Jude

Grace and greetings,

This Chapter Memory Study in Jude has been very interesting. For a one-chapter book, Jude proved difficult to tackle in one week. But, I reminded myself that there is no stop-watch on this study. My 'goal' of one chapter per week is just that; a goal. For a variety of reasons, it just wasn't going to work to get through Jude in one week. I never want the fruit of this study (which has already proven tremendously fruitful) to be suppressed with a legalistic yolk that may not be realistic. Jude has an extended memory section and I have increasing amounts of review (by the nature of the on-going study).

So, that said, the title for Jude is "Beware of Apostates" (by the way, as one of the resources I am creating for this study, I am creating a CMS at-a-glance chart that contains the themes, outlines and key verses. I found it helpful to begin thinking of titles for each book that would be part of the book's memory image. So, I will start presenting working titles for different books.) The outline theme is built on the letters in the book's title; J.U.D.E. Judge the Ungodly, Direction and Exhortation. I may decide to come back and adjust this study in the future (version 2.0 perhaps?). I got really zoned in on an outline and had trouble getting out of that 'box'.

Anyway, the memory passage (for now) is
Jude 3,4,20-23

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

²⁰But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. ²²And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Jude, thankfully, gives us a thorough and gracious introduction. He identifies himself as Jude, a servant of Jesus and brother of James (most likely the author of 'James'; therefore Jude was also half-brother to Jesus). He writes to those who have been called by God, are beloved by God, and are kept by God for Jesus Christ. Here we have the first of many 'triads' that permeate Jude's writing (unless you count Jude, servant, brother; some people count up to 18 such triads). He then blesses his readers with mercy, peace, and love (another triad) that is multiplied (a la Peter's greeting).

While Jude was apparently hoping to write about more positive things (their common salvation), he was compelled to deal with a more pressing issue. He first encourages them to contend (fight) for their common faith in the face of infiltrators. These ungodly people pervert God's grace and deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ (another triad) (3-4).

Verse 5 begins a lengthy section describing these apostates and their practices. He likens them to Israel in their faithless response to God's provision in the dessert, to the angels who rejected their place in heaven to follow Satan, and to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (triad). Then Jude refers to an interaction between Michael and Satan (nowhere referenced in Scripture) concerning the body of Moses. Jude's observation is that Michael did not himself reject and contend with Satan, but invoked the name of the Lord. Michael understood his place and his authority and did not over step his bounds. Again Jude contrasts this attitude with that of the apostates; they blaspheme things they don't understand and act instinctively like animals. They are doomed for destruction with the likes of Cain, Balaam, and Korah. (triad)

In verse 12, Jude piles on the descriptors; the ungodly are like hidden reefs (blemishes), selfish shepherds, waterless clouds, fruitless trees that are twice dead and uprooted, wild waves of the sea, fleeting foam of the ocean, and wandering stars doomed for destruction.

Jude quotes a prophesy of Enoch (also not found in Scripture) that assures the judgment of all ungodliness at the return of Christ. More descriptions of the ungodly follow; they grumble and and malcontent, they follow their sinful desires, they're loud-mouthed boasters who show favoritism to gain advantage. Jude gives us a comprehensive picture (in both literal and metaphorical terms) of the character and behavior of the apostates.

He then changes his direction in verse 17 by addressing the saints. Jude summarizes the warnings we find in Paul's and Peter's writing; 'in the last days there will be more ungodly people who will scoff at your faith. These divisive, worldly people do not have the Spirit and will follow their own ungodly passions.'

And then we have the direction and exhortation to the beloved; 'build yourselves up in your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, and keep yourself in the love of God as you wait for the mercy of Jesus that leads to eternal life'. As fruit of this condition, we are to have mercy on those who doubt, snatch others out of the fire, and show others mercy with fear while hating even the hint of sin.

Jude then ends with, what has become, a very famous doxology.

²⁴Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

How does this help me know God more?
While some might say Jude is simply harsh talk against the ungodly, I see God's heart for His people and His desire to care for their spiritual well-being. He knows the power of the evil one to deceive and destroy, so He exposes them for what they are. In a strange way, this is comforting to me as a follower of Christ. The way Jude paints the life and fruit of the apostate confirms and strengthens my resolve to follow Christ. He reminds us in vv14-15 of the end of the story; the ungodly apostates will be judged by Christ. God wants to save us from falling prey to the apostates, but He also wants us to work faithfully in His kingdom to bring others to know Him. This little book, while sobering, is also very encouraging.

