JUDE'S CONTENTION

JUDE - INTRODUCTION

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude Introduction

D. J. Rowston begins an article on Jude with the sentence, “The most neglected book in the New Testament is probably the book of Jude.”1 His assessment probably is accurate, although 2 John and 3 John are close competitors. Jude is often overlooked because of its brevity, consisting of only twenty-five verses. The book is also neglected because of its strangeness, in that he quotes 1 Enoch and alludes to Assumption of Moses. Some may wonder how a canonical book can cite writings that have never been considered canonical. Furthermore, the message of Jude is alien to many in today’s world, for Jude emphasized that the Lord will certainly judge evil intruders who are attempting to corrupt the church.2 The message of judgment strikes many in our world as intolerant, unloving, and contrary to the message of love proclaimed elsewhere in the New Testament. Nevertheless, this short letter should not be ignored. Some of the most beautiful statements about God’s sustaining grace are found in Jude (vv. 1, 24–25), and they shine with a greater brilliance when contrasted with the false teachers who had departed from the Christian faith.

We can also say that the message of judgment is especially relevant to people today, for our churches are prone to sentimentality, suffer from moral breakdown, and too often fail to pronounce a definitive word of judgment because of an inadequate definition of love. Jude’s letter reminds us that errant teaching and dissolute living have dire consequences. Hence, we should not relegate his words to a crabby temperament that threatens with judgment those he dislikes but as a warning to beloved believers (vv. 3, 17) to escape a deadly peril. Jude was written so that believers would contend for the faith that was transmitted to them (v. 3) and so that they would not abandon God’s love at a crucial time in the life of their church. Such a message must still be proclaimed today, for moral degradation is the pathway to destruction.

D.J. Rowston begins an article on Jude with the sentence, “The most neglected book in the New Testament is probably the book of Jude.”1 His assessment probably is accurate, although 2 John and 3 John are close competitors. Jude is often overlooked because of its brevity, consisting of only twenty-five verses. The book is also neglected because of its strangeness, in that he quotes 1 Enoch and alludes to Assumption of Moses. Some may wonder how a canonical book can cite writings that have never been considered canonical. Furthermore, the message of Jude is alien to many in today’s world, for Jude emphasized that the Lord will certainly judge evil intruders who are attempting to corrupt the church.2 The message of judgment strikes many in our world as intolerant, unloving, and contrary to the message of love proclaimed elsewhere in the New Testament. Nevertheless, this short letter should not be ignored. Some of the most beautiful statements about God’s sustaining grace are found in Jude (vv. 1, 24–25), and they shine with a greater brilliance when contrasted with the false teachers who had departed from the Christian faith.

begins an article on Jude with the sentence, “The most neglected book in the New Testament is probably the book of Jude.”1 His assessment probably is accurate, although 2 John and 3 John are close competitors. Jude is often overlooked because of its brevity, consisting of only twenty-five verses. The book is also neglected because of its strangeness, in that he quotes 1 Enoch and alludes to Assumption of Moses. Some may wonder how a canonical book can cite writings that have never been considered canonical. Furthermore, the message of Jude is alien to many in today’s world, for Jude emphasized that the Lord will certainly judge evil intruders who are attempting to corrupt the church.2 The message of judgment strikes many in our world as intolerant, unloving, and contrary to the message of love proclaimed elsewhere in the New Testament. Nevertheless, this short letter should not be ignored. Some of the most beautiful statements about God’s sustaining grace are found in Jude (vv. 1, 24–25), and they shine with a greater brilliance when contrasted with the false teachers who had departed from the Christian faith.

begins an article on Jude with the sentence, “The most neglected book in the New Testament is probably the book of Jude.”1 His assessment probably is accurate, although 2 John and 3 John are close competitors. Jude is often overlooked because of its brevity, consisting of only twenty-five verses. The book is also neglected because of its strangeness, in that he quotes 1 Enoch and alludes to Assumption of Moses. Some may wonder how a canonical book can cite writings that have never been considered canonical. Furthermore, the message of Jude is alien to many in today’s world, for Jude emphasized that the Lord will certainly judge evil intruders who are attempting to corrupt the church.2 The message of judgment strikes many in our world as intolerant, unloving, and contrary to the message of love proclaimed elsewhere in the New Testament. Nevertheless, this short letter should not be ignored. Some of the most beautiful statements about God’s sustaining grace are found in Jude (vv. 1, 24–25), and they shine with a greater brilliance when contrasted with the false teachers who had departed from the Christian faith.

We can also say that the message of judgment is especially relevant to people today, for our churches are prone to sentimentality, suffer from moral breakdown, and too often fail to pronounce a definitive word of judgment because of an inadequate definition of love. Jude’s letter reminds us that errant teaching and dissolute living have dire consequences. Hence, we should not relegate his words to a crabby temperament that threatens with judgment those he dislikes but as a warning to beloved believers (vv. 3, 17) to escape a deadly peril. Jude was written so that believers would contend for the faith that was transmitted to them (v. 3) and so that they would not abandon God’s love at a crucial time in the life of their church. Such a message must still be proclaimed today, for moral degradation is the pathway to destruction.

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 403–404.