This is the 11th lesson in a series of lessons on the book of Jude. In this lesson I do an exposition of Jude 1:8.
Watch the video or scroll down to read a transcript.
Transcript:
Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. This is the 11th lesson in a series of lessons on the book of Jude. In this lesson I’m going to look at verse eight.
For this series of lessons I’ve divided Jude into five sections. The first section is the introduction where we learn that Jude wrote this book because he realized that people had crept into the church who were abusing grace and denying Jesus. The second section is where Jude reminded us that Jesus is also a judge. In this lesson, we’re going to start looking at the third section, which is where Jude described the problem he was addressing.
Let’s start reading at Jude 3. Jude 3-4 is where Jude stated why he wrote the book of Jude.
Jude 3
Beloveds,
making every effort to write to you
about our common salvation,
I felt the necessity to write to you
urging you to contend for the faith
which has been delivered over
once for all to the saints.
Jude 4
For certain people crept in secretly,
those who were long ago
designated into this judgment,
ungodly people
turning the grace of our God into sensuality
and denying our only Master and Lord
Jesus Christ.
Now let’s jump to verse eight which is where Jude started to describe the problem he was writing about.
Jude 8
Nevertheless, likewise also
these men,
dreaming,
indeed
are defiling flesh,
rejecting authority,
and blaspheming majesties.
If you narrow this verse down to just the essential words, what we have left is “these men are defiling flesh, rejecting authority, and blaspheming majesties.”
Let’s talk about who the words “these men” refer to. “These men” refers back to Jude 4.
Jude 4
For certain people crept in secretly,
those who were long ago
designated into this judgment,
ungodly people
turning the grace of our God into sensuality
and denying our only Master and Lord
Jesus Christ.
Jude wrote that certain people had crept in secretly. Those people were turning the grace of God into sensuality and denying our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. Those are the men that Jude was referring to in verse eight.
Jude 8
Nevertheless, likewise also
these men,
dreaming,
indeed
are defiling flesh,
rejecting authority,
and blaspheming majesties.
Jude wrote that these men were dreaming. The idea of the word dreaming is thinking about things that are not real. Jude was indicating that these men who had crept into the church secretly were not dealing with reality.
Then Jude wrote that these men “are defiling flesh, rejecting authority, and blaspheming majesties.” Let’s take a look at each one of the these.
The first one is defiling flesh. Let’s think about the word defiling. We see that same Greek word in John and it is translated defiled.
John 18:28 Then they *led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
In first century Judaism, they were very concerned about ritual cleanliness. When they did something that was not correct, that made them ritually unclean. They always tried to avoid that. That is the same concept of the word that Jude used in verse eight where he said that these men are defiling flesh.
Let’s think about the word flesh.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Essentially, we see that the word flesh is the idea of a physical human body.
Jude 8
Nevertheless, likewise also
these men,
dreaming,
indeed
are defiling flesh,
rejecting authority,
and blaspheming majesties.
In Jude 8 Jude wrote that these men are defiling flesh. In other words, they were making their bodies, their physical flesh, unclean. They were defiling it.
Let’s think about how they were doing that. In Jude 4 Jude wrote that one of the things these people were doing was turning the grace of God into sensuality. They were using grace as an excuse for committing sin. They were abusing grace. They had this mentality that since God is full of grace, that means there are no consequences for sin, so we can get away with various sins.
Jude wrote in Jude 8 that what they were really doing when they engaged in sin was they were defiling their own body.
Jude 8
Nevertheless, likewise also
these men,
dreaming,
indeed
are defiling flesh,
rejecting authority,
and blaspheming majesties.
Jude also wrote that these men were rejecting authority. I think we know what the word rejecting means. Let’s think about the word authority. The word authority is translated from the Greek word kuriotes, which is very similar to the Greek word kurios. Kurios is a Greek word that is often translated as Lord, so authority, or kuriotes, is very similar to the idea of a lord.
We see kuriotes used in Colossians.
Col. 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him.
This tells us that Jesus is the one who created all authority, or all dominions. Going back to Jude 8, we see that these men were rejecting authority. This means they were rejecting authority that was established by Jesus since all authority is established by Jesus.
Thinking about how these men were doing that, go back again to Jude 4.
Jude 4
For certain people crept in secretly,
those who were long ago
designated into this judgment,
ungodly people
turning the grace of our God into sensuality
and denying our only Master and Lord
Jesus Christ.
Jude wrote that these men were denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. When they were denying Jesus, they were denying our ultimate authority, our ultimate Lord, Jesus Christ Himself.
Jude 8
Nevertheless, likewise also
these men,
dreaming,
indeed
are defiling flesh,
rejecting authority,
and blaspheming majesties.
Jude also wrote that these men were blaspheming majesties. Think about the concept of blaspheme. That comes from the Greek word blasphemeo. Let’s look at several usages of that word.
Matt. 27:39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads
Rom. 14:16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;
1Cor. 10:30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?
Titus 2:5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
2Pet. 2:2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
2Pet. 2:10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,
The greek word blasphemeo is translated as hurling abuse, spoken of as evil, slandered, dishonored, maligned, and revile. That gives us a pretty good idea of what the word blaspheming means.
Jude 8
Nevertheless, likewise also
these men,
dreaming,
indeed
are defiling flesh,
rejecting authority,
and blaspheming majesties.
Jude 8 says they were blaspheming majesties. The word majesties comes from the Greek word doxas. Let’s take a look at that word as used in Jude 24 and translated glory.
Jude 24 Now to the One being able to keep you from stumbling, and to stand before His glory, blameless, with gladness, 25 to the only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Master, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and now also to all eternity, amen.
The greek word doxas means glory. Essentially, when these men were blaspheming majesties, they were blaspheming things that had glory.
Jude 4
For certain people crept in secretly,
those who were long ago
designated into this judgment,
ungodly people
turning the grace of our God into sensuality
and denying our only Master and Lord
Jesus Christ.
Again, if we go back to Jude 4, we see that they were denying our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. You can say that by denying Jesus, they were blaspheming a majesty. They were blaspheming someone, Jesus, who had glory.
Let’s review all this.
Jude 4
For certain people crept in secretly,
those who were long ago
designated into this judgment,
ungodly people
turning the grace of our God into sensuality
and denying our only Master and Lord
Jesus Christ.
In Jude 4 we see that Jude wrote that certain people had crept in secretly who were turning the grace of God into sensuality, and denying our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 8
Nevertheless, likewise also
these men,
dreaming,
indeed
are defiling flesh,
rejecting authority,
and blaspheming majesties.
Then in verse eight Jude said further that these men are defiling flesh, rejecting authority, and blaspheming majesties.
One thing that is clear as we read this, something that the context makes clear to us, is that all these things are bad. These are things we should not be doing.
Jude 3
Beloveds,
making every effort to write to you
about our common salvation,
I felt the necessity to write to you
urging you to contend for the faith
which has been delivered over
once for all to the saints.
Back in Jude 3, Jude had written what Christians should do in response to this. He urged us to contend for the faith. In the midst of people who are denying Jesus and abusing grace. In the midst of people who are defiling flesh, rejecting authority, and blaspheming majesties, what you and I need to be doing is contending for the faith. We have to fight for the faith. We have to fight for the truth.
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