about the common salvation every saint share. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. Christ is common to all believers. There is only one way to heaven. God has given us to show the way of salvation. Trusting Jesus as our personal Savior is the way for salvation. The blessings of salvation are common to all who are believers in Christ.

Key Verses

I. Jude 1:3-4 (KJV)

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye 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.”

II. Jude 1:17-20 (KJV)

“But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,”

III. Jude 1:24-25 (KJV)

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

Outline of The Book of Jude

I. The Salutation And Purpose – 1:Jude 1-4

A. Greeting (Jude 1:1-2)

B. Jude’s purpose and to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 1:3-4)

II. Exposure And The Danger of The Apostates – Jude 1:5-16

A. Three Historical Examples of the Judgment of Apostates (Jude 1:5-7)

1. God destroyed unbelieving Israel – Jude 1:5

2. God punished the rebellious angels – Jude 1:6

3. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighboring cities – Jude 1:7

B. Characteristics of The Apostates (Jude 1:8-11)

1. False teachers speak the evil language – Jude 1:8-10

2. False teachers manifest evil deeds – Jude 1:11

C. Description of The Apostates (Jude 1:12-13)

D. Judgment on The Apostates (Jude 1:14-16)

III. Exhortation To Believers – Jude 1:17-23

A. Believers must follow the truth and defend against Apostates (Jude 1:17-19)

B. Believers should multiply their prayer unto God and deepen their love for the truth (Jude 1:20-21)

C. Believers duties to others (Jude 1:22-23)

IV. The Closing Doxology of Jude – Jude 1:24-25

Earnestly Contend For The Faith

In the Book of Jude, Jude was very eager to write to his readers about the common salvation, but he felt that he was compelled to write to exhort the believers to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 1:3). Next, he warns them about certain immoral men among them who were perverting the grace of God (Jude 1:4). From the Book of Jude, we see that saints have a duty to contend for the faith. Those who are faithful to the scriptures contend earnestly for the faith. Missionaries, evangelists, Sunday school teachers, or church leaders should contend for the gospel.

Fight For The Truth

In the Book of Jude, the writer encourages Christians to fight for the truth and warns his readers against the dangers of non-biblical teachings. He also reminds the believers that the false teachers were trying to convince believers are given a license to sin.

Jude wrote this epistle to refute the false teaching that God’s grace gives believers a license to sin (Jude 1:3-4). From the Book of Jude, the writer wanted to expose the false prophets in the church and he wanted to encourage Christians to stand firm in the faith and fight for the truth.

Exhortation To The Saints

In the Book of Jude, the author exhorts saints to keep themselves in the love of God (Jude 1:21). He also exhorts believers to avoid dangerous men among the Christian community. Jude alarmed about the rise of false doctrines in the churches and called every believer to defend against the apostates. He wants the saints to condemn the apostates.

The Use of The Old Testament In The Book of Jude

The Book of Jude has numerous Old Testament references. It was written for our admonishing.

I. The rebellion of the children of Israel and of the angels (Jude 1:5-6)

The children of Israel refused to trust in God to enter the promised Land after they were delivered from Egypt. God destroyed them because of their unbelief. The angels who were once holy joined Satan to rebel against God, and God brought judgment upon them. These examples teach us the lesson of God’s severe judgment.

II. The judgment of Sodom And Gomorrah (Jude 1:7)

Jude gives the clearest example of the divine judgment on false teachers. He writes about the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah because these two cities indulged in sexual immorality and pursued homosexual activities. The destruction of these cities set forth an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire. The judgment in these two cities serves as a remarkable example of the reality of God’s judgment.

III. The way of Cain and Balaam and Korah’s Rebellion (Jude 1:11)

Jude mentioned three examples of men in his epistle. Cain murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy. Balaam prophesied to get money. Korah rebelled against God. These men attitude teaches us their selfishness, jealousy, and lust of power. Because of their bad attitude, God brought judgment upon them. Jude recognizes the need to remind us of the truth of God’s judgment from these Old Testament examples.

