There is one story that every student of my seminary knows. It is retold as a warning at every graduation ceremony. Crawford Toy is probably not a name that many Christians know, but you should. Toy was the star theologian of his day - an Old Testament scholar of no equal who studied in Germany and brilliantly refuted the Higher Critics of his day. He was baptized and pastored by the great John Broadus himself - the man who founded the Seminary.

Over the years, Toy became increasingly entranced with Higher critical methods and thought that he could chart a new course in the understanding of divine inspiration. Eventually, a board of trustees was called in to investigate Toy’s teaching. Nobody wanted Toy fired; he published books like crazy, his students adored him, and his church cherished him. Toy, as a polite measure, tendered his resignation - a common gesture for academics as a public show of humility. He also defended his views saying, “not only [is it] lawful for me to teach as professor in the seminary, but [it] will bring aid and firm standing-ground to many a perplexed mind and establish the truth of God on a surer foundation.” Crawford Toy was in for a stunning surprise.

These first two verses tell us, that while we contend for the faith, we must recognize the gravity of this task. In verse 3 Jude writes, “Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.” Jude understands that something dramatically wrong has happened in this church. While Jude had wanted to write a very different kind of letter, the circumstances forced his hand. This letter would be heavy, but it would also be necessary.

What was this problem that demanded such a drastic letter? False teachers. Jude conveys that these false teachers had come in by stealth in verse 4. These false teachers have come in among the faithful, having an appearance of godliness, but only as a facade. Their godlessness betrays their falseness. Indeed, the word “godless” is Jude’s chief descriptor for the false teachers.

Although the circumstances are grave, Jude wants to emphasize that the proper response is sober-mindedness and trust in God. Proverbs 16:4 reads, “The Lord has prepared everything for his purpose— even the wicked for the day of disaster.” We also see in verse 4 that Jude understands that these false teachers were ordained from long ago.

Finally, however, this situation with the false teachers is so grave because of the object of their attack: “the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.” Jude understands that the one true and Apostolic faith is not up for debate. Any matter of Christian doctrine must refer back to the testimony of those who saw the risen Savior and were commissioned as His representatives to preach His truth - the Apostles.

So friends, let’s be cautious of voices within Christendom that claim, “There are many ways to follow Christ, we’re all fallible people, so we can’t be so certain of our own dogmatic beliefs.” Patience with others in the midst of their errors is not the same thing as perpetual lack of certainty. Patience is the nature of true humility, but perpetual self-doubt is a concession to our postmodern moment.

Certainly, we cannot know our unknown errors, but don’t fall into Immanuel Kant’s trap. Kant believed that knowledge of the transcendent reality is inaccessible. Certainly, Kant argued, transcendent reality must be true, but we can’t get to there from here as fallible and finite creatures. I submit to you, Kant’s god was too small! The true God is infinite, infallible, and wholly able. He is able to communicate truly about Himself in a way that we may be certain of the content of our faith. The essentials of our faith are as certain as the stone tablets carved by the finger of God on Mount Sinai. Even in areas of disagreement among Christians, those who follow the true faith recognize that mutually exclusive doctrinal convictions must either both be wrong, or only one is right and the other is wrong. Servants of the truth are neither slaves to subjectivity nor prisoners of uncertainty. 

So, as an army under the generalship of Jesus Christ, Jude has informed us of the stakes for this battle. Now he wants us to focus on the nature of our enemy.

This section from verse 5 until about verse 16 represents one major theme within Jude. Namely, while we contend for the faith, God will keep us by coming to judge the wicked. The format that Jude uses to deliver this truth is a common Jewish and Old testament genre: A Woe Oracle. We see Woe Oracles from both Jesus, James, and Jude who take it from the Old Testament prophets. James pronounced a woe over the rich to his poor audience; Jesus pronounced a woe over the scribes and pharisees to his followers; Isaiah pronounced a woe over pagan nations to Israel. See a pattern? The prophet consistently pronounces a judgment over one group/nation but addresses to another group/nation. “Why is this important?” you ask. I think it’s easy to assume that Jude is pronouncing judgment upon the false teachers as if they were the recipients of this letter, but that would actually take us off course of Jude's main point. Actually, Jude is pronouncing judgment upon these false teachers so that the believers know what will become of the wicked and deceiving charlatans.

We see that one aspect of the coming terrible judgment is that it falls on those who step outside of their designated role. Unbelieving Israelites are destroyed in verse 5; they were called to be God’s holy people after being rescued from slavery, but they persisted in unbelief. The angels, likewise, forsook their role as celestial beings in the service of God - transgressing their realm of authority. Sodom and Gomorrah reveled in homosexuality. Notice the consequences of transgressing outside of good boundaries of God’s will. Trespassers are “destroyed” (v. 5), “kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day” (v. 6), and finally, “undergoing the punishment of eternal fire” (v. 7). Jude intends a crescendo here of foretastes of the coming wrath.

