We need God"s mercy in view of our exceedingly sinful condition. We need His peace in view of the subtle and stimulating temptations that surround us on every hand. And we need His love to sustain and encourage us in our spiritual warfare. Jude"s readers needed all this help in view of the false teachers" influence, which he proceeded to discuss. [source][source][source]
"They are not self-acquired Christian virtues, but the gifts of God, which, the author prays, may be abundantly bestowed upon his readers. Nevertheless, by a divine alchemy, the gifts of God are transformed into human characteristics." [1][source]
Context Summary
Jude 1:1-11 - "contend Earnestly For The Faith"
Kept is the keynote of this Epistle. It occurs in Judges 1:1; Judges 1:6; Judges 1:21, and in another form in Judges 1:24. Many evil doctrines and practices were intruding into the Church. Certain persons had crept in, who quoted the mercy of God as an excuse for immorality and practically disowned the teachings of the Lord Jesus.
In contrast with these were the disciples whom Jude addresses and who owned the Lord Jesus as their beloved "Despot," (the Greek for Master, Judges 1:4, r.v.) They were kept for him, as the others were kept in chains. Let us also keep ourselves in the love of God, Judges 1:21. It is much easier to live consistently in hours of storm than in hours of ease.
Let us be warned against drifting back from our first faith. Let us take heed from the fate of fallen angels, of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Cain and Balaam, of Korah and others. Let us watch and pray and earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, Judges 1:3, bearing it through the world as the pilgrim host bore the sacred vessels in the days of Ezra. See Ezra 8:28. [source]
Chapter Summary: Jude 1
1He exhorts them to be constant in the profession of the faith 4false teachers crept in to seduce them, for whose evil doctrine a horrible punishment is prepared; 20whereas the godly may persevere, grow in grace, and keep the faith
Greek Commentary for Jude 1:2
Be multiplied [πλητυντειη] First aorist passive optative of πλητυνω plēthunō as in 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2. [source]
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: ἔλεος
Sense: mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them.
Greek Commentary for Jude 1:2
First aorist passive optative of πλητυνω plēthunō as in 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2. [source]
Peculiar to Jude in salutation. [source]