TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
Complete Jewish Bible
From: Y’hudah, a slave of Yeshua the Messiah and a brother of Ya‘akov
To: Those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept for Yeshua the Messiah:
To: Those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept for Yeshua the Messiah:
Berean Standard Bible
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ:
American Standard Version
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
World English Bible Messianic
Judah, a servant of Yeshua the Messiah, and brother of Jacob, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Yeshua the Messiah:
Geneva Bible (1599)
IVde a seruaunt of Iesus Christ, and brother of Iames, to them which are called and sanctified of God the Father, and returned to Iesus Christ:
Young's Literal Translation
Judas, of Jesus Christ a servant, and brother of James, to those sanctified in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ kept--called,
In the KJVVerse 30,674 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Jude 1 verses 1–2
1 ¶ Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
Here we have the preface or introduction, in which,
I. We have an account of the penman of this epistle, Jude, or Judas, or Judah. He was name-sake to one of his ancestors, the patriarch - son of Jacob, the most eminent though not the first-born of his sons, out of whose loins (lineally, in a most direct succession) the Messiah came. This was a name of worth, eminency, and honour; yet 1. He had a wicked name-sake. There was one Judas (one of the twelve, surnamed Iscariot, from the place of his birth) who was a vile traitor, the betrayer of his and our Lord. The same names may be common to the best and worst persons. It may be instructive to be called after the names of eminently good men, but there can be no inference drawn thence as to what we shall prove, though we may even thence conclude what sort of persons our good parents or progenitors desired and hoped we should be. But, 2. Our Judas was quite another man. He was an apostle, so was Iscariot; but he was a sincere disciple and follower of Christ, so was not the other. He was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, the other was his betrayer and murderer; therefore here the one is very carefully distinguished from the other. Dr. Manton's note upon this is, that God takes great care of the good name of his sincere and useful servants. Why then should we be prodigal of our own or one another's reputation and usefulness? Our apostle here calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ, esteeming that a most honourable title. It is more honourable to be a sincere and useful servant of Christ than to be an earthly king, how potent and prosperous soever. He might have claimed kindred to Christ according to the flesh, but he waives this, and rather glories in being his servant. Observe, (1.) It is really a greater honour to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ than to be akin to him according to the flesh. Many of Christ's natural kindred, as well as of his progenitors, perished; not from want of natural affection in him as man, but from infidelity and obstinacy in themselves, which should make the descendants and near relatives of persons most eminent for sincere and exemplary piety jealous over themselves with a godly jealousy. A son of Noah may be saved in the ark from a flood of temporal destruction, and yet be overwhelmed at last in a deluge of divine wrath, and suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. Christ himself tells us that he that heareth his word and doeth it (that is, he only) is as his brother, and sister, and mother, that is, more honourably and advantageously related to him than the nearest and dearest of his natural relatives, considered merely as such. See Mat 12:48-50. (2.) In that the apostle Jude styles himself a servant, though an apostle, a dignified officer in Christ's kingdom, it is a great honour to the meanest sincere minister (and it holds proportionably as to every upright Christian) that he is the servant of Christ Jesus. The apostles were servants before they were apostles, and they were but servants still. Away then with all pretensions in the ministers of Christ to lordly dominion either over one another or over the flocks committed to their charge. Let us ever have that of our dear Redeemer in actual view, It shall not be so among you, Mat 20:25, Mat 20:26. - And brother of James, to wit, of him whom the ancients style the first bishop of Jerusalem, of whose character and martyrdom Josephus makes mention, ascribing the horrible destruction of that city and nation to this wicked cruelty, as one of its principal causes. Of this James our Jude was brother, whether in the strictest or a larger (though very usual) acceptation I determine not. He however reckons it an honour to him that he was the brother of such a one. We ought to honour those who are above us in age, gifts, graces, station; not to envy them, yet neither to flatter them, nor be led merely by their example, when we have reason to think they act wrong. Thus the apostle Paul withstood his fellow-apostle Peter to the face, notwithstanding the high esteem he had for him and the affectionate love he bore to him, when he saw that he was to be blamed, that is, really blameworthy, Gal 2:11, and following verses.
