Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. NKJV
You might think that the Restoration movement is something new. No, the first restorator was Jude! In the first verse of this short letter, the author identifies himself as the servant of Christ and brother to James. Most scholars believe that Jude and James were brothers to Jesus Christ. Joseph and Mary had other children after the birth of our Lord. At first his brothers did not believe in their oldest brother's claims as being the Son of God (John 7:5), however, after His resurrection they began to believe and follow Him as their Lord and savior (Acts 1:14). Outside of this short letter we know very little about Jude.
What Jude says in verse three is very important. Here he states his purpose for writing this letter. He begins by saying "while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation." It was Jude's intent to write to them regarding some great theme of salvation. He possessed a great desire to write something good to these brethren, however, as you read this letter you find that he writes a letter of warning against the evil that was present in the church of that day.
The phrase "common salvation" is important for us to notice. The word "common" means something held in common or in union with others. The word salvation, then, gives greater importance to this word common. What the church of that day and age had in common was their way of salvation. All who came into the church came in the same way. There were not different gospels spoken, but one common and united gospel message.
Jude's intent was to encourage the brethren regarding one of the great themes of their common salvation. We shall never know what he wanted to write, because something else was needed by these brethren. We learn this by the next statement: "I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." This is an exhortation to return to something that had been previously taught. This is a statement of "restoration."
To fully understand this cry for restoration, we need to examine Jude's plea in detail.
Jude found it "necessary" to write to these brethren about something different than what he really wanted to write. The word for "necessary" implies "necessity, pressure of any kind, outer or inner, brought about by the nature of things, a divine dispensation, some hoped-for advantage, custom, duty, etc." It also means out of distress or compulsion. This gives us some insight into the deep feelings of Jude. He had deep feelings for those to whom he was writing. He was greatly grieved at their spiritual condition. They had departed from the foundation of Christ. The next verse shows us his concern:
For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 4)
Jude saw that there were ungodly individuals who had come into their mist and perverted the gospel just like those who lead Israel into Idolatry in the wilderness. God destroyed those individuals, and in judgment God shall destroy those who pervert the gospel and turn brethren away from the truth. Oh that we could possess this same deep "necessity" that Jude possessed! Jude could not be silent on this matter. He was deeply compelled to speak a warning to these brethren.
The next word of interest is "exhorting." This word means "appeal to, urge, exhort, encourage." Jude is appealing to these brethren to do something. This reminds me of Paul's words to Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
When someone will not listen or follow the teachings of Christ, we have no other choice than to exhort, or urge them to return and follow Christ. When a friend urges us to do something, we possess a greater willingness to listen to their urgings. I am confident that those to whom Jude was writing possessed a deep feeling for him. If not, then he could not have used this word as he does.
Jude urges them to "contend" earnestly for the faith once delivered. This word "contend" means "to contend about a thing, as a combatant." The word "earnestly" is added in the translation to give us an idea of the intensity of this word. If you are engaged in a combat, or warfare, you have to go about this task with great enthusiasm or else you could die in the battle. Jude's point is very clear: These brethren have to realize that they are contending with the enemy of truth, and if they do not fight against this error, they will be lost the same as those who were preaching that error. When you have the truth you must be willing to have this same attitude. You should be willing to fight earnestly for that truth and no permit anyone to get by with error regarding God's truth.
The next phrase should be taken together: "for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." The word faith is used here for the body of faith, or what is revealed in the scriptures. The NKJV and others rightly translate the next couple of words: "once for all delivered." Jude's thoughts were that the faith, or body of faith, was once delivered by God, through Jesus Christ, and later revealed through the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the holy Apostles and Prophets (Eph. 3:3-5). Once delivered, there cannot be any additions or subtractions (Rev. 22:18-19). This was delivered to the "saints" or literally the "holy ones." This has reference to the Apostles and Prophets.
Jude's plea should be ours. His plea was for a return back to what had been delivered to these holy men of God. It was once and for all time delivered to them. It is unchanging. Remember, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). What Jesus taught during His earthly ministry was what the Holy Spirit gave to these Holy Apostles and Prophets, and it is what Jude calls upon us to contend for today. Jude was the first to cry out for restoration, not reformation! If we expect to be accepted by Christ, we must be willing to follow Him and abide by His will. The only way to accomplish this is to return to the "faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints."