Jude Chapter 1 Vs. 1

 

Greeting

Jude Chapter 1

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: Jude 1:1

Jude, the servant... Jude was a half-brother of Jesus Christ (see James; see, Luke 8:19). Before the crucifixion and resurrection, Jude had denied Jesus as Messiah (Mat. 13:55; Mark 6:3; John 7:5), but afterward came to humbly acknowledge himself as His slave, having submitted to Christ’s lordship.

^“servant” Greek: One giving himself wholly to another’s will. It is used of:

1. Bondservants of men (Gal. 3:28; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:11; Rev. 6:15)

2. Servants to kings (Mat. 18:23-26; 23:1-14) and others including hired servants (Luke 15:17-22)

3. Civil officers (John 18:18)

4. Sinners who serve sin (John 8:34; Rom. 6:16-22; 2Pet. 2:19)

5. All disciples of Christ (Mat. 10:24-25; Rom. 6:16-22; Rev. 19:5)

6. Christ the servant of God (Phlp. 2:7; Isa. 42:1; 52:11)

7. Moses and all the prophets (Heb. 3:5; Rev. 10:7; 11:18; 15:3)

8. All ministers and deacons (Mat. 20:27; Mark 10:44; Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:10; Jas. 1:1; 2Pet. 1:1; Jude 1:1)

Both ministers and servants of Mat. 20:26-28 refer to the lowest secular and ecclesiastical office among Christians, as exemplified by Christ Himself. No minister has a right to be a lord over God’s people (1Pet. 5:1-9). He is to be least of all and servant of all (Mark 9:35).

to them that... Three blessings of Christians:

1. Sanctification

2. Preservation (Jude 1:1; 1Thes. 5:23). Greek: tereo, see, 1Pet. 1:4

3. Calling (Jude 1:2; Rom. 8:28; 2Pet. 1:10)

brother of James... James was the well-known leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal. 2:9), and author of the epistle that carried his name.

sanctified by God... Are in the perfect tense: Christians are once and continually “set apart” and “kept.” They are kept for the return of Christ (see verse 21). This expands on the idea of unconditional, thus unending, love from God to the believer in Christ. It is because of that love that believers are set apart from sin to God by the transformation of conversion. The plan of salvation and its fulfillment comes from God who is not only Father in the sense of creation and origin of all that exists, but is also “God our Savior” (verse 25; 1Tim. 2:4; Tit. 1:3; 2:10; 3:4).

and preserved in... God not only initiates salvation but He also completes it through Christ, thus preserving or keeping the believer secure for eternal life. (John 6:37-44; 10:28-30; 17:11, 15; Rom. 8:31-39; 2Tim. 4:18; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; 1Pet. 1:3-5).

and called:... As always in the epistles, this refers not to a general invitation to salvation, but to God’s irresistible, elective call to salvation (Rom. 1:7; 1Cor. 1:23-24; 1Thes. 5:24; 2Thes. 2:13-14). This call yields:

(1) Fellowship with Christ (1Cor. 1:9);

(2) Peace (1Cor. 7:15);

(3) Freedom (Gal. 5:13);

(4) A worthy walk (Eph. 4:1);

(5) Hope (Eph. 4:4);

(6) Holiness (1Pet. 1:15);

(7) Blessing (1Pet. 3:9);

(8) Eternal glory (1Pet. 5:10);

(9) “Grace of our God” (verse 4).

We would call this a general letter, because it was addressed to the sanctified of God the Father, who include Christians of all ages. How wonderful to have the assurance that we are kept in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The name Jude, or Judas, was a common name among the Jewish people. The brothers of Jesus would have been terribly humbled by the fact that they lived with Jesus without really realizing He was Messiah, until after His resurrection.

This statement seems to be from someone who is humbled by the fact of who Jesus is. “Sanctified”, as we have said before, means made holy, or set aside for God’s purpose. All believers are preserved in Christ. The devil cannot take them away from Jesus.

Called means those who God called.

Salutation

The author introduced himself simply as Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. He made no appeal to his readers on the basis of his personal authority. He was satisfied with being identified as a “servant” (doulos, “bondslave”) of Jesus Christ.