II. We are here informed to whom this epistle is directed; namely, to all those who are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. I begin with the last - called, that is, called Christians, in the judgment of charity, further than which we cannot, nor in justice ought to go, in the judgments or opinions we form or receive of one another; for what appears not is not, nor ought to come into account in all our dealings with and censures of one another, whatever abatements the divine goodness may see fit to make for an honest though misguided zeal. The church pretends not (I am sure it ought not) to judge of secret or hidden things (things drawn into the light before time), lest our rash and preposterous zeal do more harm than good, or I am afraid ever will do. The tares and wheat (if Christ may be Judge) must grow together till the harvest (Mat 13:28-30); and then he himself will, by proper instruments, take timely care to separate them. We ought to think the best we can of every man till the contrary appear; not being forward to receive or propagate, much less invent, disadvantageous characters of our brethren. This is the least we can make of the apostle's large and excellent description of charity (Co1 13:1-13), and this we ought to make conscience of acting up to, which till we do, the Christian churches will be (as, alas! they are at this day) filled with envying and strife, confusion and every evil work, Jam 3:16. Or, the apostle may speak of their being called to be Christians, by the preaching of the word, which they gladly received, and professed cordially to believe, and so were received into the society and fellowship of the church - Christ the head, and believers the members; real believers really, professed believers visibly. Note, Christians are the called, called out of the world, the evil spirit and temper of it, - above the world, to higher and better things, heaven, things unseen and eternal, - called from sin to Christ, from vanity to seriousness, from uncleanness to holiness; and this in pursuance of divine purpose and grace; for whom he did predestinate those he also called, Rom 8:30. Now those who are thus called, are, 1. Sanctified: Sanctified by God the Father. Sanctification is usually spoken of in scripture as the work of the Holy Spirit, yet here it is ascribed to God the Father, because the Spirit works it as the Spirit of the Father and the Son. Note, All who are effectually called are sanctified, made partakers of a divine nature (Pe2 1:4); for without holiness no man shall see the Lord, Heb 12:14. Observe, Our sanctification is not our own work. If any are sanctified, they are so by God the Father, not excluding Son or Spirit, for they are one, one God. Our corruption and pollution are of ourselves; but our sanctification and renovation are of God and his grace; and therefore if we perish in our iniquity we must bear the blame, but if we be sanctified and glorified all the honour and glory must be ascribed to God, and to him alone. I own it is hard to give a clear and distinct account of this, but we must not deny nor disregard necessary truth because we cannot fully reconcile the several parts of it to each other; for, on that supposition, we might deny that any one of us could stir an inch from the place we are at present in, though we see the contrary every day and hour. 2. The called and sanctified are preserved in Christ Jesus. As it is God who begins the work of grace in the souls of men, so it is he who carries it on, and perfects it. Where he begins he will perfect; though we are fickle, he is constant. He will not forsake the work of his own hands, Psa 138:8. Let us not therefore trust in ourselves, nor in our stock of grace already received, but in him, and in him alone, still endeavouring, by all proper and appointed means, to keep ourselves, as ever we would hope he should keep us. Note, (1.) Believers are preserved from the gates of hell, and to the glory of heaven. (2.) All who are preserved are preserved in Jesus Christ, in him as their citadel and stronghold, no longer than they abide in him, and solely by virtue of their union with him.
III. We have the apostolical benediction: Mercy to you, etc. From the mercy, peace, and love of God all our comfort flows, all our real enjoyment in this life, all our hope of a better. 1. 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. 2. Next to mercy is peace, which we have from the sense of having obtained mercy. We can have no true and lasting peace but what flows from our reconciliation with God by Jesus Christ. 3. As from mercy springs peace, so from peace springs love, his love to us, our love to him, and our brotherly love (forgotten, wretchedly neglected, grace!) to one another. These the apostle prays may be multiplied, that Christians may not be content with scraps and narrow scantlings of them; but that souls and societies may be full of them. Note, God is ready to supply us with all grace, and a fulness in each grace. If we are straitened, we are not straitened in him, but in ourselves.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–2. Public domain.
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Clement of Alexandria (as quoted by Cassiodorus)AD 215
From the Latin Translation of Cassiodorus
Jude, who wrote the Catholic Epistle, the brother of the sons of Joseph, and very religious, while knowing the near relationship of the Lord, yet did not say that he himself was His brother. But what said he? "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ,"— of Him as Lord; but "the brother of James." For this is true; he was His brother, (the son) of Joseph.
Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Book X), 17
And depreciating the whole of what appeared to be His nearest kindred, they said, "Is not His mother called Mary? And His brethren, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?" [Matthew 13:55-56] They thought, then, that He was the son of Joseph and Mary. But some say, basing it on a tradition in the Gospel according to Peter, as it is entitled, or "The Book of James," that the brethren of Jesus were sons of Joseph by a former wife, whom he married before Mary. Now those who say so wish to preserve the honour of Mary in virginity to the end, so that that body of hers which was appointed to minister to the Word which said, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you," [Luke 1:35] might not know intercourse with a man after that the Holy Ghost came into her and the power from on high overshadowed her. And I think it in harmony with reason that Jesus was the first-fruit among men of the purity which consists in chastity, and Mary among women; for it were not pious to ascribe to any other than to her the first-fruit of virginity. And James is he whom Paul says in the Epistle to the Galatians that he saw, "But other of the Apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother." [Galatians 1:19] And to so great a reputation among the people for righteousness did this James rise, that Flavius Josephus, who wrote the "Antiquities of the Jews" in twenty books, when wishing to exhibit the cause why the people suffered so great misfortunes that even the temple was razed to the ground, said, that these things happened to them in accordance with the wrath of God in consequence of the things which they had dared to do against James the brother of Jesus who is called Christ. And the wonderful thing is, that, though he did not accept Jesus as Christ, he yet gave testimony that the righteousness of James was so great; and he says that the people thought that they had suffered these things because of James. And Jude, who wrote a letter of few lines, it is true, but filled with the healthful words of heavenly grace, said in the preface, "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James." [Jude 1]
Eusebius of CaesareaAD 339
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH 3.32
Hegesippus says that other descendants of one of the so-called brothers of the Lord, Jude by name, lived until the reign of Trajan [98-117], after giving testimony of their faith in Christ in the time of Domitian [81-96].
Eusebius of CaesareaAD 339
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH 3.19
When Domitian ordered that those of the race of David be slain, an ancient story holds that some of the heretics accused the grandchildren of Jude (the brother of the Savior, according to the flesh), on the ground that they really were of the family of David and were related to Christ himself. Hegesippus makes this quite clear.
JeromeAD 420
De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men), Section 4
Jude the brother of James, left a short epistle which is reckoned among the seven catholic epistles, and because in it he quotes from the apocryphal Book of Enoch it is rejected by many. Nevertheless by age and use it has gained authority and is reckoned among the Holy Scriptures.
Hilary of ArlesAD 449
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON JUDE
Jude does his utmost to make sure that nobody confuses him with Judas Iscariot, which is why he confesses that he is Christ’s servant and James’s brother. Note how he also says that the Father chooses us, Jesus keeps us and the Holy Spirit calls us.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Catholic Epistles
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, etc. Jude the apostle, whom Matthew and Mark call Thaddeus in the Gospel, writes against the same corruptors of the faith whom both Peter and John condemn in their Epistles.
OecumeniusAD 990
Commentary on Jude
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and called for Jesus Christ: may mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
It was satisfactory for this present apostle, I say, to the splendor of glory, that Jude was celebrated as a servant of Christ even by James. Indeed, since James was extolled by all for his great virtue, it resulted that he was more easily received by the listeners into the doctrine of the discourse, because the relationship of birth and blood did not seem at all foreign to the morals of the one with whom he shared kinship: and especially if, living under one Lord Christ, Jude proposed to bear the yoke of servitude equally with his brother.
