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Read verses 1-3 and then proceed with the commentary

The apostle now gives a reason for thus defending the truth; there were artful and wicked men who had crept into the church, pretending to be religious teachers, but whose doctrines tended to sap the very foundations of truth. The apostle Peter, describing these same persons, says that they are individuals, "who privily shall bring in damnable heresies."

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men (godless in behaviour), turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord (Gr. despots; ruler, master) God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Certain men crept in- They had come in unawares, by stealth; they had not come by a bold and open avowal of their real sentiments. They professed to teach the Christian religion, when in fact they denied some of its fundamental doctrines.
• One of Satan’s most effective strategies to spoil the work of God is to sneak his workers in among the fellowship of true believers as angels of light who preach another Jesus, another Spirit and another gospel. These spiritual pretenders are Satanic counterfeits who pose themselves to be messengers of God.
  • 2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
  • 2Cor 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
• Ordained to this condemnation- In other words, the kinds of men who are used by Satan to work undercover in the church are destined for judgment, just as Judas Iscariot was. This word ordained is not to be understood as an eternal decree on specific individuals, as it is a reference to such men that would pose a danger to the church.
  • For example: Ac 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
  • 1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron
• Turn the grace of God into lasciviousness- Abusing the doctrines of grace so as to give indulgence to corrupt and carnal propensities. That is, probably, they gave this form to their teaching, as Antinomians have often done, that by the gospel they were released from the obligations of the law, and might give indulgence to their sinful passions in order that grace might abound. This was forseen by the apostle Paul when he wrote:
  • Rom 6.1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
  • Ro 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
  • The Gnostic heresy that was very prominent at this time taught that it didn’t matter what you did with your body since the body was physical matter and had nothing to do with your spiritual life.
• Denying The only Lord God, and Lord Jesus Christ- The doctrines which they held were in fact a denial of the only true God, and of the Redeemer of men.
• The first Eng word Lord is the Greek word despotes (des-pot'-ace) meaning, “sovereign ruler” or “master.”
  • This is the same Greek word Peter used in 2 Peter 2:1 for master.
  • 2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
    • Please note that Jesus Christ died for people who will not believe in Him and will be eternally damned, which proves that His atonement was not limited in any way at all.
• The second Greek word for Lord is kurios (koo'-ree-os), which would be a title of respect given to a master.
  • Both of these words for Lord have been used in the New Testament with reference to both God and Jesus.
• The overall thrust of verse 4 is warning us to beware of “gospels” that twist or distort the true revelation of the grace of God; and, beware of those who pervert what Scripture declares about the character and nature of The Lord Jesus Christ…fully God and fully man.
• If, while the apostles were yet alive, errors crept into the churches, we need not wonder that they multiply in these last days. We must set our faces as a flint against them. CHS
  • The one who knows Jesus Christ as Lord and Master will seek to obey Christ’s commands to live a holy life.

5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

• Jude now gives us the first of three examples of people or beings who have turned from God’s truth.
• After having been called by God beloved, we ought not to glory carelessly in His grace, but on the contrary, to walk circumspectly with fear and trembling.
• This first example is the famous story of the Exodus. The very same people who experienced such a great deliverance ended up cast off and exiled in the wilderness by the same God who delivered them in the first place. Having been delivered out of Egypt by the blood of the lamb, they failed to enter into the Promised Land because of unbelief in the promise of God.
  • Heb 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
  • Heb 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: {it was: or, the gospel was}
  • Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. {unbelief: or, disobedience}
    • This generation had seen all God's miraculous works in Egypt first-hand, yet they still refused to fulfill His design to enter the promised land.
    • “Seeing” is not “believing” as many hold. Belief is an issue of the heart which is predicated upon a deep trust and desire to be obedient.
• Although the world has been reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5.19-21), that does not mean that Christ provided universal salvation for every single person. The personal application of that blood atonement is only applied to those who repent and believe in His vicarious sacrifice for their sin. Like myself before I was saved, it is possible for a person to believe all of the correct things about Jesus and yet think it necessary to repent and believe the gospel in order to be saved.
  • None are shut out from gospel offers and invitations, but those who obstinately and wickedly shut themselves out. But the application is to all believers, and only to such. MHCC

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

• Now Jude illustrates his point with a second example of turning from the truth of God – the fallen angels. Created holy, they had sinned and become wicked angels, or evil spirits. They suffered punishment, because they had despised the goodness of God and deserted their first vocation.
• This is a mysterious passage, which can only be understood in the light of other mysterious passages.
• There are just a few places in scripture where we can read of angels who rebelled or fell away from God. See Isaiah 14:12-14, Revelation 12:4, and Genesis 6:1-12.
• Reserved in everlasting chains- The fate of the fallen angels is very grave and grievous (2 Pet. 2:4).
  • God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.
• Some liberal scholars and theologians refuse to believe in God’s judgment or eternal punishment. The same holds true of Unitarians. See what the Bible says about this in Revelation 20:10-15. All who reject the Lordship of Christ, both angels and men alike, will share a grim eternity.

7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh (same gender sex), are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

• Jude’s third example of those who reject Gods truth is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which you can read about in Genesis chapters 10 through 19, as well as various references throughout the scriptures (Deut. 29:23; Is. 13:19; Jer. 49:18, 50:40; Amos 4:11).
• Genesis 19 clearly reveals that both heterosexual and homosexual sins were prominent in these wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them. This sexual perversion against the moral law of God is what triggered the judgment of God.
• Romans 1.24-27 tells us that Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was brought about because they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.
• The failure to recognize the character and holiness of God will always degrade into a hardening of the heart against the things of God, and a reprobate lifestyle.
• The thought of eternal fire is rejected by many people today, even though it is evidenced in scripture (Matt. 18:8, 25:41).

