Saving Others

The little New Testament Book of Jude was originally going to be about the “common salvation” (Jude 3a), but since false teachers “crept in unawares” and were threatening the church, Jude wrote to warn his readers about these false teachers. As the Book of Jude concludes, the half-brother of Jesus lists three categories of people who are lost and how they should be reached.

It should be noted that Jude 22-23 contains textual variations. The KJV family of translations has two categories of the lost, while the newer translations (ASV, NAS, ESV) have three categories of the lost. Since Jude characteristically gives groups of three (Jude 2, 4, 8, 11 cf. 5-7), we will follow the NAS for this study: “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh” (Jude 22-23). Thus, the three categories of the lost and how they should be reached are as follows.

Lost in Doubt

The word translated “who are in doubt [making a difference, KJV; distinction, NKJ],” as used by Jude, carries the idea of a person being at odds with himself. It is the same word found in Romans 14:23, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith” (cf. Mt. 21:21; Acts 10:20; 11:12). Some can be so influenced by the “arrogant [swelling, KJV] words” of false teachers that they begin to doubt. Is not that what happened to Eve (Gen. 3:1-5)? Doubt is good if it leads us to further study (cf. Jn. 14:5, 8, 22), but one who does not displace doubt with conviction “is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (Jas. 1:6 cf. Eph. 4:14). Those who are in doubt must be shown “mercy [compassion, KJV]” in the sense that it leads to taking the time to study with them and strengthen their faith (cf. Acts 18:26).

Lost in Flames of Sin

Others are to be saved by “snatching them out of the fire.” Unlike those who are still at the point of doubting (Jude 22), these have totally committed themselves to false doctrine. “Fire” refers to imminent destruction that is about to consume them (cf. 1 Cor. 7:9). Because they are this close to eternal destruction, there is no room for gentle persuasion—they must be plucked out as if they were already tossed into a fire (cf. Amos 4:11; Zec. 3:2)!

Lost in Worldliness

This third group of lost people are they whose “garment [is] polluted [spotted, KJV; defiled, NKJ] by the flesh.” The idea here seems to be that these people are so polluted by the world that even their clothes reek with defilement. While this would be a hyperbole, Scripture does speak of defiled garments in this sense (cf. Lev. 13:47-52; Isa. 64:6; Zec. 3:3-5). God desires that our “garments” be “not soiled” (Rev. 3:4). The only ones who are cleansed are those who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14), and to keep one’s garment clean involves a righteous life (Rev. 19:8). To reach those lost in worldliness, we must, in addition to extending “mercy,” proceed with fear. “Fear” may here refer to fear of falling into the same defilement (cf. Gal. 6:1), or it could be with fear, or awe, of God (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1). The possibility does exist, of course, that both ideas are involved, but in either case, the point is that we have to maintain a certain disposition while we reach the lost.

All lost people are not the same. The more we know about God’s word and about lost people, the better able we are to reach them. Are we part of the lost or part of those who can reach them?