So what is the transgression of these false teachers that will merit God’s judgment? They "defile their flesh, reject authority, and slander glorious ones” (v. 8) Their lives were morally corrupt - likely from sexual sin, they lived in open rebellion against our Sovereign King, and they took it upon themselves to issue judgments against demons. Obviously, Jude’s choice of the words “slander glorious ones” is ambiguous if not for the following verses. Jude cites a famous Jewish story where Michael, the archangel, refused to issue a judgement against Satan, and instead entrusted it to the Lord. These false teachers, in contrast to Michael, boast knowledge of angels and authority to execute judgments, but they’re ruled by their natural desires and blasphemous self-exaltation, lacking the basic knowledge of the holiness without which none will see the Lord.

Just imagine what it would be like to take spiritual advice from a source like this. It's like taking book recommendations from someone who is illiterate or taking parenting advice from a 5 year old. Likewise, such morally corrupt spiritual guides lack some obviously necessary qualifications.

Christian, how relevant is this text today? How many voices would tell us to flee from the simple call to holiness, relying on dreams and visions, and being boastful of knowledge that they don’t have? (see v. 8 again) I’ve even heard many claim that we must pray judgments against demonic activity, not merely deliverance from the Lord, but that we now have authority to execute judgment over demons! But sons and daughters of God the Father don’t play games with rebels to the throne. Instead, we entrust them to the final judgment where we, under Christ’s Lordship, will condemn them in the name of Jesus.

Now Jude reaches the climax of his woe oracle in verses 11-16. This will teach us another truth about God’s judgment: God’s judgment is powerfully against those who threaten His people.

The collection of events in verse 11 - Cain’s murder of Abel, Balaam’s prophetic whoredom, and Korah’s mutiny are not unique to Jude. Many Jews would point to these three events as epitomes of a love of wickedness. Jude interestingly highlights that Balaam’s prophecy was done for personal profit, and this permits us to understand something of these false teachers. They were travelling prophets who told people what they wanted to hear, and what does the carnal man want to hear more than, “live lawlessly.”

In verse 12, we see that the false teachers, referred to by the CSB as “dangerous reefs,” falsely promise safety, but hide a villainous attempt to shipwreck believers. Jude’s illustrations of “clouds without water” and “trees in late autumn” picture the nature of false promises of these teachers, while “wild waves of the sea” and “wandering stars” picture their delivery of error.

The original word behind “wandering stars” is the word “planetai” from which the English language derives the word “planets”. In the ancient world, charting the stars was an essential component of navigation during the night. If you had a good and constant star identified, you would arrive at your destination. However, planets wandered through the sky due to their orbital trajectories in our solar system. If you set your course by them, there’s no telling where you would arrive. Clearly, whoever sets their course by these wandering planets will arrive somewhere they don’t want to go. These false teachers promised lead their followers to the wicket gate, but their short cuts and deviations led only to the wicked gate of Sodom.

But God will not forever remain silent against the evil machinations against His people. Jude tells us this in verses 14 and 15 this prophecy from the Jewish tradition, "Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him.” Jude wants us to behold our God as a warrior coming to destroy all sin. On the Last Day, the wrath of Almighty God will be so overpowering that the mightiest beings in the created order will succumb in an instant.

Fellow followers of Jesus, you will find few examples that so clearly illustrate the necessary nature of church discipline in the Bible than in the past few verses. These “dangerous reefs” and “wandering planets” were dangers to the whole flock. They sought to lead others away to an eternal doom. We cannot allow such people to partake of the Lord’s Supper as Jude says, “without reverence” (v. 12). For the sake of those whom they may lead astray, for the whole body, and even for the false teachers, they must be recognized as false and excluded from participation in the Lord’s Table. Failure in this will encourage many to wander where the Lord has forbidden.


Jude has told us the gravity of contending for the faith as well as the certain destruction of the false teachers. Upon that foundation, Jude now issues a final exhortation.

Verses 17-23 teach us that God keeps us in His love by providing means for us to keep ourselves in His love.

Firstly, we ought to remember that Jesus and the Apostles promised that people like these false teachers would come. Here’s just one example from Paul in Acts 20:29-31, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.” Jude also understands this in verses 17 to 19. We are “in the end time,” he writes, and “people...not having the Spirit” attempt to “create divisions” among the saints. However, false teachers are appointed by God from long ago, and therefore, they pose zero threat to His promises. The proper response to the inevitability of scoffers is not panic, but faithful vigilance.

