Where did our Bible come from?
At this point in our studies, we will look briefly at how
our Bible came into being. THIS IS NOT
AN EXHAUSTIVE STUDY!
We pause now because Jude quotes Enoch. Biblical scholars
believe Jude may have read the book of Enoch in conjunction with The Biblical
account found in Genesis. The book of
Enoch is not found in our canonized Bible.
You might be wondering why this book is not part of our Bible. Let’s look into how we got our Bible.
We hear the word Canon and the council of Nicaea when we ask
where our Bible came from. The word
Canon means norm or standard. There were
seven councils of Nicaea.
The First Council of Nicaea
The council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops
convened in the Bithynian
city of Nicaea (currently
called Iznik, Bursa province, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325.” [4]
In spite of what we may think we know about
Constantine. He did not dictate to the
council on what to include and what not to include in our Bible.
“While Constantine had sought a unified church after the
council, he did not force the Homoousian
view of Christ's nature on the council (see The role of
Constantine).
Constantine did not commission any Bibles at the council
itself. He did commission
fifty Bibles in 331 AD for use in the churches of Constantinople, itself
still a new city. No historical evidence points to involvement on his part in
selecting or omitting books for inclusion in commissioned Bibles.
Despite Constantine's sympathetic interest in the Church, he
was not baptized until some 11 or 12 years after the council, putting off
baptism as long as he did (in his belief) so as to be absolved from as much sin
as possible
[80]
in accordance with the belief that in baptism all sin is forgiven fully and
completely. [81]” [4]
We are forgiven our sins not by water but by the blood of
the Lord Jesus.
Prophetic Authorship
“The books admitted to the canon of Scripture were inspired
by God. There were, however, many false books that claimed inspiration. How did
the people judge between the true and the false? The Bible does not give any
set of criteria that were used to determine which books were to be considered
Scripture. We are not told how the determination was made. Though we do not
know the exact criteria which were used; the following standards may have been
used:
For a book to be
considered canonical, it must have been written by a prophet or apostle or by
one who had a special relationship with such (Mark to Peter, Luke to Paul).
Only those who had witnessed the events or had recorded
eyewitness testimony could have their writings considered as Holy Scripture.
Witness of the Spirit
The appeal to the
inner witness of the Holy Spirit. The
Bishops relied upon the Holy Spirit to guide them in determining which books
belonged in the canon and which did not.
Clark Pinnock writes:
The Spirit did not reveal a list of inspired books, but left
their recognition to a historical process in which He was active, God's people
learned to distinguish wheat from chaff, and gold from gravel, as He worked in
their hearts (Clark Pinnock, Biblical Revelation, Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 1973, p. 104).
Acceptance
The final test is the
acceptance of the people of God. Jesus told His disciples: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all things Which I said to you (John 14:26). This same Spirit enables us to see our Bible
as the inspired word of God.
We have the promise of Jesus that His disciples would be
given total recall by the Holy Spirit of the things He said and did. These same
disciples either wrote the New Testament books or had input into which works
were accepted as Scripture. Any book that claimed canonical status, yet
diverted from the truth of the life of Christ, would have been rejected by
Jesus's own disciples who were, eyewitnesses to the New Testament events. Thus
the acceptance of God's people is an important criterion for a book to be
considered canonical.” Taken
from the blue letter edition of the Bible
Manuscripts which did not meet these criteria were relegated
to the apocrypha. One of these books was
the book of Enoch. As we study Jude we
will see portions of his letter which are not supported by Old Testament
writings, but may have been taken from the book of Enoch.
Synopsis of Jude
Jude, the brother of James “the just”, and half-brother to
Jesus (Mark 6:3); write this stern epistle because of the apostasy he saw
occurring in the early church.
As with all the letters of this time Jude begins with the
standard greetings. In verses 3-16 Jude uses
the Old Testament, gives examples how the words and actions of false teachers
bring about harm. Jude addresses the
early Christians in verses 17-23, telling them how to grow in Jesus, commissioning them to bring their insights to new
converts. Finally, Jude concludes his
letter with words of encouragement found in verses 24-25. In this letter Jude seems to have referenced
some of the writings in the apocryphal book, Enoch.
What is the connection between the book of Jude and the
apocryphal book of Enoch?
“Authenticity.—
EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 3.25], reckons it
among the Antilegomena or controverted Scriptures, "though
recognized by the majority." The reference to the contest of Michael, the
archangel, with the devil, for the body of Moses, not mentioned elsewhere in
the Old Testament, but found in the apocryphal "Book of
Enoch," probably raised doubts as to its authenticity, as JEROME [On
Illustrious Men, 4] says. Moreover, it’s not being addressed to one
particular Church, or individual, caused it not to be so immediately recognized
as canonical. A counterfeiter would have avoided using, what did not occur in
the Old Testament, and which might be regarded as apocryphal.”
