Jude 1:17-19

A SPOKEN WARNING OF APOSTASY

Jude 1:17-19

Text

17.

But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

18.

that they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.

19.

These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Queries

81.

In describing the people addressed in Jude 1:17, what is common to the Jude 1:1 description?

82.

What is common in this verse with the fifth verse?

83.

What, in Jude 1:17, would make it very unlikely that the epistle of Jude was written in the second century, as some claim?

84.

Do you think the quote in Jude 1:18 was actually spoken, or could it have been written?

85.

How could in the last time be referring to the time when the epistle was written, when nearly 2,000 years have passed and the last day has not arrived yet?

86.

Explain how a person who followed after his own lusts would also be a mocker?

87.

How many times has the word ungodly been used in Jude 1:15; Jude 1:18?

Paraphrases

A. 17.

But you, dear brethren, are different; for you remember the words which you hear the Lord's apostles speak,

18.

When they told us, as they habitually spoke, that there would be fools who would make a mock of sin during the Christian days, having as the object of their desires ungodly sensuousness.

19.

These are the ones whose conduct destroys unity and fellowship, for they are governed by the natural body rather than the Spirit of Christ.

B.* 17.

Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you,

18.

That in the last times there would come these scoffers whose whole purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every evil way imaginable.

19.

They stir up arguments; they love the evil things of the world; they do not have the Holy Spirit living in them.

Summary

The apostles also prophesied concerning these, as you recall.

Comment

Once again a strong denunciation of the libertines is preceded by an appeal to prophecy. This time, the prophets are the New Testament apostles. Remember the words, says Jude. If the readers remembered hearing the apostles speak the words (and more than one apostle is included), then the epistle could not have been written far into the second century, nor could Jude be quoting from a book that was not completed until the second century. The fact that the readers could remember the apostles-' words harmonizes with the evidence that Jude, the Lord's brother, wrote the epistle.

Some seem to see a repetition of 2 Peter 3:2-3 in this passage. The two passages are not parallel, however. Peter does not indicate that the apostles-' words were spoken, but Jude does so indicate. What they mock in each case is entirely different. With Peter, they are scoffing at the second coming of Christ. These apostates in Jude are mocking God's dealing with themselves and the surrendered life and conditionalities of the gospel. Note also the different verbs used.

Paul also warned against apostasy in 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; and Acts 20:29-30. Jesus also prophesied of the seducers in Mark 13:22-23, as Peter reminds us in the 2 Peter passage. These all prophesied of apostasy to come whereas Jude writes that it has come. Although this seems to date Jude after 2 Peter, it is probably not very long after. The warnings are too similar in content and expression.

The content of the apostles-' prophecy again pinpoints the men whom he describes. These men make a mock of sin, and without shame follow their own ungodly lusts. In mocking the reality of sin, they also mock God and His righteousness.

The phrase in the last time may give some difficulty, but it need not. The last days were ushered in with the coming of Christ, and that great and notable day of the Lord the day of salvation, actually begun on the day of Pentecost. Paul writes to believers upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Corinthians 10:11). God has spoken to us at the end of these days. (Hebrews 1:2)

In this connection we might also note Hebrews 9:26; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 Peter 1:20; and 1 John 2:18.

All history looked forward to the coming of Christ. All redemptive prophecy looked forward to that great and notable day when salvation would be offered, and the writer of Acts says, This is it! The two thousand years since Christ have been an unfolding of that great and notable day, wherein the Spirit and the bride say, come.
These are the men prophesied against. These are the sensual, who have not the Spirit. Who have not what spirit? Some think the spirit of man is intended. Thus, these are the men who walk after their bodies but who have no spirit of a man. Although this is a possible meaning, the point seems somewhat strained.

More proper, it would seem, these are the men who walk after their physical desires, but who have not the Spirit of Christ. They do certainly have some spirit, as does every man (1 John 4:6); but the Spirit of Christ is not to have sensuousness as a goal. The meaning could also be that these men walk after sensuality but have not the Holy Spirit. The implied fact is the same: they are not Christians!

Added information about them is here given. They separate themselves. It is not as though they walked away from the brethren. They are still in the presence of the church, preying upon them. They are separated by their choice of desire. They want the ungodly lusts, and strive for sensuality. Thus the Holy Spirit is quenched and cannot remain with them. Their spirit is far removed from the Spirit of Christ, and so they are separated from those who do have the Spirit of Christ. True unity and fellowship is based directly upon loyalty to Christ. It is a unity of spirit; His Spirit. Without the loyal life and submission to Christ there can be no real unity, and fellowship is not much more than a convenience for opportunists.
Apostasy is a growing canker. One of its immediate results is division among the brethren. This division will jel, if the apostasy continues, into a schism. A fault will then exist across the brotherhood of saints, and will deepen and widen until finally no bridge is possible. Then heresy follows, and a new body loyal to an apostate doctrine is the result. Thus apostasy has again and again split the church of the living God until the final result has been a tangled web of feuding denominations. The only way out is to go back to the author and finisher of our salvation, Jesus Christ. With a new heart surrendered to Him each man can search the holy word of God afresh; and allow his brother the same privilege. Allowing that God is the judge, man could through submission to Him find unity in Him, if he would.