Jude

Author: Jude
Type of Book: General Epistle
Date of Writing: AD 64
Theme: Contend for the faith

This rich epistle was written by Jude, one of the half-brothers of Jesus Christ. He and James were sons of Mary and Joseph, and thus they were blood relatives of Jesus through His mother, Mary.

It is interesting that neither James nor Jude used their relationship to Jesus to attain special status. James described himself as "James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (Jas. 1:1), while Jude introduced himself as "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." Both James and Jude had difficulty accepting who Jesus really was until after the resurrection. Seeing their brother rise from the dead changed everything for them, and they both served as leaders in the early church, becoming servants of Jesus Christ.

We aren't sure when Jude wrote this book, but it is believed to have been written around AD 64. The purpose was to address the apostasy that was creeping into the early church. Ungodly men were leading people astray by denying the deity of Christ and promoting an immoral lifestyle that presumed upon the grace of God. Jude's exhortation was "to contend earnestly for the faith" (Jude 3). He went on to cite times in the past when God dealt harshly with apostates. He also alluded to many Old Testament accounts and to other events that we only learn about here, such as the contention between Michael the archangel and the devil, and the prophecy of Enoch.

Jude didn't give instructions on how to contend for the faith. Rather, he encouraged his readers to maintain a solid walk with the Lord, being built up in the faith and keeping themselves in the love of God. He closed by reminding them that God was able to keep them from stumbling.

Today there are more heretics and apostates than ever before, which makes this little book a relevant and necessary reminder for us to contend earnestly for the faith.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith from The Word for Today Bible