As to the book of Enoch, if quoted by Jude, his quotation of
a passage from it gives an inspired sanction only to the truth of that passage,
not to the whole book; just as Paul, by inspiration, sanctions particular
sentiments from ARATUS, EPIMENIDES, and MENANDER, but not all their writings. I
think, rather as there is some slight variation between Jude's statement and
that of the book of Enoch, that Jude, though probably not ignorant of the book
of Enoch, stamps with inspired sanction the current tradition of the Jews as to
Enoch's prophecies; just as Paul mentions the names of the Egyptian magicians,
"Jannes and Jambres" ( 2 Timothy 3:8) Old
Testament. [6]
We believe the Bible we use today is the inspired word of
God. Although penned by mankind, God
placed in the minds of men every word of our Bible, assuring it's reliability
throughout history.
History’s Warnings
1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.
In verse one Jude does not introduce himself as a brother to
Jesus (lest he boast); but rather in humility he simply states he is “a
bond-servant of Jesus”. Jude is stating
his recognition of Jesus as his master; the One who paid the price. Jude is the brother of James, who became the
leader of the church in Jerusalem (Galatians
1:19). Jude uses the word beloved to
denote those who have been sanctified through Christ Jesus. In some translations you might read Preserved
or kept safe in Jesus Christ (1949/1964 Bible in Basic English). Jude ends the customary introduction with a
benediction, asking God to show mercy which was needed during those perilous
times; asking the Lord to give them peace and love which they would spread to
others.
3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Jude points out that they all have something in common,
their individual salvation in Christ Jesus.
The word earnestly was translated from the Greek word: epagonizomai
ep-ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee; to struggle for.
The struggle he refers to is the attack against their faith, and those
who would try to lead them astray; by planting doubt in their minds, and giving
false teachings.
In Hebrews 11:1 we read: “Now
faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
An example of this might be: as Christians, we believe the Bible is the
infallible inspired word of God, and this we accept on faith. The faith Jude is speaking of is the faith in
Jesus as the Christ, and His word given to his disciples.
It is well known that people who share a common goal or
interest will naturally fellowship with each other. We who believe and follow Jesus’s teachings
share faith in Him, and love for Him.
Therefore, we desire to fellowship with each other. They’re things, in our Bible which we must
accept by faith; because at this time we do not have the knowledge to
understand. Understanding comes from the
Holy Spirit who teaches us all things we need to know (Luke 12:12).
4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into *licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
*Licentiousness means lacking moral restraint.
We see here, why Jude felt it necessary to write a poignant
letter to the church. Once again we see
another church leader being concerned about the state of the church.
Jude like Paul and John saw the danger of the antichrists,
who sought to be leaders in the church. They
taught the human body was inherently evil therefore Jesus, having a human body,
was not one with God; and they claimed to have special knowledge, superior to
other Christians. These antichrists also
taught that it was alright to indulge in every immoral act, saying the body and
the soul were separate one having no bearing on the other.
5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
Jude is telling his readers God would exact judgement on
those who do not believe, and who were teaching false doctrine.
Recall how God through Moses lead the people of Israel out
of bondage but because of their disbelief died before reaching the promised
land (Exodus 1; and Hebrews
3:17). Robert Jamieson, A. R.
Fausset and David Brown Writes the following: the Lord--The oldest
manuscripts and versions read, "Jesus." So "Christ" is said
to have accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness; so perfectly is Jesus one
with the God of the Israelite theocracy.
The lesson here for us is not to be concerned with
punishment for those who would deny Jesus and seek to destroy our faith; these
people will be judged and punish by God.
6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
Jude may have been referring to Genesis
6:2 where we read about these angels referred to in verse 6 disobeyed God
and left their realm to cohabit with the females on earth. We read of this same reference in the Revelation
of John 12:7-9.
Jude referring to Genesis
18:20 & 19:24 reminds them about the story of the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed for their evil acts.
“Strange flesh” – I believe this to mean homosexual acts,
which may have been practiced by those who had been corrupted through false
teaching of the separation of soul and body.
8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.
Jude talking about the false teachers is saying that they do
not pay heed to Christ Jesus teachings.