Jude And Peter

There are similarities between Jude’s teachings and Peter’s teachings. The following chart shows that there are numerous similarities between the Book of Jude and the Book of 2 Peter:

Jude’s teachings	Peter’s Teachings
Faith (Jude 1:3)	Faith (2 Peter 1:5)
Remembrance (Jude 1:5)	Remembrance (2 Peter 1:12)
False Teachers (Jude 1:4)	False Prophets (2 Peter 2:1)
Fallen Angels (Jude 1:6)	Fallen Angels (2 Peter 2:4)
Judgment of Sodom And Gomorrah (Jude 1:7)	Judgment of Sodom And Gomorrah (2 Peter 2:6)
Railing Accusation (Jude 1:8-9)	Railing Accusation (2 Peter 2:10-11)
Brute Beasts (Jude 1:10)	Brute Beasts (2 Peter 2:12)
The Error of Baalam (Jude 1:11-13)	The Way of Baalam (2 Peter 2:13-17)
Mockers In The Last Days (Jude 1:17-18)	Scoffers In the Last Days (2 Peter 3:2-3)
Faultless (Jude 1:24)	Blameless (2 Peter 3:14)
Doxology (Jude 1:25)	Doxology (2 Peter 3:18)

Brief Summary

The Book of Jude was addressed to the saints (Jude 1:1). He was writing against heresies of godless teachers. According to Jude 1:3, the writer exhorts the saints to earnestly contend for the faith. Next, Jude warns the dangers of false teachers (Jude 1:4-16) and he wanted them to protect themselves. Then, he addresses the saints’ duty to fight for the truth (Jude 1:17-19) and to succeed in spiritual warfare (Jude 1:20-21). Furthermore, he urges believers to proclaim Christ to the sinners to escape from God’s judgment (Jude 1:22-23). Finally, Jude tells the ultimate condition of the believer in God’s glorious presence (Jude 1:24-25).

7 Valuable Lessons From The Book of Jude

I. Humbleness

In the Book of Jude, the writer introduces himself as a servant of Christ rather than a brother of Christ (Jude 1:1). Despite having blood relations with Jesus, he simply referred to himself as a servant. Jude doesn’t refer himself as a superstar of that time. He does not introduce himself as a brother of the Lord in his epistle because he is humble. He considers himself lower than others. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jude was not a believer, but now we see his transformation at the beginning of the book. We should humble ourselves and learn this example of humility.

II. Contend For The Faith

The Book of Jude commands believers to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 1:3). This can be done by resisting the teachings of false teachers and actively seeking God for guidance.

III. Defend God’s Truth

The writer, in his epistle, calls the saints to fight for God’s truth and stand against those working against Jesus Christ (Jude 17-23). Christians should stand firm and fight for the truth.

IV. Edifying Others

A Believer must build himself up spiritually and also edify others up spiritually (Jude 1:20). This can be done by praying in the power of the Holy Spirit.

V. Abide In God’s Love

Christians are told to remain in God’s love by not listening to false teachers, live close to Him, and look for mercy unto eternal life (Jude 1:21). The author in the Book of Jude urges Christians to grow spiritually and seek God in their personal lives.

VI. Discernment

In the Book of Jude, Jude calls the believers to practice discernment and to distinguish truth from lies. We need to seek God’s wisdom to practice discernment and be able to seek His truth. Jude points out the acts of the ungodly men:

They turn the grace of our God into a license for evil.
They deny our Lord God Jesus Christ.

We are to stand firm against the enemy’s lies.

VII. Church Leadership

The Book of Jude was written to address the problem of arising false teachers in Church communities. Being a church leader, we need lots of grace and wisdom to handle this issue. Church leadership is one of the difficult things to do. We need God’s grace to practice leadership roles. Trusting God in the times of trials is vital, and He will help us.

Conclusion

In the Book of Jude, the writer’s opening text shows his humbleness. You will notice that he humbled himself as a servant of the Lord Jesus (Jude 1:1). He urges Christians to earnestly contend for the faith. Jude was concerned about the false teachers coming into the churches. He warns about the danger of the false doctrines that were creeping into the churches.

From the Book of Jude, the writer exhorts Christians to abide in the love of God. Those who abide in the love of God will grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They will be eager to proclaim Christ to others and rescue them from eternal judgment. Christians know that God would present them faultless before His glorious presence.