SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:1
¶ Judas, siervo de Jess, el Cristo, y hermano de Jacobo, a los llamados, santificados en Dios Padre, y conservados en Jess, el Cristo:
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Jude 1:1
Verse 1. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ] Probably Jude the apostle, who was surnamed Thaddeus and Lebbeus, was son to Alpheus, and brother to James the less, Joses, and Simon. See Matt. x. 3, and collate with Luke vi. 16; Matt. xiii. 55. See the preface. Brother of James] Supposed to be James the less, bishop of Jerusalem, mentioned here, because he was an eminent person in the Church. See the preface to St. James.
To them that are sanctified by God] Instead of hgiasmenoiv, to the sanctified, AB, several others, both the Syriac, Erpen's Arabic, Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, AEthiopic, and Vulgate, with several of the fathers, have hgaphmenoiv, to them that are beloved; and before en tw qew, in God, some MSS., with the Syriac and Armenian, have eqnesin, to the Gentiles, in God the Father: but although the first is only a probable reading, this is much less so. St. Jude writes to all believers everywhere, and not to any particular Church; hence this epistle has been called a general epistle.
Sanctified signifies here consecrated to God through faith in Christ.
Preserved in (or by) Jesus Christ] Signifies those who continued unshaken in the Christian faith; and implies also, that none can be preserved in the faith that do not continue in union with Christ, by whose grace alone they can be preserved and called. This should be read consecutively with the other epithets, and should be rather, in a translation, read first than last, to the saints in God the Father, called and preserved by Christ Jesus. Saints is the same as Christians; to become such they were called to believe in Christ by the preaching of the Gospel, and having believed, were preserved by the grace of Christ in the life and practice of piety.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ , etc.] The author of this epistle is the same who is elsewhere called Judas, ( Luke 6:16 John 14:22), who was one of the twelve apostles of Christ, whose name was also Lebbaeus, and whose surname was Thaddaeus, ( Matthew 10:3), the name is the same with Judah, ( Genesis 29:35 49:8), which comes from a word that signifies to praise or confess; and in the Rabbinical dialect is called adwy , Juda f5 , as here. He styles himself the servant of Jesus Christ; (see Gill on Romans 1:1); though this is a title common to all believers, yet here, and in some other places, it is peculiar to an apostle, or minister of the Gospel; and therefore is used not merely in humility, and to acknowledge obedience to Christ, but as a title of dignity and honour: and the apostle goes on to describe himself by his natural relation, and brother of James ; not the son of Zebedee, but of Alphaeus, ( Matthew 10:2,3); and this he mentions partly to distinguish himself from others of that name, as Judas Iscariot, and Judas called Barsabas; and partly for the sake of honour and credit, James being a very great man, a man of great note and esteem, and who seemed to be a pillar in the church, and was called the brother of our Lord, ( Galatians 2:9 1:19); an account of the persons to whom this epistle is inscribed next follows, to them that are sanctified by God the Father ; which is to be understood not of internal sanctification, which is usually ascribed to the Spirit of God, but of the act of eternal election, which is peculiar to God the Father; in which sense Christ is said to be sanctified by the Father, and men ordained and appointed to an office, and vessels are set apart the owner's use; ( John 10:36) ( Jeremiah 1:5 2 Timothy 2:21); the language is taken from the ceremonial law, by which persons and things were sanctified, or set apart for sacred use and service; (see Exodus 13:2,12 Leviticus 27:14,16); and so the elect of God are by God the Father sanctified and set apart in the act of election, which is expressed by this word; partly because of its separating nature, men being by it separated from the rest of the world, to the use and service of God, and for his glory, so that they are a distinct and peculiar people; and partly because such are chosen through sanctification of the Spirit, and unto holiness both in this world and that which is to come; so that the doctrine of election is no licentious doctrine; for though holiness is not the cause of it, yet is a means fixed in it, and is certain by it, and an evidence of it; the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, read, to them that are loved by God the Father: election is the fruit and effect of love; those that are sanctified or set apart by the Father in election, are loved by him. The Ethiopic version renders it quite otherwise, to them that love God the Father; which flows from the Father's love to them: and preserved in Jesus Christ ; those who are sanctified, or set apart by God the Father in election, are in Christ, for they are chosen in him; they have a place in his heart, and they are put into his hands, and are in him, and united to him as members to an head, and were represented by him in the covenant of grace; and being in him, they are preserved by him, and that before they are called, as well as after; wherefore this character is put before that of being called, though the Syriac version puts that in the first place: there is a secret preservation of them in