Jude 3–4

3 Because they are God’s “beloved”—objects of his special covenant love in Christ—Jude tells his audience that he “was very eager to write to you about our common salvation.” “Although” Jude’s original plan was to write a letter focusing on the salvation they share in Christ, circumstances had changed that. Instead, Jude “found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” As the next verse indicates, this necessity stemmed from the presence of false teachers. As a servant of Christ, Jude could not stand idly by and watch the church be led astray. So Jude’s purpose is to “appeal” (parakaleō) to these believers, a verb communicating strong urging. This letter is no mere helpful advice; it is a word from God through Jude to compel his recipients to a specific course of action.

That action is to “contend for the faith.” The verb “contend” (epagōnizomai) comes from the language of athletic competition; in Jewish literature it depicts the “struggle which the pious has to go through in this world.”¹ In the NT this word family describes the effort necessary to pursue the Christian life (1 Cor. 9:25; Phil. 1:27–30; 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7) and ministry (Col. 1:29; 1 Tim. 4:10). Jude’s readers are to contend for “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” The word “faith” here refers to the content of what is believed: the truths of the gospel and their entailments for right living. This faith was “once for all delivered to the saints.” This expression signals the decisive revelation of the gospel in and through Jesus Christ, authoritatively passed down by the apostles (1 Cor. 11:23; 15:3; Heb. 1:1–4).

4 The readers must contend for the truth of the gospel because “certain people have crept in unnoticed.” Like spies hiding their true identity and motives, the false teachers have used stealth to infiltrate the church. Rather than arising from within the church, the false teachers were likely itinerants who “had been surreptitious and crafty, pretending to be godly members of the Christian church.”² Jude describes these false teachers in four ways.

First, they “long ago were designated for this condemnation.” The verb “designated” (prographō) may have the more specific sense of “written beforehand”;³ In Greek literature it “is attached to the concept of making official decrees, either in marriage contracts, deeds of sale, or public notices.”⁴ The OT and Jewish writings later cited foretold the false teachers’ condemnation. The perfect tense highlights their state of eternal “condemnation” and may also highlight the abiding authority of God’s word.

Second, they are “ungodly,” a word that speaks of a life oriented away from God. Their basic orientation is toward themselves and their own gain, rather than toward God.

Third, they “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality.” The verb “pervert” (metatithēmi) has the sense of changing something from one thing to another, altering its very nature. That is what the false teachers have done with the “grace of God,” distorting the apostolic message into an opportunity to indulge in “sensuality” (aselgeia). This word refers to a “lack of self-constraint which involves one in conduct that violates all bounds of what is socially acceptable” (2 Pet. 2:2, 7, 18).⁵ Often this word has a sexual connotation (Rom. 13:13; 1 Pet. 4:3), and the reference to the sexual immorality of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7) may suggest that this in view here.

Fourth, they “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Through their sensual living, the false teachers actively deny the identity and authority of Christ. The two titles “Master” and “Lord” stress Jesus’ complete authority and the unflinching submission he deserves from those who claim him as their Savior.