Jude 1b

"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called,.."

(Jude 1:1b)

When Jude says that you are “the called,” he is using classic, Old Testament language for the people of God. Israel was called by God. Abraham was called by God out of the Ur of the Chaldeans, out of paganism, out of polytheism, out of his father's land and people to be the servant of God, to be the friend of God. And in Genesis 12:1-3 it is made clear that Abraham was called out of the world not simply for his own benefit but for the glory of God and for the good of the nations of the earth. Abraham was not only given blessing by God, but he was called to be a blessing to the nations. He was caught up in a story much bigger than himself. He was caught up as a missionary for God.

And when Jude calls these Christians called, he is reminding them that they have been called into a story which is much bigger than themselves. They have been called to not only divine blessings, they have been called by divine grace and choice, because men never take the initiative over God. They never approach God until God starts to draw them to Himself. You remember what Jesus says in John 6? “No man comes to the Father unless the Father draws him.” And so it's not only that they've been called and drawn by God's divine choice and election, but that they have been called into this grand adventure, an adventure in which we conspire to bless the world with the salvific blessings of God in Jesus Christ. 

(J. Ligon Duncan)

Jude 1

"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,.."

(Jude 1:1a)

Now let me just ask you something, If you were a half-brother or half-sister of Jesus Christ and you were writing to other Christians, wouldn't you tell ‘em?! Wouldn't you say, “And by the way, I'm Bob, Jesus’ brother”? But this man identifies himself as ‘Jude, Jesus’ slave.’ And I think that tells you a lot about his own self-understanding. It tells you something of his humility. He's the Lord's own brother, but he views Jesus as his Master. It shows his submission to the lordship of Christ. His whole life had been put at the disposal of Jesus. He calls himself, “the brother of James,” even though others call him “the brother of our Lord.” Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:5 calls James and Jude, “the brothers of our Lord,” but this writer doesn't say, ‘I'm Jude the brother of our common Lord.’ He says, ‘I'm Jude, the slave of Jesus the Messiah and the brother of James.’

Jude acknowledges Jesus as Messiah and Lord of his life, and yet even as a servant to Jesus, it sets Jude free. Because it is one of the paradoxes of Christianity that in glad devotion to Jesus we find our freedom. And so even in Jude's self-designation in the introduction, in the salutation of this letter, we learn something about Jude's self-understanding and his view of Christ, and we learn something of what our self-understanding ought to be. We are servants of Jesus Christ. We belong to Him. We march to the beat of His drum. We follow His word. We follow His commission. We seek to go in His ways. We desire to be conformed to His image. We long for His exaltation. We want the nations of the world to come to Him. He is the center of our existence in the community of faith. And we learn, of course, from Jude's introduction that this Jesus is Master and Lord and divine. And so we learn something about the way we ought to view ourselves and the way we ought to view our Savior.

(J. Ligon Duncan)

Understanding Revelation

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

(Revelation 22:18-19)

In Deuteronomy 4:2. As Moses reiterates the Law, calling on Israel to follow the Lord faithfully, he warned about adding to or taking away from the word that he had given them. "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Then he reminds them of what happened at Baal-peor, which was the occasion when the teaching of Balaam slipped into the camp of Israel so that God's people fell into idolatry (Deut. 4:3-4). The deceitful strategy employed was "that idolatry was not inconsistent with faith in the God of Israel" Here was precisely the problem facing the churches of Asia Minor and of our own day—that of thinking that idolatry in any form might be acceptable to the Christian faith.

So our Lord warns, "if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book." Certainly, the book of Revelation has not shifted theological gears to promote losing salvation! Throughout the book we've noted the underlying surety of Christ bringing His elect through every danger into His presence in the New Jerusalem. None whose names are written in the book of life fail to enter. Rather in the warning, our Lord states it with austerity, giving assurance that the one who would take away from this prophetic word or add to it is not Christian and therefore will face all of the judgments promised to unbelievers. In spite of their parading in the churches, and even in spite of leadership positions or places of prominence in the church, if they distort the holy message of the gospel then they face severe judgment. They may profess to be Christian but their allegiance to other gods betrays their confession.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price."

(Revelation 22:17)

The idea of "invitation" is prominent in evangelical vocabularies. However, rather than seeing it as the call of Christ in the gospel, invitation has become a portion of a worship service right after the sermon where interested people can indicate a decision for Christ or whatever the preacher may call for. Yet the Bible knows nothing of such a practice; it was added in the 19th century to accommodate revivalism that swept churches in the northeast. Instead, the real invitation is found in the gospel; it is declared whenever the gospel is rightly spoken, calling sinners to Christ.