The three examples we have just reviewed are reminders of two important truths:

• God will judge the unrighteous. Even those who manage to fool everybody else are not fooling God. The Day of Judgment will come for all evildoers.
• If professors of faith in Jesus Christ leave the gospel as once delivered to the saints for unholy doctrine and impure living, He who cast down the angels for their sin will not spare them.
• Those who know God’s truth are responsible to continue in it, because the blessings of the past do not guarantee future blessings or present security.

8 ¶ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities (persons called by God to stations of authority or honor).

• Filthy dreamers- a “dreamer” is a person who chooses to dream up his own reality rather than to live in God’s reality. A dreamer is a person that follows the desires of his own flesh rather than bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
• This rejection is rooted in deluded mental imaginings or fantasies which refuse to acknowledge the obvious boundaries which God has placed within the created order. Tony Garland
• The Apostle Paul’s exhortation in 2 Cor. 10:5 is a word in season for us tonight because he warns followers of Jesus Christ about our spiritual warfare and tells us all that we should be, “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
• Defile the Flesh - To defile means to corrupt, pollute, contaminate, or stain. Since a “dreamer” replaces God’s truth with his own fleshy imaginations he would naturally “defile the flesh” by sinful living.
• Despise dominion (reject authority). A person who loves to live in his own dreamt up world and is governed by his own imagination will naturally reject God’s authority.
• And Speak Evil of Dignitaries – A dignitary is one who holds a high rank or position. A “dreamer” has a high opinion of himself and would think nothing of criticizing one of God’s apostles or any other person of rank in the church.

9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

• An archangel is one of the highest ranking of God’s angels. Michael is mentioned several times throughout the scriptures and he seems to be a powerful angel of war (Rev. 12:7). He is also called a “prince” in the book of Daniel (Dan. 10:13 & 12:1).
• Disputed about the body of Moses- We do not have a record in scripture of this event, but there are many reputable scholars who say that it has been taken from an extra biblical book from that era.
• Moses only stood against the devil on the authority of The Name of The Lord, not his own.

10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

• Jude shows a stark contrast now between those in submission to God and His dignitaries and those who dream of their own rule and authority.
• The great archangel and prince Michael was careful how he addressed the devil, who once was a great “dignitary” of God but now stands in opposition to God’s authority. In contrast, these “dreamers” ignorantly speak whatever they want to whomever they want. This is but another characteristic of the wicked.
• Like brute beasts, with disordered appetites and affections, they corrupt themselves with their inflated self importance and heretical views of God’s character and gospel.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

• Cain depicts the arrogance and false religion of apostates, Balaam depicts their greed and seductiveness, and Korah depicts their open rebellion in blaspheming God.

• The way (a course of conduct, a manner of thinking, feeling, deciding) of Cain- Cain was the son of Adam and Eve and the brother of Abel. You can read of his story in Genesis 4. Cain and his brother both made an offering to the LORD. Abel’s offering of blood was accepted and Cain’s of the fruit of his own efforts was rejected. Thus Cain sought to be accepted by God on his terms and not God’s. This made Cain jealous and angry. Cain let these fleshly feelings take over and he murdered his own brother.
• New Testament writers give more insight to this event in Hebrews 11:4 and 1 John 3:12. The way of Cain was the way of unbelief and unrighteousness distinguished by jealousy, hatred, and murder.
• The error of Balaam- Balaam was a prophet of God who did not have the heart of God. You can read his story in Numbers 22-25 and 31. King Balak of the Moabites hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel because he knew he could not defeat them by natural means. Every time Balaam tried to curse Israel he ended up pronouncing a blessing upon them instead of a curse. God would not let him curse His people. Yet because Balaam greatly desired the financial or material rewards that king Balak offered him, he finally gave the king advice that would bring destruction upon God’s people. Balaam counseled king Balak that the children of Israel could be brought down by sexual and spiritual idolatry. The women of Moab were therefore sent by King Balak to seduce the young Israeli soldiers and then entice them to worship their gods (Num. 31:16). This plan brought great destruction upon the people of God. Balaam’s error was to think he could use his God-given position for profit rather than for God’s glory. Balaam’s problem was greed. This led to Balaam’s own destruction. In God’s providence Balaam was slain by the very people he gave his wicked counsel against (Num. 31:8).
• Gainsaying of Core- Korah is another example of how a person numbered among God’s people, even among God’s leaders, can turn to folly and destruction. You can read about Korah and his rebellion in Numbers chapter 16. Korah was a Levite and prominent leader in Israel. He had been given the high honor of overseeing the transport of the Holy items of the tabernacle. Yet, Korah desired more. He was not satisfied with the position of honor God had given him. He wanted much more. He even challenged Moses’ authority. When the contest was over, all who sided with Korah were destroyed as the ground opened up and swallowed them. Korah’s sin was pride and rebellion. We learn from Korah’s story that when you rebel against the people God has raised up in authority, you rebel against the Lord Himself (Num. 16:11).

May we never presume upon God’s grace beloved, but may we cherish it as more dear and necessary than ever before.