I’ve always avoided the book of Job, because it terrified me. After being raised in the hyper dispensational “Left Behind” era, you’d think it was Revelation. However, it’s been Job for me.
The few sermons I heard out of Job was enough for me to shudder in fear over God’s sovereignty even in our suffering. As a mom with four kids and one in Heaven, I’ve never really wanted to visit that.
My Bible reading challenge has me going through Job right now, so I decided to face the beast. I’m only on chapter 14 … and yes, it’s rough.
It’s more fun to read about wars, dysfunctional families, or scandalous kings. But this just feels more personal because of the way my heart crashed into my stomach at the description of Job’s trial.
I’m trying not to skip ahead, although I certainly want to see Job’s resolve after many chapters of wrestling and enduring bad theology from friends. It is really hard, because so much of it is what I’ve heard before.
Sadly, even the bad counsel dished out by Job’s friends has rolled from my lips before.
Either way, my observation of these guys thus far feels like a bad counseling session with a pastor who has really poor theology. Or perhaps they echo a sermon where a lot of half truths are spouted out – they sound good, but they aren’t necessarily true.
It is an emotional rollercoaster to read Job’s prayers and see his friends’ presumptuous responses. Some of what they say isn’t wrong, but their application on Job’s particular situation is poor.
I believe that’s what bothers me about their responses. You can read bits of truth and almost feel manipulated by them.
I’m only on chapter 14. And I’m really only getting the thousand foot view as I’m simply reading, not necessarily digging in yet. (I’ve not avoided any other book – other than maybe Leviticus – like I have Job.) This sermon from John Piper has helped me as I read along.
But this is where my head is at with it right now. Job is suffering immense pain and grief beyond what I could ever imagine. He curses the day he was born. He thinks death might be a valid escape from this misery.
And his friends think God is merely reacting to some hidden sin that must be confessed. His friends see God unveiling the hidden treasures of prosperity and gain if only he would confess and cleanse himself from wickedness. They seem to have a lot of quick, pre-loaded answers, but none seem to truly suffice.
Isn’t that the experience we often have with suffering? Everybody and their mama comes along with some kind of answer for it. It’s how we make sense of nonsensical things. And I don’t think it is always malicious — many times we do want to ease our loved ones’ suffering.
But what gives me hope about ol Job is he just keeps running back to God. He keeps boldly approaching the throne of Grace – begging for relief, begging for mercy, and ultimately pouring his heart out.
His friends crush him with the unbearable weight of judgement and condemnation. It is palpable even from the pages of scripture. Rather than succumbing to this crushing boulder, he continues to pursue his God.
How lonely in the human aspect.
How lovely in the spiritual, knowing we can fall at the feet of our Savior and pour our hearts out even with the ugliest and messiest of prayers.
Did any of y’all ever skim past the greetings in the New Testament epistles? When I was a younger Christian, I didn’t really see what significance there was beyond knowing who the text was written to. I figured it was simply an introduction similar to our “to whom it may concern.”
Whether the author is Paul, Peter, or my new friend Jude, each letter is introduced with an affectionate salutation. Maybe he calls them belovedbrothers. Even in the letter of correction to the notorious church of Corinth, Paul opens with grace and peace to you. The audience is established as believers with an encouragement of their place in Christ.
I remember being given a CD of a preacher who began his sermon much differently. This particular pastor/evangelist was hailed as one of the greats, so I remember being hopeful for some encouragement and edification from the man of God. (If you know, you know.) Instead, he began his message by insulting his congregation, boasting about how many people he had run off with his harsh preaching, and then moved to call them whoremongers.
Can you see how that hindered me from ever wanting to hear what this fella had to say?
Though there is no rule on it, I think we can say these greetings are a lovely example of how to begin a message or even a conversation with others. As I said, even a rebuke of a church in chaos received better than that.
With all of that said, I think it is important to take an extra close look at the greeting in Jude. As Jude braces the reader for a discussion on apostasy, he has some very important things to say. These aren’t sweet little nothings to tickle our ears. This is important for each believer to hear.
