The Early Church · Not dated
Chapter 44
Contend for the Faith
But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.Keep yourselves in God’s love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
For parents
This chapter is a letter that speaks of judgment: the Lord destroying those who didn’t believe after he saved a people out of Egypt, angels kept in chains in darkness, and Sodom and Gomorrah suffering the punishment of eternal fire (Jude 5–7); those who perished in Korah’s rebellion (11); and darkness kept forever for ungodly men, and Enoch’s prophecy of judgment on the ungodly (13–15). It names sexual sin in a few plain words (7). Nothing is described in detail.
, a servant of Jesus and brother of James, wrote a letter to those who are called, who are made holy by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. He began: “May you have mercy, peace and love, many times over.
“Dear friends, I was very eager to write to you about our salvation, the salvation all of us share. But I found I had to write to you and urge you to fight hard for the faith that was given to the once and for all.
“I say this because some men have crept in among you secretly. Long ago it was written that they would face this condemnation. They are ungodly men. They turn the of our God into indecency, and they deny our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ.
“Now, you already know this, but I want to remind you. The Lord saved a people out of the land of , and afterward he destroyed those who didn’t believe.
“And there were angels who didn’t stay in their first realm, but left their own home. He has kept them in darkness, in chains that last forever, until the judgment of the great day.
“So it is with and and the cities around them. In the same way as these, they gave themselves over to sexual sin and went after strange flesh. They are held up as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
“Yet these men do the same thing in their dreaming: they make the flesh unclean, despise authority, and insult heavenly beings.
“But when , the , was in a dispute with the , arguing about the body of , he didn’t dare bring an insulting judgment against him. Instead he said, ‘May the Lord rebuke you!’
“But these men insult whatever they don’t know. And they are destroyed by the very things they understand by nature, like animals that can’t reason.
“ to them, because they went the way of , ran wild in the error of to get paid, and perished in ’s rebellion.
“These men are hidden reefs, rocks under the water, at your when they feast with you. They are shepherds who feed themselves without fear. They are clouds without water, driven along by the wind. They are autumn trees with no fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. They are wandering stars, and pitch-black darkness has been kept for them forever.
“, the seventh from , also prophesied about these men. He said, ‘Look, the Lord came with his holy ones, tens of thousands of them, to carry out judgment on everyone, and to prove all the ungodly guilty of all the ungodly deeds they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’
“These men grumble and complain. They live by their cravings, their mouths speak proud words, and they play favorites to gain an advantage.
“But you, dear friends, remember the words the of our Lord Jesus Christ spoke earlier. They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be mockers, who live by their own ungodly cravings.’
“These are the ones who cause divisions. They are ruled by their senses, and they don’t have the Spirit.
“But you, dear friends, keep building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the . Keep yourselves in God’s love, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which leads to eternal life.
“Have compassion on some, making a distinction. And save others, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
“Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to bring you into the presence of his glory without a fault, in great joy: to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, rule and power, now and forever. Amen.”