The Author Jude

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and a brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

(Jude 1)

Jude

1. The name “Jude” is sometimes written “Judas”
2. This author of the epistle is
   1. One of the four half-brothers of the Lord Jesus (Mark 6:3)
   2. A brother of James, one of the main leaders of Jerusalem Church (Acts 12:17, Galatians 2:9)

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ…

1. Jude sees himself
   1. Merely as a slave of the Lord Jesus
   2. Not as a half-brother of the Lord Jesus
2. Jude thus identifies himself
   1. As a bondservant of the Lord Jesus
   2. As a brother of James (who led the Jerusalem Church and wrote the book of James)
3. Jude volitionally chooses to be a slave of the Lord Jesus for his lifetime, and he then is bound to the Lord Jesus as His slave (Cf. Exodus 21:5-6)

To those who are called…

1. Jude writes this letter to a group of Christian brethren
2. These Christian audience of his letter are
   1. The called ones of God
   2. The ones having been sanctified by God the Father
   3. The ones having been preserved in the Lord Jesus
3. We, the called ones of God, have been sanctified and preserved!

Interpretative Challenges 

1. Some Greek texts have “beloved by God” instead of “sanctified by God”
2. This alternative way of reading helps us to see that God sanctifies us on account of His love (Cf. Eph.2:4; Romans 5:8)
3. No doubt, God’s love, grace, mercy, and kindness are a cluster of things, and they are always the primary reason for what He has done for us in Christ Jesus.