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.” Jude 1:1-2 ESV
Who is this book written to?
To those who are called
God calls all of those who believe unto Himself. The Greek word used here is klētos which, by Thayer’s definition, is an invitation from God to eternal salvation. A person cannot be saved apart from the internal call (regeneration). Many will hear the outward call of the gospel from preachers, evangelists, and witnessing Christians. Only those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, or called, will respond to that call.
Jesus taught that no man could come unto him unless the Father draws that person first. I remember when my eyes were opened to the truth, how everything in the world around me suddenly seemed different. I told everyone, “I have new eyeballs!” Truly, this wasn’t a mere choice to turn over a new leaf or push forward in determination to be moral. This was a working of the Holy Spirit who overcame my pride and drew me to Himself.
Lydia experienced this same effectual call when “the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” (Acts 16:14)
In reformed teaching, this is called the effectual call (also known as irresistible grace, a term often misunderstood to mean being forced to be saved) Romans 1:6 confirms this: “Those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” Not all who are called with an outward call will receive Christ. However, those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit will belong to Christ.
Romans 8:30 confirms this effectual call in what some theologians refer to the Golden Chain:
“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:30
We can be assured of our position in Christ because we have been called. Called from the muck and mire, called from the pit of sin, and called from death to life. Indeed, salvation is of the Lord.
Beloved in God the Father
The basic meaning of this word means dearly loved. You aren’t just a faceless nobody who Jude is writing to. Though the recipient of this letter may or may not have been someone who personally knew him, he understood their value in the eyes of God. Dearly loved by the Father. Before he ever gets into correction and doctrine, he desires for the reader to be rooted and covered in the love of God.
1 John 3:1 echoes this sentiment as he writes, See what kind of love the Father has given tous, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
We often imagine the disposition of God as angry and distant. Perhaps we see Jesus as the kind one and the Father is standing in the corner with his arms crossed disapprovingly. Scripture reassures us of the opposite.
You are dearly loved, friend.
Kept for Jesus Christ
As we begin a book on apostasy, false teachers, and people seemingly leaving the faith, it is disheartening to wonder if we could leave as well. We are living in a day where the words of Jude are on full display. Professing Christians are denouncing their belief in Christ or embracing a gospel which isn’t supported in the scriptures. I don’t know about you, but seeing these stories can be jarring and unsettling. They may strike fear or even anger in us.
Jude begins a topic on this issue by establishing those who are truly in Christ as those who are also kept in “God the Father, for Jesus Christ.”
This word kept implies a guardianship and careful tending to the person who is being kept. A strong fortress is being built around them, making it impossible to be taken or to escape. The elect (the saved) are a love gift from God to His Son Jesus. Chosen by grace and without any pre-qualifying conditions, none who are His can be lost.
You’re forever His.
We may struggle with seasons of doubt, crisis, and even rebellion. We may have moments where we feel God is nowhere to be found or where we even question whether Christianity is true. But truly those who belong to Christ will not be lost. His sheep know His voice … and He knows His sheep.
We are kept. Or as the King James puts it, we are preserved.
Restin that.
May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you
Not only was Jude praying for these qualities to manifest in the recipient of his letter, but he prayed they would abound in them.
Our flesh makes it easy to lift our nose in pride at those who struggle to believe or perhaps don’t believe at all. But instead, we should be marked by the love of Christ. (John 13:35) We should reflect His mercy, peace, and love to an unbelieving world. The fruit of all that God has done in us (verse 1) should be reflected in how we treat others. This doesn’t enable us to compromise truth or to soften it. However, my prayer is that in defense of truth, my spirit would remain soft and kind … even if the truth itself seems the opposite.
Final Thoughts
Jude pulls no punches in this little one chapter book. As I read through each verse, I do kind of feel as though he is one of those preachers delivering hard hitting truths and maybe stepping on some toes.