They continued to disobey and performed all manner of sexual acts as did
the men and women of Sodom. “dreamers--The
clause, "these men dreaming" (that is, in their dreams), belongs to
all the verbs, "defile," "despise," and "speak
evil." All sinners are spiritually asleep, and their carnal activity is as
it were a dream ( 1 Thessalonians
5:6 1
Thessalonians 5:7 knowing not what they are speaking evil of ( Jude 1:10 dreaming
seems to himself to be seeing and nearing many things, so the natural man's
lusts are agitated by joy, distress, fear, and the other passions. But he is a
stranger to self-command. Hence, though he bring into play all the powers of
reason, he cannot conceive the true liberty which the sons of light, who are
awake and in the daylight; enjoy" [BENGEL]. “
Jude, speaking here of “angelic majesties”, could have been
talking about the apostles. The word angel literally means God’s messenger
which could apply to the Apostles as they brought the word of Christ to the
pagans. By disobeying Gods word they
were in effect blaspheming against the apostles. The phrase “angelic majesties” was translated
from the Greek: 1 doxa dox'-ah from the
base of 1380; glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal
or figurative, objective or subjective):--dignity, glory(-ious), honor, praise,
worship.
However the word angel is applied in Scripture to an order
of supernatural or heavenly beings whose business it is to act as God's
messengers to men, and as agents who carry out His will. Both in Hebrew and
Greek the word is applied to human messengers (1King 19:2;
Luke 7:24);
in Hebrew it is used in the singular to denote a Divine messenger, and in the
plural for human.
Either way these men turned their back on the message
brought to them.
9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Jude may have referred to the book called “the Assumption of
Moses”, although this book is not in the Bible; Jude knew the Jews would
know it, and therefore would understand his message.
Jude’s message to them and us is even the very powerful
Archangel Michael differed to God for judgment and punishment of Moses. Michael would not presume to pronounce
judgement; knowing this was in the purview of the Lord.
The lesson we should take away from this verse is not to
judge others, it is not in our purview to do so; but the Lord’s alone.
10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
Those things which are not understood spoken of in verse 10,
are those things of the spiritual realm.
It is human nature to fear the unknown.
People often speak vile against that which they do not understand. Mankind was given the ability to reason which
separates us from the animals; who act on instinct for their survival. God gave us the ability to sense our own
souls, and to seek after God’s guidance; accepting by faith, both things seen
and unseen, which are beyond our understanding.
For those of us who follow after Jesus, and are called by His name,
practice our faith daily, and fear not.
Those who do not know the Lord as we do react without
reason, sometimes violently. This is because
of their lack of faith and understanding.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
As with Cain these false teachers hated their brothers, and
through their false teaching, tried to kill their belief in Christ Jesus. Jude states these men were paid for their
treachery.
Balaam was non Jewish profit. He was the son of Beor. He refused the bribe of Balak (King of Moab)
initially refusing to speak those things not of God; eventually bowing to the
temptation of money. He was a wicked man
who’s error, and the source of his wickedness, came from sabotaging the
Israelites as they entered the Promised Land (Numbers
31:16).
Korah was full of pride and jealousy, and refused to accept
the authority of Moses and Aaron. Korah
and his followers were punished by God for their actions.
In today’s world we see many false teachers in the
media. These men and women are being
paid large sums of money to teach the listener false doctrine. As Christians, we must be constantly on guard
to avoid these teachers.
12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
Jude gives his readers a poetic rendering in these two
verses, concerning the false teachers.
Jude tells his readers these false teachers are hidden from their view,
as a reef is hidden from a ship master, in that they appear to be good and
well-meaning, when their teachings are traitorous.
It was the custom of believers when meeting at a believer’s
home to break bread together in fellowship.
This is not to say this feast was a celebration of the Lords Supper but
rather fellowshipping. As the church
congregate met in each other's homes to worship they may have also
fellowshipped afterwards. It is during this
fellowship the false teachers propagated their poison.
Jude compares the false teachers to “clouds” which hold no
rain. This is to say rainless clouds are
of no value and therefore quench no thirst.
Even though the congregation saw these teachers as being knowledgeable
and speaking the truth, they were in fact devoid of the truth and spoke
blasphemies.
(13)
Like the “sea” which is unpredictable and dangerous, filled with seaweed which
entangles, and large sea creatures who could capsize a ship; so also are the
false teachers who are filled with evil and deceit, who would bring destruction
to the eternal church body. These false
teachers will be dealt with by God has reserved a dark place for them in
eternity.
The warnings given by Jude are as valid today as they were
over 2,000 years ago. The false teachers
persist in their attempts to convince the Christian of their false
doctrine. As Christians we must be on
the alert questioning everything using Gods word as our sword of truth.
14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
Who was Enoch?
