Jude 3 - 4

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:3-4)

===========================================
Introduction
===========================================
We continue with our study on the letter of Jude. Last week, I began on the 1st part of Jude. Let me provide for us some reminders about this letter. We want to be reminded that the theme of Jude is that "the church must contend for the one true faith once for all delivered to the saints and people of faith must persevere to the end by resisting the false teachers and following the truth." (ESV Study Bible, Introduction to Jude) The purpose for which Jude wrote this letter is found in verse 3, where believers are to "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." With thoughtful and careful exegesis, and biblical hermeneutics, we will today examine Jude's appeal to the Christians that he's writing to, and also his appeal to the Christians who will read his letter. 
===========================================
Jude 3 - 4
===========================================
Beloved,

In the opening sentence of Jude's content, or the body of the letter, Jude begins with a sentiment by calling his readers "beloved" (Gk: agapētos). Other translations would say, "Dear friends", but I think it misses an important point of the emotion or sentiment that Jude is expressing. In the Greek, it literally says "beloved" or agapētos.  Who are the "beloved"? An obvious answer would be the Christians. But we should ask ourselves, how did we come to that kind of conclusion? Is it just what we think or is it what Scripture teaches? Scripture clearly teaches it, and it's not just what we think. Without going into the technical details, the answer is that the New Testament uses that language very frequently to refer to God's children (1 John 3:2) who are loved by God (1 John 4:11). Indeed, Jude is speaking to Christians. 

although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

 By reading this writing of Jude, we know Jude was probably going to write something else regarding "our common salvation" or "the salvation we share". Every Christian shares a salvation that does not differ no matter what the false teachers teach that Jude is going to talk about. It is a salvation that is not perverted. It is a salvation where we acknowledge and believe Jesus Christ as our Master and Lord - other letters talk about believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior as well. It is a salvation where we are justified by faith (Romans 3:28) and saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). After being justified by faith, sanctification begins as a progress in our salvation (1 Thessalonians 4:3; Philippians 2:12-13) where we follow Jesus, love and obey Him by the power of the Holy Spirit and grow in holiness. It is a salvation with which Jude concludes his letter in his doxology (Jude 24 - 25). 

He was eager and wanted to make an effort to do so; however, his agenda has changed. He has a different purpose in writing this letter. Instead, he found it necessary to tell the Christians to "contend for the faith" (Greek: epagōnizomai), which is the purpose of this letter. It is a letter of exhortation. This word, "epagōnizomai", is only found in this letter - it is a very rare word. It would not be wrong to add an adverb for the content, which is "earnestly". The word "earnestly" is added to convey the intensive force of the preposition "to contend for". “The faith” is the known and received body of truth about Jesus and salvation through Him. This faith had been once for all delivered to the saints, which are the Christians. In other words, by the time that Jude wrote his letter, “the faith” had already been fixed and established in the apostolic teaching of the early church, and therefore could not be changed, but was under attack and in need of defense. It also indicated that new revelation cannot change the core of this faith. This faith has been received and passed on (just like Paul entrusted the gospel to Timothy and urged him to guard it (2 Timothy 1:14)). Why would Jude be writing this letter?

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

This sentence explains the reason why Jude is telling the Christians to "contend for the faith". There are these "certain people" sneaking in or creeping in unnoticed. Paul, and probably the New Testament, uses the word "certain" to describe the unnamed group (1 Tim 1:3, 1:6). Jude makes charges about these people. 

1. They entered into the church as ordinary Christians and (perhaps) their behavior did not cause the church to be suspicious of them when in reality their teaching is different and ought to have aroused suspicion. 
2. They pervert the grace of God into a "license" to sin and for immorality. 
3. They deny Jesus Christ as their Lord and Master (it's not enough to just believe Jesus as your Savior). Without recognizing Jesus' Lordship over our lives, is there any need to obey and fear God?
4. They are ungodly people - "ungodly" is a repeated word in the entire letter of Jude. 
5. Scripture condemns these people (later on in the letter).

Jude says that these people "were designated for this condemnation". Apostasy and false teachers in general are not new. Furthermore, the New Testament also prophecies that these people will come. Paul in Acts 20:29-30 and Jesus in Matthew 7:15 talks about these people as wolves who will sneak into the church and twist the truth. Peter says that "there WILL be false teachers among you" (2 Peter 2:1). It has already happen, and they will be condemned unless God, perhaps, grant them repentance (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Jude later on illustrates and applies examples of judgment from the whole of biblical history in his polemic against the heretics (Jude 5 - 7). 
===========================================
Application
===========================================
1.) As Jude exhorts his readers, we are to "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints". How did you come to faith (salvation through Jesus Christ)? Meditate on 1 Thessalonians 2:13. 
2.) Are you equipped to defend the truth? False teachers are here, and their teachings may sooth your "itching ears" and soon enough "turn [you] away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."
3.) Is your teaching/theology/doctrine consistent with Scripture? If not, then I urge you to examine the Bible more carefully, correct yourself and repent. If you do not, then please examine your faith lest you continue your path to everlasting destruction. (Yes I am threatening you because the Bible threatens and warns us about false teaching) (see 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Peter 2:1-4; Revelation 20:10)