To the Only God,

Ethan

3 John

Greetings and good morning (at least it's morning now),

As natural as it was to go from 1 John to 2 John, motating to 3 John was effortless. And I'm glad I did. 3 John offers the same personal, loving touch that we have seen from the previous two epistles. But while 2 John warns about the dangers of welcoming (and by default approving) of the ministry of false teachers, the outline themes for 3 John are Walking in the truth, Welcoming workers, Wayward leader.

The memory passage is:
3 John 4,8,9 (ESV)
4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
8Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
9I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.

This letter is addressed specifically to an individual, Gaius, whom John knows well and loves in the truth of the Gospel. He rejoiced greatly at the testimony (by the brothers) that Gaius (one of his 'children') was walking in the truth. Verse 4 is an oft used sentiment, often used by parents of children, to express the joy of seeing their children following Christ. The context here may not be specifically regarding true offspring (rather 'spiritual children' who have come to Christ under your ministry) but the joy is same for both biological parents and spiritual parents.

The second section deals with the issue of Welcoming Workers who are traveling around for the sake of the Gospel. Even though they are strangers (5) they should be treated honorably and hospitably for the sake of their mission; the ministry of the Word and Truth of Christ. By helping these traveling workers (no doubt more common in that day), John encouraged the church that they were partnering (fellowing) with them in ministry.

The third section (Wayward Leader) deals with an individual in the church who opposed John and his authority. Diotrephes, whom John characterizes as a selfish, self-proclaimed authority, has rejected (by not welcoming the traveling ministers) and even slandered the message of John (and possibly suppressed a previous letter?). John makes it clear that he intends to confront this contentious individual on his next visit. He then implores Gaius to imitate what is good and true and not what is evil. By this it is known if someone is from God or not.

Then, in a sort of ancient reference letter, John commends Demetrius (possibly the bearer of this letter) and testifies to his worthiness. What a perfect test to see whether this particular church will respond to his message of hospitality.

John ends this epistle in much the same way he ended 2 John; 'I have more to write, but I'd rather come see you in person. Peace and greetings to you all from me and the friends here'.

How do I know God more through this letter?
What a terrific glimpse into the very personal foundation of the early church. John writes this letter to a dear friend (and possibly host or leader of a church) to encourage him, warn him, and bless him. That God preserved this little letter to be included in the canon of Scriptures is truly a blessing to all of us. John's joy, expressed in v4, is so accessible to us today. Anyone who has children walking with the Lord, or who have had a part in bringing someone to Christ can immediately identify with his heart; indeed there would seem to be no greater joy (short of our joy in Him). I see God's heart drawing His own closer to Him while warning (and teaching) them how to handle those who are opposed to His truth. In this short letter, we see His holy grace, mercy and jealousy at work in the Body.

Peace be to you, friends,

Ethan

2 John

Greetings and grace to you,

It wasn't a monumental decision to proceed to 2 John after 1 John. It just kinda happened. Ever since one learns the books of the Bible as a cub, 'First, Second, Third John.....' just seem to run together. And after reading 2 John, I realized that it serves as a sort of 'summary' of 1 John. Most of the main themes covered in 1 John are also mentioned in 2 John (briefly, of course).

Let me take a moment to talk about the 'pre-study' process I have developed. The funny thing about this new pre-study is that I developed it as I was finishing the study in 1 John (a little late, but some things are only seen as helpful after you toil through it). What I did with 1 John (after the fact) and 2 John (beforehand; thankfully) is took a few extra moments to read through the whole book and pull out keywords. I start with words that occur more than a couple times in a section (or if I notice them spread out in each chapter). Then I look for phrases or structures that repeat themselves to see if there is an underlying foundation to build on. This gives me the main 'language' of the book, but also a tremendous resource on which to build the thematic outline. I then use the 'find' feature in Word to count how many times each word actually occurs in the text (for this study, based on the ESV; further study would lead me to count the GK words that may be translated differently). Then I use the cool highlight function to highlight each different word in a different color. While this word-counting is not always a comprehensive window into the book, it often gives a visual (because of the color) image of the text from which I can more easily find main themes and chose memory passages that include many (or most) of the keywords.