Jude then turns to how Christians should prepare ourselves with a firm foundation for contending for the faith. We are to "keep ourselves in the love of God" (v. 21). The other verbs in this section (build, praying, waiting) are proceed from this primary imperative. That verb, “keep” is actually the same verb in the original language that we see in verse 1 where Jesus keeps God’s chosen and beloved people. We are kept by Jesus Christ and we keep ourselves in the love of God. This is what we call “compatibilism”. God’s ordained end is that we will stay in the faith, likewise, his ordained means is that we will keep ourselves in the faith. These two things are not contradictory; rather, God's work establishes and enables our work.

So what are the means? Being discipled like a normal Christian ("build yourselves up" v. 20), praying like a normal Christian (praying in the Holy Spirit v. 20), and waiting on the coming of the Messiah (v. 21). How ordinary. How glorious!

Friends, you can go to tons of Christian conferences about seeking a second baptism of the Spirit, or working wonders against the powers of darkness. Sadly, neither of these have anything to do with reality. The Christian life is a slow progression in holiness over time through consistent discipline and partaking of the means of grace. Seek close relationships with those who are a little further in the faith than you. Pray through the Spirit’s enabling.

One discipline, however, that you may neglect as much as I do, is to wait expectantly on the coming of Lord. We live in a time of plenty, so we are often too quick to be satisfied with our current world. So, this week, whenever we encounter the sin and fallen nature of this world or yourself, I suggest that we pray, “Come Lord Jesus, come quickly,” as both an appeal for God to conform our hearts in the desire of the Lords return as well as an earnest petition for the return of the Lord of glory.

Jude does finally intend that we engage others who are ensnared by false doctrine and our superpower is mercy. The first sentence here identifies those who struggle with doubts and false doctrine in our community. Jude prescribes patient mercy.

The early church described this as the distinction between formal and material heresy. Formal heresy is a settled conviction which thoroughly understands the correct doctrine, but rejects it (think about the false teachers themselves). Material heresy, on the other hand, is something that every Christian experiences. Some of the Christians in this church were struggling with doubts due to the false teachers, they were materially struggling with heresy. 

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm, gave us a helpful phrase: fides quaerens intellectum; faith seeks understanding. He meant that saving faith is the basis of intellectual understanding of all doctrine - not the other way around. Therefore, let's be patient with one another as we all grow in the right understanding of God, and let's not mistake someone who simply needs more time in the faith from a heretic.

Jude also mentions those who are beginning to dabble in false teaching. Here, he stresses a more urgent kind of mercy with the words, “save others by snatching them from the fire” (v. 23). Plead with such brothers and sisters to flee from such teaching lest they get burned by the coming judgment as well.

Lastly, he considers yet another group that conforms their lives to false teaching. We read in v. 23, “have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” We show mercy to them as well, but we never show any approval or support for the teaching that enslaves them. When we engage false gospels, we must take care to treat the teaching as a lie from the pit of Hell while simultaneously loving our fellow image-bearers.

Do you remember where we left Crawford Toy? Resignation on the table, Board of Trustees before him. John Broadus, Toy’s former Pastor, and founder of the Seminary insisted that Toy’s views had departed from orthodoxy and the Trustees should accept the resignation, and what pain it caused him to do so. These were brothers in arms. Broadus is later quoted as saying to Toy, “Oh Toy, I would freely give [my right arm] if you were where you were 5 years ago and stayed there.” The trustees accepted the resignation in a vote of 16 to 2. Toy was shocked. In the years to come, he would depart further and further from orthodoxy; eventually, he espoused the higher critical views he once so brilliantly refuted.

Why did I share this story? So that you would remember to contend for the faith within yourselves, for the sake of others, and for the love of God. Neither brilliance, nor  won’t save you. Instead, recognize the gravity of contending for the faith, remember that God will come to judge the wicked, and keep yourselves in the love of God. All of these are means by which our Father keeps us in His love and enables us to contend for the faith. Finally, however, you can trust in one perfect promise.


Jude ends this letter where it began - with the God who keeps. In verse one, we saw that we were kept by Jesus Christ. We also read starting in verse 24, “Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord...” God is our salvation, and He won’t allow us to fall away from Him. God enjoys saving His people. We can forgive some translations that label this section as a doxology, but it is really a benediction - a blessing to God’s people. Jude is reminding his readers that it is finally God who will keep them. The Triune God is “glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever” (v. 25). Our future destiny is secure because God, in all his superlative excellences, is immutable. His attributes are our eternal arsenal. The enemies of the true faith are many and mighty, but they are nothing compared to our God.