Christ before calling, from condemnation and the second death; they were not preserved from falling in Adam, with the rest of mankind, nor from the corruption of human nature, nor from actual sins and transgressions; yet, notwithstanding these, were so preserved that the law could not execute the sentence of condemnation on them, nor sin damn them, nor Satan, who led them captive, hale them to prison; and after calling, they are preserved not from indwelling sin, nor from the temptations of Satan, nor from doubts and fears and unbelief, nor from slips and falls into sin; but from the tyranny and dominion of sin, from being devoured by Satan, and from a total and final falling away; they are preserved in the love of God, and of Christ; in the covenant of grace; in a state of justification and adoption; and in the paths of truth, faith, and holiness; and are preserved safe to the heavenly kingdom and glory: their other character follows, [and] called ; not merely externally by the ministry of the word, but internally by the Spirit and grace of God; so that this is to be understood of a special and effectual call, whereby souls are called out of darkness into light, and from bondage to liberty; and from a dependence on themselves to the grace and righteousness of Christ; and from society with the men of the world to fellowship with him; and to eternal glory, so as to have faith and hope concerning it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - Christians are called out of the world, from the evil spirit and tempe of it; called above the world, to higher and better things, to heaven things unseen and eternal; called from sin to Christ, from vanity to seriousness, from uncleanness to holiness; and this according to the Divine purpose and grace. If sanctified and glorified, all the honou and glory must be ascribed to God, and to him alone. As it is God wh begins the work of grace in the souls of men, so it is he who carrie it on, and perfects it. Let us not trust in ourselves, nor in our stoc of grace already received, but in him, and in him alone. The mercy of God is the spring and fountain of all the good we have or hope for mercy, not only to the miserable, but to the guilty. Next to mercy i peace, which we have from the sense of having obtained mercy. From peace springs love; Christ's love to us, our love to him, and ou brotherly love to one another. The apostle prays, not that Christian may be content with a little; but that their souls and societies may be full of these things. None are shut out from gospel offers an invitations, but those who obstinately and wickedly shut themselve out. But the application is to all believers, and only to such. It is to the weak as well as to the strong. Those who have received the doctrine of this common salvation, must contend for it, earnestly, no furiously. Lying for the truth is bad; scolding for it is not better Those who have received the truth must contend for it, as the apostle did; by suffering with patience and courage for it, not by makin others suffer if they will not embrace every notion we call faith, or important. We ought to contend earnestly for the faith, in oppositio to those who would corrupt or deprave it; who creep in unawares; wh glide in like serpents. And those are the worst of the ungodly, wh take encouragement to sin boldly, because the grace of God ha abounded, and still abounds so wonderfully, and who are hardened by the extent and fulness of gospel grace, the design of which is to delive men from sin, and bring them unto God.
Greek Textus Receptus
ιουδας 2455 ιησου 2424 χριστου 5547 δουλος 1401 αδελφος 80 δε 1161 ιακωβου 2385 τοις 3588 εν 1722 θεω 2316 πατρι 3962 ηγιασμενοις 37 5772 και 2532 ιησου 2424 χριστω 5547 τετηρημενοις 5083 5772 κλητοις 2822
Vincent's NT Word Studies
1. Jude. Rev., Judas. One of the brethren of Jesus; not the brother of James the Apostle, the son of Alphaeus, but of James the superintendent of the church at Jerusalem. He is named among the brethren of the Lord. Matt. xiii. 55; Mark vi. 3.
Servant. He does not call himself an apostle, as Paul and Peter in their introductions, and seems to distinguish himself from the apostles in vv. 17, 18: "The apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that they said," etc. We are told that Christ's brethren did not believe on him (John vii. 5); and in Acts 1 the brethren of Jesus (ver. 14) are mentioned in a way which seems to separate them from the apostles. Doulov, bond-servant, occurs in the introductions to Romans, Philippians, Titus, James, and 2 Peter.
Brother of James. That Jude does not allude to his relationship to the Lord may be explained by the fact that the natural relationship in his mind would be subordinate to the spiritual (see Luke xi. 27, 28), and that such a designation would, as Dean Alford remarks, "have been in harmony with those later and superstitious feelings with which the next and following ages regarded the Lord's earthly relatives." He would shrink from emphasizing a distinction to which none of the other disciples or apostles could have a claim, the more so because of his former unbelief in Christ's authority and mission. It is noticeable that Jas. likewise avoids such a designation.
Kept. See on 1 Pet. i. 4. Compare John xvii. 6,12.
In Jesus Christ (Ihsou Cristw). The simple dative without preposition. Therefore for Jesus Christ; by the Father to whom Christ committed them (John xvii. 11). Compare 1 Thess. v. 23; Philippians i. 6, 10.
Called (klhtoiv). At the end of the verse, for emphasis.