So, since 2 John is a 'one-chapter-wonder', I outlined it a bit differently. Two of the three main sections were keyed by words that started with 'T', so that's where I went. The Outline Theme phrase for 2 John is "Walk in Truth, True love, and Teaching". (love is the main theme of the second section, but it had to start with 't' :)

The memory passage is:
2 John 4,6a,9 (ESV)
⁴I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.

^6aAnd this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;

⁹Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

The introduction is one of the more 'controversial' sections of the letter. John (who is unnamed) addresses the letter to 'the elect lady and her children'; which could be seen as an actual female believer and her kids, or a metaphor for the elect church and the members of that body. There really doesn't seem to be any definitive facts that set this straight, so we're left to interpretation. One commentator doesn't find any reason to read this other than as to a lady and her children; there is no other precedent using this reference as a church, and the word 'lady' in GK is a form of a proper name (Kyria). Another commentator suggests that the letter 'reads' as if it were written to a church, the final greeting is from the elect sister's children (whereas if it were to a lady, why isn't the greeting to the lady herself?), and the word for 'lady' in GK also is a form of the word used for church.

So there you have it. We don't really know. And thankfully, it doesn't really matter. We believe God's Word is true and valuable for OUR life and growth (2 Tim 3:16), so the application for the modern reader is affected very little (if any) by this detail.

The part right after the greeting sets up the theme of the book (and immediately reminds us of 1 John) by using 'love in truth' and 'truth that abides'. John was working with precious little space or time, and didn't want to go any longer without reminding the recipients of the major theme. He goes on in v2 with more sound doctrine; grace, peace and mercy are sent from God the Father and Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.

Verse 4 begins the body of the letter and offers our first main theme; walking in truth. John either met in person or heard of some of the believers in this church (you can see how I interpret the recipient of this letter) who were walking in the true commandments of Christ. This is the same commandment that they had from the beginning (1 John 2:7); to love one another. How refreshing to hear that John 'jumped for joy' after seeing the faithful walk of obedience in these believers.

The second section stars with Verse 6; John defines true 'love'. The proof of true love for God is that we walk in His commandments. This walk must be based on the truth of Christ and must endure so that the false teachers can not corrupt them with deception. The devil is a deceiver, the antichrist, and will distort and destroy the children of God at any turn. John warns them to watch themselves in order that they may run the race faithfully and receive a full reward (1 Cor 9:24-27). John writes not of the judgment of our eternal standing (which is sure), but the judgment of our works in Christ (1 Cor 3:11ff).

Verses 9-11 deal with the abiding in and handling of the teaching of Christ. He makes a sharp point; if one abides in the teaching of Christ they have the Father, but if one does not abide in the teaching of Christ they have neither the Father nor the Son. In the issue of hospitality, beware of who you let into your home. John does not contradict the teaching of Christ that we should love and care for others in need or that we should bless the non-believer and proclaim the Gospel. He writes here that if we know a false teacher is attempting to corrupt the truth of Christ we are not to 'let him into our house'. We must beware of giving them any sign of encouragement or approval; tacit or explicit. We must not in any way support (financially or otherwise) their work or give audience to their misguidings. John does not (thankfully) give us a 'rulebook' for which situations are acceptable. If we are walking with Christ and living obediently to His Word, we should be able to, by His wisdom and insight, discern the opportunity for invitation and the occasion for rejection.

John ends the epistle with a wonderful personal touch; 'I'd write more, but I want to come see you face to face; that is what gives my heart joy.'


How do I know God better from this study?
God is jealous (in the holy and righteous fullness of the meaning) for His children and for His Truth. He also rejoices to see us walking in the true teaching of Christ, and adamantly rejects the work of false teachers who would corrupt His Truth for their own purposes. How can we balance this command to 'reject' false teachers and yet be hospitable in love and mercy? While God alone is fully wise, just and gracious, He is constantly renewing us into His image. Holy Spirit is constantly working in the good heart He created in us at our conversion to make us more like Christ. He wants us to walk in His mind and wisdom; He wants us to share His heart for lost souls and His lament for wandering sheep; He wants to give us His vision for our mission in His kingdom. How do we do this? Walk in His love, walk in His truth, and walk in His teaching; abide in Him daily and He will teach us to live from the heart He created and loves.

Grace, mercy, and peace to us in the Truth of Christ,

Ethan