CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

Passage: Jude 1:1-7

Key verse: 3b

NIV

1 Jude,(A) a servant of Jesus Christ(B) and a brother of James,

To those who have been called,(C) who are loved in God the Father and kept for[a] Jesus Christ:(D)

2 Mercy, peace(E) and love be yours in abundance.(F)

The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People

3 Dear friends,(G) although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,(H) I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend(I) for the faith(J) that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.(K) 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.(L) They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.(M)

5 Though you already know all this,(N) I want to remind you(O) that the Lord[c] at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.(P) 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.(Q) 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah(R) and the surrounding towns(S) gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.(T)

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Footnotes
  1. Jude 1:1 Or by; or in
  2. Jude 1:4 Or individuals who were marked out for condemnation
  3. Jude 1:5 Some early manuscripts Jesus
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Greeting

1 Jude, a servant[a] of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

(A)To those who are called, (B)beloved in God the Father and (C)kept for[b] Jesus Christ:

2 May (D)mercy, (E)peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Judgment on False Teachers

3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our (F)common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you (G)to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For (H)certain people (I)have crept in unnoticed (J)who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert (K)the grace of our God into sensuality and (L)deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now I want (M)to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that (N)Jesus, who saved[c] a people out of the land of Egypt, (O)afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And (P)the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as (Q)Sodom and Gomorrah and (R)the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and (S)pursued unnatural desire,[d] serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

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Footnotes
  1. Jude 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
  2. Jude 1:1 Or by
  3. Jude 1:5 Some manuscripts although you fully knew it, that the Lord who once saved
  4. Jude 1:7 Greek different flesh
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. The faith entrusted to the saints (1-4)

This short letter was written by Jude, brother of James (Ac 15) and half brother of Jesus. Jude reminds us that we are called and loved by God, and kept by Jesus Christ. God's grace is not a license for immorality. Jesus is both Savior and Lord. We cannot welcome him as Savior but reject him as Lord. Those who try to do so are departing from the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. We must contend for this faith, and not compromise with our culture or with the world.

2. Examples of those who burn in hell (5-7)

God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, but he destroyed those who did not believe. Even angels who became proud and did not keep their positions were bound and are awaiting the final judgment. Sexual perversion and immorality are sins which God hates. He showed his hatred of these things when he poured fire and burning sulfur on Sodom. The burning fire of Sodom is a portent of the eternal fires that await sinners who do not repent.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your grace. Help me to live a humble and obedient life before you.

One Word: Don't misuse God's grace