Jude (only 1 chapter) – Scholars believe Jude was the brother of James, who was the brother of Jesus.
v3: We need to “contend earnestly for the faith.” There is a war on. It’s a battle between Satan and his dominion and God and His dominion. We are soldiers for Christ. He has given us supernatural weapons outlined in the Book of Ephesians. There are many ways the Word of God is attacked today. We need to know answers for these attacks. God knew that Truth would be attacked more and more in the Last Days, and the “Last Days” began at Jesus’ first coming (Acts 2:16-17 and Hebrews 1:2). Jesus called us the “salt of the earth” which means we are a preservative of righteousness and truth in a fading world.
v4-16: Further warnings about men sneaking into churches to deceive believers. These will have no respect for authority and will revile what they do not understand (not a spiritual bone in their body). They are grumblers, fault-finders, and do what they want, as well as flattering people to get their way. They are compared to Michael, who, as the top-ranked archangel in heaven, did not pronounce a railing judgment against the devil when arguing with him over the dead body of Moses. Instead, this powerful yet humble servant of the Most High simply said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you.” Unholy men will say much more despite not having any authority or rank in Heaven. What a comparison between the Holy and the unholy!
Regarding Moses’ dead body (Deuteronomy 34:6). The Bible does not tell us what this argument was about. Many commentators believe that the devil wanted the burial place known (knowing that people would worship it). God prevailed and He buried Moses in an unknown place.
v18-19: The above mentioned men will cause divisions. Worldly men, who are devoid of the Spirit of God and are causing divisions in the church, must be put out of the church if they do not repent and change. At that point they are a “cancer cell” and must be “cut out” before “the Body of Christ” (church) dies as a result (Matthew 18:15-17).
v21: “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” This gives us power over sin in our lives and gives us strength to face each day. It also helps us respond properly to adversity.
v22-23: Hate the sin, but love and save the sinner (as if you are actually snatching them out of a fire). In other words, BE MOTIVATED! Too many Christians are asleep or afraid to tell others who Jesus is and how great He is. It is advantageous to believe in Hell. While all Christians should certainly believe in Hell, some may believe that the torment for humans is not eternal, but rather temporary based upon what they were exposed to on earth and what they did. The standard teaching is that it is eternal torment, although I have read some arguments from Scripture that it is not. The bottom line point to be made, however, is that the Lake of Fire is real and terrible, and no one in their right mind would want to go into it. Knowing that Hell exists (and that there are no second chances after life) will motivate believers to share the Good News with others if they love them.