He was the seventh name in the family line of Adam (1 Chronicles 1:1-3). We know from Genesis 5:24 that Enoch walked
with God (meaning he lived a holy life).
In the book of Enoch (not included in the canonized Bible).
Enoch’s
Prophesy probably came from the book of Enoch, which is not in our canonized
Bible); where he prophesied of the judgment of mankind by the Lord. Jude uses “ungodly” repeatedly to stress that
these false teachers' actions were not of God.
These false teachers who spoke against God’s people (which is the same
as speaking against God), are despised by God calling them ungodly
sinners. I believe Jesus was talking
about more than the child he was holding when He gave a warning to those who
would mislead His innocent children (Christians), (Matthew
18:6)
16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
Jude calls the false teachers grumblers. A grumbler is a complainer. These grumblers would complain about church
leaders, and even complained to God about their lives, never being
satisfied. The complainer is never being
satisfied with their situation. An
example of grumblers is found in Numbers 11:1 A grumbler
solicits others to join in their dissatisfaction. Usually if someone is unhappy about
something, they do not have to look far to find a sympathetic ear. This is a way of obtaining support for a
cause or belief. In Deuteronomy 28:47
& 28:48
we read about what happened to the grumblers.
These arrogant men were much like the Israelites they had
forgotten how God rescued them from bondage in Egypt, and now the grumblers had
forgotten Jesus came to deliver them from sin.
Seek after God’s Love
17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.”
Because they did not have the written word of God, and
during that time, many could not read.
Jude reminds them to remember what the apostles told them about Jesus.
(18)
Jude, reminds them of the warnings given to them by the apostles that there
will come a time when the children of God would be mocked for Christ’s
sake. In the days before the second
coming of Jesus there would come an apostasy of the church, and men would do
ungodly lustful acts; turning away from God and seeking earthly pleasures (Acts 20:29;
I
Timothy 4:1;
II
Timothy 4:3;
and II
Peter 3:3).
Do these conditions sound familiar?
They should, we hear and read the headlines of reports of
the moral decay of this world especially notable in our country. Evil forces are at work in this country and
worldwide to tear people from their faith. Christians are being persecuted for
our belief in Christ Jesus, and yes and many are being beheaded (Revelation
of John 20:4 ). Are we in the last
days? I believe we are. I do not intend to begin a study of end times
(eschatology) at this time for such a study usually ends up with second
guessing when the Lord will come again.
Instead of speculating on this issue we should concern ourselves with
holding fast in our faith and to keep our lamps trimmed (Matthew
25:1-8), for we do not know when the bridegroom comes (Luke
12:40) not even the Son knows the hour (Matthew
24:6 & Mark
13:32).
19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
The evil doers began to divide the church by establishing
their own separate times of fellowship (love meals). These men accomplished this by saying they
were superior to other Christians, because they were being led by the Holy
Spirit, this was blaspheming the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit was not in
them. Jesus has said to blaspheme the
Holy Spirit is an eternal sin (Mark 3:29).
Jude goes on in verses 20 & 21 to give his readers the
solution to these who would divide the church.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
These two verses were meant to encourage his readers.
Jude tells them and us to build upon your faith and maintain
their and our Love of God. How does one
accomplish this?
- This takes prayer as directed by the Holy Spirit; in order to keep in the love of God (Romans 8:26).
- In order to keep this love alive we must spend time together with God. This is time spent with just you and God; Psalms 46:10 “be still and know that I am God”.
- The support we get from our brethren is crucial for strength of conviction of this love.
- Wait upon the Lord for His mercy and Grace in granting us eternal life.
22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Jude identifies three groups of brethren who need help. The first group are those with doubt.
One of Satan’s weapons is doubt. No one is immune in their own strength.
The next are those who would listen to the false teachers,
and are in danger of the eternal fire.
The third group are those who refuse to turn to God for
help.
Hildra Bright writes this on the later part of verse 23: “Christians must pity them and be
kind to them. But they must act with great care. This is in case the life
without God that these people lead begins to appear attractive. Jude’s readers
must hate these people’s evil practices as they would hate to touch their dirty
underwear (clothes that people wear next to the skin).”
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Some versions of our Bible may use the word, but or however,
instead of “Now”. Which sets the tone of
these closing remarks.
Jesus will keep us from succumbing to those who preach false
doctrine. Remember always, it is Jesus,
who is the one who enables us to stand in the Presence of God’s glory.
CREDITS AND CITATIONS
[2] - Greek translation are derived from Crosswire.org/study
bible and Strong’s Exhaustive concordance
[4] – Wikipedia.org
[8] - Commentary by Adam
Clarke
For other commentaries visit the online Preceptaustin
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