Sadly, I’ve heard many preachers who go straight for the toe smashing and follow with an altar call with no time spent on the gospel. No time spent on Christ. They crush you with the law and, well, they leave you there.
Jude does not follow that pattern. He reminds the reader of their place in Christ, their security in Him, and encourages them of their duty to follow in love and mercy toward others.
SpoilerAlert: He ends his letter the same way.
You are called, beloved, and kept. Look to the Gospel, rest in it, and share the love of Jesus with others today.
It might be one of the easiest books in the Bible to find, because it is right before the final book of Revelation. (Not Revelations. 😀) So, if your pastor says he’s going to be preaching from Jude, hopefully you won’t be flipping through trying to find it while everyone else seems to navigate their Bibles with ease.
(Kind of like I was during each week of the series on Amos. Those minor prophets are hidden in there.)
I’ve heard sermons which contained snippets of Jude, but never any real exposition of the text. Actually, as often as I heard the phrase “earnestly contending for the faith” in passing, I didn’t even know the it came from there.
It is just this tiny onechapter book like the harder to find epistle Philemon. (Filet mon? Filly mon? How do y’all say it?)
Anyway, as I was deciding on what book to read after several months in Luke, I was also going through an, uh, interesting time. I had wandered over into progressive TikTok – also known as Christian deconstruction and exvangelicals. Being someone who has experienced unhealthy church systems, these creators’ stories resonated with me. I felt them. I share a little about that here.
But I also began to feel my faith being challenged.
I decided to cut the TikTok account, because this was affecting my mental state as I’m trying to heal spiritually and emotionally. My goal is to better understand historic Christianity, not tear it down. I’ve certainly tried to unhitch myself from extrabiblical standards and conspiracy theories which have no base in scripture OR historic Christianity. But my authority is scripture.
Also, TikTok is a time suck and I admittedly lack self control when itcomes to scrolling through stupid videos of husbands pranking their wives or old guys dancing to Earth, Wind, and Fire. Just me? 🤷🏼♀️
Before I went dark, one Christian reformed TikToker shared how God corrected her drift into progressivism through a study in Jude. I had gone through Galatians and got a thorough look at Paul’s rebuke of legalism. But as I was experiencing this pendulum swing internally, I knew I needed to go to scripture for answers.
Enter our friend Jude.
Some commentaries say his name was really Judas, but that it was shortened to avoid confusion with that guy. He begins his greeting by announcing he is the brother of James. As we know, James was the half brother of Jesus. Many scholars conclude this would mean Jude was his half brother as well. If so, it is interesting that Jude didn’t make that claim. Perhaps from a place of humility, he kept his familial relation to himself in order to keep the attention on Christ.
Interesting note about Jesus’ own half brothers: they didn’t believe in Him as the Messiah until after the resurrection. (John 7:5; Acts 1:14)
This epistle is believed to have been written somewhere between A.D. 60-80, about the same time as 2 Peter. And one of its’ earliest manuscripts is believed to have been in the third or fourth century!
And as I begin digging into this with y’all, just know, Jude is going to have us all over the Old Testament. This might be a little book, but it is PACKED with doctrine and theology.
One of the things I am most grateful for from my time in the IFB (independent fundamental Baptist church) is how I was made very familiar with the Old Testament. But if you’re not, Jude will hook you up. He makes some bold statements and goes into history to cite his position.
Lastly, the theme of this epistle is to establish true believers in their calling, discuss the dangers and condemnation of false teachers and apostates, and encourages believers to continue contending for the faith.
For now, I’ll leave you with this beautiful doxology where Jude shares the eternal position in Christ of those who believe. This book feels a little bleak at times. It’ll have you looking inward at your own sin. And it will have you looking around to see the apostasy which seems to be so prevalent in our culture. However, if you have put your faith in Christ alone, you can rest in Him completely secure.
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”Jude 1:24-25 ESV
Have you ever read, studied, or heard preaching from the book of Jude? Share your experience with me in the comments!
Caffeinated Confessions 