Madison Church

In life, we need to hear the negative every now and then so that we might be warned about possible dangers and how to avoid them. Jude makes it clear, he was hoping to write an positive letter, but the need of his time forced him to write a very different kind of letter. He uses all his energy to plead with readers to stick to the truth and to reject falsehood - knowing that the decision we make will be the difference between heaven and hellMost New Testament letters move into a thanksgiving and prayer after the initial salutation and greetings. But Jude skips these points, getting right to the heart of what his letter is about. In these two verses, he explains the occasion and theme of this letter.Support the show

In life, we need to hear the negative every now and then so that we might be warned about possible dangers and how to avoid them. Jude makes it clear, he was hoping to write an positive letter, but the need of his time forced him to write a very different kind of letter. He uses all his energy to plead with readers to stick to the truth and to reject falsehood - knowing that the decision we make will be the difference between heaven and hell.Ancient letters typically began with an identification of the sender, an identification of the recipient, and a greeting. Jude follows this convention, but expands and modifies each part. Thus, he not only identifies himself and his recipients, but he provides for each a brief description that helps us understand what this letter is about.Support the show