Theophylact of OhridAD 1107
COMMENTARY ON JUDE
Christ the Lord said: “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him.” Jude affirms the truth of this here when he says that those whom the Father has loved are preserved by the Son.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Jude 1:1 serves as a foundational salutation, introducing the author as "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James," and profoundly defining the recipients as those divinely "sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, [and] called." This succinct verse immediately establishes the letter's theological bedrock, emphasizing the triune God's sovereign initiative in salvation, the secure identity of believers, and the humble authority of the author, setting the stage for a robust defense of the faith against encroaching apostasy.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jude 1:1, though brief, employs several significant literary devices. The most prominent is Apostolic Greeting, a standard epistolary convention in the New Testament that immediately establishes the author's identity and authority, as well as the intended audience. The verse also utilizes a powerful Tripartite Structure to describe the recipients: "sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, [and] called." This threefold description serves to emphasize the comprehensive and multifaceted nature of God's work in salvation, highlighting the distinct yet unified roles of the Father and the Son. Furthermore, the consistent use of the Passive Voice for "sanctified," "preserved," and "called" is a deliberate rhetorical choice. It underscores the Emphasis on Divine Action, clearly attributing the believers' status and security entirely to God's sovereign initiative and power, rather than to any human merit or effort.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jude 1:1 lays a profound theological foundation, asserting that the believer's identity and security are entirely rooted in the sovereign work of the triune God. It emphasizes divine election and preservation, portraying salvation not as a human endeavor but as a comprehensive, ongoing work initiated by God the Father, secured in Jesus Christ, and culminating in a divine calling. This foundational truth provides immense assurance, reminding believers that their standing before God is divinely guaranteed, a crucial message given the letter's subsequent warnings against apostasy. The verse implicitly highlights the Trinitarian nature of salvation, with distinct yet unified roles for the Father and the Son in setting apart, preserving, and calling His people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jude 1:1 offers profound reassurance and a foundational understanding of the believer's standing before God. It reminds us that our salvation is not merely an intellectual assent but a divine work initiated and sustained by God the Father and Jesus Christ. We are not just saved, but we are actively sanctified (set apart for His holy purpose), preserved (kept safe and guarded by His power), and called (divinely summoned into a relationship with Him). This truth should instill deep confidence and gratitude, knowing that our security in Christ is divinely guaranteed, not dependent on our fluctuating efforts. It also calls us to embrace the humble posture of a "servant of Jesus Christ," recognizing that our lives are dedicated to His purpose and glory, living out our identity as those set apart for Him in a world that constantly seeks to conform us to its patterns. This divine security empowers us to contend for the faith with courage and conviction, knowing that our foundation is firm.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is this Jude the same as Judas Iscariot?
Answer: No, this Jude is distinctly different from Judas Iscariot. The author identifies himself as "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." This "James" is widely understood to be James the Just, the leader of the Jerusalem church and the half-brother of Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:55). Judas Iscariot, on the other hand, was the disciple who betrayed Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16). The association with James and the humble title "servant of Jesus Christ" clearly distinguish this Jude as a faithful follower and relative of the Lord.
Why does Jude identify as "brother of James" instead of "brother of Jesus"?
Answer: While Jude was indeed a half-brother of Jesus (Mark 6:3), his choice to identify as "brother of James" rather than "brother of Jesus" is likely a demonstration of profound humility and reverence. He prioritizes his spiritual relationship as a "servant of Jesus Christ" over any biological connection. Furthermore, James was a highly respected and well-known leader in the early church, particularly in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21). By linking himself to James, Jude may have also been leveraging James's established authority and reputation within the Christian community, lending credibility to his urgent message.
What does it mean to be "sanctified," "preserved," and "called"?
Answer: These three terms describe the comprehensive work of God in the lives of believers:
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jude 1:1, though a salutation, profoundly points to Christ as the central figure in the believer's salvation and security. Jude's humble self-identification as a "servant of Jesus Christ" immediately establishes Christ's supreme Lordship and the author's absolute devotion, foreshadowing the letter's later emphasis on Christ's authority as both Savior and Judge. Crucially, believers are described as "preserved in Jesus Christ," highlighting His indispensable role as the divine guardian and sustainer of His people. It is through His atoning work that they are made holy and kept secure, echoing His promise to lose none of those the Father has given Him (John 6:39). The entire work of salvation, initiated by God the Father and culminating in the divine call, finds its efficacy and eternal security in Jesus Christ. He is not merely the object of faith but the very sphere of the believer's preservation, interceding for them (Hebrews 7:25) and ultimately presenting them "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). Thus, this opening verse sets the stage for the entire epistle's Christocentric message of contending for the faith that was "once for all delivered to the saints," a faith irrevocably grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ.