BEMA Episode Link: 173: Jude — False Teachers
Episode Length: 23:39
Published Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2020 01:00:00 -0700
Session 4
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings examine the short, often forgotten, and confusing book of Jude. Just what is Jude talking about?

Discussion Video for BEMA 173

BEMA 169: 2 Peter — The Other Side of a Conversation

BEMA 156: 1 Corinthians — Broken Body

The Book of Enoch — Wikipedia

The Book of Enoch — Academy of Ancient Texts

The Assumption of Moses — Wikipedia

The Assumption of Moses (text and audio)

Jude — BibleProject

Transcript for BEMA 173

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 173: Jude - False Teachers - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: 173 - Jude: False Teachers Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: The Book of Jude

This episode examines the short and often confusing book of Jude, which addresses the urgent problem of false teachers leading God’s people into destructive practices. Similar in content and structure to 2 Peter, Jude tackles the issue of teachers who are using God’s grace as a license for engaging in the idolatry and sexual immorality prevalent in Roman guild culture. The letter is densely packed with Jewish Midrash references and presents a systematic argument against those seeking advancement through compromise with Greco-Roman cultural practices.

Key Takeaways

  • Jude and 2 Peter are remarkably similar in content and structure, both addressing false teachers and their destructive influence
  • The false teaching is not primarily doctrinal heresy but practice heresy - teaching people to compromise with Roman culture
  • Jude uses a pattern of threes throughout: three groups of examples, three recurring themes
  • The three recurring themes are: idolatry, sexual immorality, and the pursuit of wealth and influence
  • Jude heavily relies on Jewish Midrash, including references to 1 Enoch and the Testament of Moses
  • The Roman guild system created a situation where economic advancement required participation in idolatry and sexual immorality
  • These false teachers were promoting compromise with Roman culture as the path to financial security and social advancement
  • The issue is orthopraxy (right practice) not orthodoxy (right belief) - what people are doing, not what they’re thinking
  • Jude calls believers to three things: purity and obedience, respect for God’s authority, and commitment to love and hospitality
  • The book’s relevance for today is significant, as modern culture struggles with Hellenism similar to the Greco-Roman period

Main Concepts & Theories

The Roman Guild System

The guild system in the Roman world was a combination of a workers’ union and a college fraternity. It provided economic protection and brotherhood for those in vocational trades, but participation required involvement in guild feasts centered around idolatry and sexual immorality. This was not a sideshow in Roman culture but status quo - the way working-class citizens operated in the Empire. For believers seeking financial peace and security in Greco-Roman culture, these guilds presented a serious challenge.

The Pattern of Three Groups

Jude systematically references three groups from Israel’s history as warnings:

  1. The Golden Calf and Exodus - The idolaters who were destroyed for worshiping the golden calf, representing compromise with idolatry
  2. The Fallen Angels - Drawing from the Midrash of 1 Enoch and Genesis 6, these angels wanted to advance their station through disobedience, connecting to Greek mythology and the Nephilim
  3. Sodom and Gomorrah - While Jude connects this to sexual immorality, the 19 other Old Testament references link these cities to pride, wealth, and failing to care for the poor (see Ezekiel 16:49)

Later, Jude references three more groups:

  1. Cain - Whose name means “to acquire,” representing wealth and acquiring, leading to Abel’s murder
  2. Balaam - Who according to Midrash told Balak how to destroy Israel through seducing them with Moabite women into idolatry and sexual immorality
  3. Korah - Who rebelled against God’s appointed authority
The Three Recurring Themes

Throughout Jude’s letter, three themes appear repeatedly:

  1. Idolatry - Compromise with pagan worship practices
  2. Sexual Immorality - Engagement in the debauchery of Roman culture
  3. Desire for Wealth and Influence - The underlying motivation driving the compromise

These three themes appear in every biblical example Jude cites, creating a systematic and intentional argument.

Midrash in Jude

Jude extensively uses Jewish Midrash (interpretive literature outside the biblical canon) to make his arguments:

  • 1 Enoch - Quoted directly regarding the fallen angels and used for prophetic material
  • Testament of Moses - Referenced regarding the dispute over Moses’ body between Michael and the devil
  • General Midrashic Traditions - Interpretations about Balaam’s role in Israel’s seduction by Moabite women

This raises questions about the use of extra-biblical sources, but demonstrates that biblical authors themselves drew from the broader Jewish literary context to communicate effectively.

Sarx - The Beast Nature

Jude references the concept of sarx (flesh/sinful nature) from Romans - the idea of following animal instincts rather than the Spirit. The false teachers are described as “rational animals” who “follow mere natural instincts” rather than living according to the Spirit. They’re not listening to the Genesis story about humanity’s calling but are simply following beastly appetites.

Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy

A crucial distinction: these false teachers aren’t primarily getting their doctrine wrong (orthodoxy), but rather they’re teaching wrong practices (orthopraxy). They’re using God’s grace and promise of forgiveness to justify engaging in Roman cultural practices. They’re promoting compromise as the way to success rather than faithfulness to God’s ways.

The Cultural Context of Sodom and Gomorrah

Jude’s is the only biblical reference connecting Sodom and Gomorrah directly to sexual immorality. The other 19 Old Testament references link these cities to pride, wealth, and failing to care for the poor. Jude bridges this gap because of his cultural context - addressing sexual immorality in Roman culture - not because of the hermeneutical context of the Genesis story. His larger point remains consistent: neglecting the true calling of love and hospitality.