The clearest example of this is found in verse 17. "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come"." Here we find the Holy Spirit and the Church—(shown to be the bride in 19:7-9; 21:9-21)—in concert by calling sinners to Christ. 

Consider that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to bear witness to Jesus Christ. In the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus spoke to His disciples concerning the Spirit's ministry as well as their own in concert with the Spirit: "He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning" (John 15:26-27). The Spirit's aim is to point people to Christ. So too, the aim of the Church throughout the ages must join with the Spirit by His power in pointing people to Christ. Proclaiming Christ's worthiness and sufficiency, the Spirit and the bride call upon those who will hear, "Come."

There is no simpler invitation than what we find in this text. As Jesus Christ has been proclaimed as the Lamb of God slain to redeem sinners, then the call to sinners is "Come." Come to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God slain for you. Come to Jesus Christ, the sin-bearer, mediator, and Lord. Come to Jesus Christ, cast yourself upon His mercies, depend upon His sacrificial death and life-giving resurrection. Do not come to an institution or an imagination or a religious mantra. Come to Christ!

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (22:15)~Newton

"Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."

(Revelation 22:15)

"Outside" is not to be taken literally, as though just outside the city gates. Rather, John has already declared the condition and location of the unbelieving at the Judgment—living the second death in the lake of fire (Rev.20:14). But "outside" aptly pictures for us the distinction that he intends. He wants us to see the great folly of life without Christ—eternally outside of Christ, eternally outside the joy and light of His presence, eternally outside the gladness of God's blessings.

One of the most painful human experiences is that of being ostracized or left out. That kind of alienation strikes at the core of our psyche. Even as small children, to be excluded from those important to us brings the deepest pain.

Here is the simple description of what eternal damnation is— "outside": alienated from Christ, excluded from the Creator's kind provisions, separated forever from those whom God has given life through Christ. Some excluded, perhaps multitudes, have been part of local churches. They've heard the Scripture, to some degree they've tasted of the good things of God without partaking by faith, they've pretended to be Christians, or they may have even called themselves Christians even though intentionally avoiding the way of the cross. John describes them as "everyone who loves and practices lying" or falsehood. Here's the life of the deceiver who thinks that he can slip past the omniscient gaze of God. But no! He is left "outside" the City of God's blessing.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (22:14)~Newton

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates."

(Revelation 22:14)

Notice that John uses a present tense verb for "wash," which implies an ongoing, continuous washing. It's literally, "Blessed are the ones continually washing their robes." The verb to wash is a participle in the present tense to indicate that sin is a continual polluting agency that needs repeated cleansings. Just as the children of Israel were told to wash their garments before they presented themselves before the Lord at Sinai (Exodus 19:10), in the same way, believers regularly wash in the blood of the Lamb. "If we walk in the Light as he Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). It is both the cleansing of reconciliation and sanctification implied by this beatitude. Here is a description of the genuine believer. He realizes his sins have separated him from God, so he has cast himself upon Christ, trusting in His atoning death for cleansing and reconciliation to God. But he also realizes that as long as he lives in this life he sins. He seeks to turn from sin, making repentance an ongoing part of his life. Yet he realizes that his sin hinders his fellowship with Christ, so again and again he applies himself to the cleansing blood of Christ's atoning death. Again and again he goes back to Christ. Again and again he applies the gospel that saved him and now, by the Holy Spirit, sanctifies him. That is the Christian; one who so loves his Lord that he seeks to live a life of genuine, unhindered fellowship with Jesus Christ.

(Dr. Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (22:7)~Newton

"And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

(Revelation 22:7)

In other words, the book of Revelation is not meant to entertain us or to merely stir our imaginations. It’s not intended to satisfy all of our curiosity about the last days. Instead, Revelation calls us to action in living out the gospel of Jesus Christ as God moves the universe toward the full revelation of His kingdom. In this regard we learn something of the nature of prophetic literature. It urges us to live like kingdom citizens while living in the midst of a rebellious world. It sees the work of the gospel, as it calls us into relationship with the Sovereign Lord, as the means to transform the world in which we live. Revelation insists that the answer to the human dilemma is not found in the political and economic structures of civilizations. The answer is found in the Lamb of God slain to purchase through His bloody death a people for God “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9)

(Dr. Phil A. Newton)