The Call to Faithfulness

Jude concludes by calling believers to the opposite of what the false teachers promote:

  1. Purity and Obedience - The opposite of disobedience and compromise
  2. Respect for God’s Authority - Honoring the teaching of the apostles rather than rebellious teachers
  3. Love and Hospitality - Remaining committed to others rather than self-advancement

Examples & Applications

Modern Hellenism

The hosts note that contemporary culture struggles with Hellenism perhaps more than any time since the Greco-Roman Empire. Like the early believers, modern Christians face pressure to compromise with cultural values for the sake of advancement, acceptance, and financial security. The guild system’s demand for participation in immoral practices mirrors modern workplace and social pressures.

Economic Pressure for Compromise

Just as guild membership was essential for economic security in Roman times, contemporary believers face similar pressures in career advancement, social acceptance, and financial stability. The question remains: what compromises are required to “succeed” in modern culture, and are they worth the spiritual cost?

Using Context to Communicate

Jude’s use of Midrash demonstrates the principle of using culturally relevant materials to communicate truth effectively. He quotes from texts his audience knew well (1 Enoch, Testament of Moses) to make his argument compelling and accessible, even though these weren’t part of what would become the biblical canon.

The Danger of Grace Distortion

The false teachers were perverting grace into a “license for immorality” - using God’s forgiveness as an excuse for compromise. This mirrors modern tendencies to use grace as permission for ongoing compromise rather than empowerment for transformation.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  1. The Book of 1 Enoch - Study this Pseudepigrapha work to understand the Midrashic context Jude draws from, particularly regarding the fallen angels and the Nephilim of Genesis 6

  2. The Testament/Assumption of Moses - Examine this first-century text to understand the dispute over Moses’ body referenced by Jude

  3. 2 Peter Comparison - Conduct a detailed side-by-side study of 2 Peter and Jude to see their remarkable similarities in structure and content

  4. The Story of Balaam - Study Numbers 22-25 and the Midrashic interpretations of how Balaam advised Balak to seduce Israel

  5. Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament - Research all 20 biblical references to these cities to understand the fuller picture of their sin beyond sexual immorality

  6. The Nephilim and Genesis 6 - Explore the wider Midrashic tradition surrounding the “sons of God” and the Nephilim

  7. Roman Guild System - Research the historical and archaeological evidence for how guilds functioned in the first-century Roman world

  8. Biblical Canon Formation - Study how and why certain books were included in Scripture while others (like 1 Enoch) were not, particularly relevant for Session 5

  9. The Story of Cain - Read Rabbi David Fohrman’s work on Cain’s name meaning “to acquire” and how this relates to Abel’s murder

  10. Ezekiel 16:49 - Study the context of Ezekiel’s description of Sodom’s sins as pride, abundance, and neglect of the poor

  11. Hellenism in Modern Culture - Examine parallels between ancient Greco-Roman culture and contemporary Western values

  12. The Korah Rebellion - Study Numbers 16 to understand the full context of rebelling against God’s appointed authority

Comprehension Questions

  1. What is the distinction between orthodoxy and orthopraxy, and why does this matter for understanding the false teaching in Jude? How were these teachers using grace as a “license for immorality”?

  2. Explain the pattern of threes that Jude uses throughout his letter. Identify the two sets of three groups he references and the three recurring themes that appear in each example.

  3. What was the Roman guild system, and why did it create such a significant challenge for early believers trying to maintain economic security while remaining faithful to God?

  4. How does Jude’s use of Jewish Midrash (including 1 Enoch and the Testament of Moses) inform our understanding of how biblical authors used sources from their cultural context? What does this teach us about effective communication?

  5. According to the episode, how do most Old Testament references characterize the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, and why does Jude focus specifically on sexual immorality? What is his larger point about their failure?

Summary

The book of Jude addresses a critical issue facing the early church: false teachers who were promoting compromise with Roman culture as the path to financial security and social advancement. These teachers weren’t necessarily getting their theology wrong but were leading people into destructive practices - specifically the idolatry and sexual immorality required by the Roman guild system.

Jude constructs a systematic argument using a pattern of threes, drawing heavily from Jewish Midrash to show that this problem is nothing new. He references six groups from Israel’s history - the golden calf idolaters, the fallen angels, Sodom and Gomorrah, Cain, Balaam, and Korah - each demonstrating the same three themes: idolatry, sexual immorality, and the pursuit of wealth and influence through disobedience.

The cultural context is crucial: the guild system was essentially a combination of a workers’ union and a college fraternity, providing economic protection but requiring participation in immoral practices. For working-class believers, guild membership seemed necessary for financial survival, creating intense pressure to compromise.

Jude’s response is to call believers to three things: purity and obedience (the opposite of compromise), respect for God’s authority (versus rebellion), and commitment to love and hospitality (versus self-advancement). His argument is fundamentally about orthopraxy - right practice - rather than orthodoxy. The false teachers are promoting a “practice heresy” by telling people what to do, not merely getting doctrine wrong.

The book’s relevance extends to today, as modern culture presents similar pressures to compromise for advancement. Like the Roman guilds, contemporary systems often require participation in practices contrary to God’s ways for the sake of success. Jude reminds us that faithfulness matters more than advancement, and that God’s grace is not permission for ongoing compromise but empowerment for faithful living.

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