Jude 1:22 by Precept Austin Commentary

Jude 1:22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; kai ous men eleate (2PPAM) diakrinomenous (PAPMPA): Ezek 34:17; Gal 4:20; 6:1; Heb 6:4, 5, 6, 7, 8; Jas 5:19,20; 1Jn 5:16, 17, 18 Amplified - And refute [so as to] convict some who dispute with you, and on some have mercy who waver and doubt. (Text in parenthesis not in Greek but added). Barclay - Some of them you must argue out of their error, while they are still wavering. New English Bible - There are some doubting souls who need your pity. NET - And have mercy on those who waver; TLB - Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt. Wuest - And some indeed on the one hand be convicting when contending with you; FIRST OF THREE GROUPS - DOUBTERS And have mercy on some, who are doubting - Hiebert - The coordinating “and” (kai) lays these further duties upon the same people who are building themselves up on their most holy faith (21" class="scriptRef">Jude 1:20-21). Let them be occupied not only with thoughts of their own security and maturity, but let them also stretch out saving hands toward those affected by the apostates. As themselves the recipients of God’s mercy (Jude 1:2, 21), let them diligently seek to be His agents of mercy toward those who are weak (Ed: Notice that Hiebert avoids classifying them as believers or unbelievers) and who are deceived by the apostates (cp 2Cor 5:18-19). (Second Peter-Jude: An Expositional Commentary) There seem to be three "spiritually needy" groups identified in Jude 1:22-23 = "some...others...some." There is not a clear consensus regarding who composes each group - i.e., whether they are believers or unbelievers (or a mixture). Perhaps the text is purposely somewhat ambiguous, which would make the three actions (have mercy...save...have mercy with fear) applicable to all who are being ensnared by apostate doctrines, whether they are believers or unbelievers. Certainly we have all known folks that we at least thought were believers and who began to be entangled in seductive teaching of a silver-tongued orator or an overt counterfeit cult. However (in my opinion) Jude does not give us sufficient information to dogmatically discern whether they are believers or unbelievers, so we should be careful not to be too dogmatic. Notice also that these three groups seem to describe a progressively greater degree of involvement with the apostates (doubting...fire...polluted). I like the way Thomas Schreiner identifies these three groups without making a distinction between believers or unbelievers. First, those who were wavering under the influence of the false teachers should not be rejected or ignored. By showing mercy to them, as they struggle with doubts, such people could be reclaimed. Second, others were close to being captured by the teaching and behavior of the opponents. Believers must not give up on them. Their lives could still be salvaged, and they could be snatched from the fire that threatened to destroy them. Third, others had already been defiled by the false teachers. (The New American Commentary) And have mercy on some, who are doubting = Others translate it "Some who are contentious rebuke." Vincent favors the NAS rendering and feels it better suits the following context, but the reader is referred to more academic works for discussion of the textual variants in Jude 1:22-23. To be sure we who have in the past received "multiplied mercy" (Jude 1:2) and have a sure hope of future mercy (Jude 1:21), should of all people be willing to "have mercy" on others who are in need. This reminds us of Jesus declaration “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." (Mt 5:7) And so Jude begins with the first group that seems least affected by those who sought to turn the grace of God into licentiousness. To highlight the difficulty of (and caution against) being too dogmatic about who is in each group, I have taken quotes from two conservative, well respected expositors with different interpretations. John MacArthur sees all 3 groups as unbelievers, writing... In these two verses Jude identifies three categories of unbelieving people who, from the church’s perspective, are both a menace and a mission field. They are the confused, the convinced, and the committed (Jude Commentary)....1) sincere doubters who deserve compassion (Jude 1:22); 2) those who are deeper in unbelief and urgently need to be pulled from the fire (Jude 1:23); and 3) those declared disciples of apostasy who still deserve mercy, but are to be handled with much fear (Jude 1:23), lest the would-be-rescuer also be spiritually sullied (MacArthur Study Bible) (2Peter and Jude MacArthur New Testament Commentary) (Ed: Arnold Fruchtenbaum a respected Messianic Jewish expositor believes all three groups are believers exactly the opposite of MacArthur!) Warren Wiersbe sees this first group as believers writing they are converted, but they are not grounded in the faith. Our responsibility is to have mercy on them, or show compassion toward them, by seeking to lead them away from the influences of the apostates. This kind of ministry demands a great deal of love and patience, and we must keep in mind that immature believers are like little children who think they know right from wrong. If you say no to them, they will only rebel and become more stubborn! (Be Alert 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, Jude- Beware of the Religious Impostors) William Barclay summarizes the three groups addressed by Jude... Even to the worst heretics, even to those most far gone in error and to those whose beliefs are most dangerous, the Christian has a binding duty not to destroy but to save. His aim must be, not to banish them from the Christian church, but to win them back into the Christian fellowship. James Denney said that, to put the matter at its simplest, Jesus came to make bad men good. Sir John Seeley said: "When the power of reclaiming the lost dies out of the church, it ceases to be the church." As we have taken this passage, Jude divides the troublers of the church into three classes, to each of whom a different approach is necessary. (i) There are those who are flirting with falsehood. They are obviously attracted by the wrong way and are on the brink of committing themselves to error, but are still hesitating before taking the final step. They must be argued out of their error while there is time. From this two things emerge as a duty. (a) We must study to be able to defend the faith and to give a reason for the hope that is in us (1Pe 3:15). We must know what we believe so that we can meet error with truth (2Ti 1:12); and we must make ourselves able to defend the faith in such a way that our graciousness and sincerity may win others to it. To do this we must banish all uncertainty from our minds and all arrogance and intolerance from our approach to others. (b) We must be ready to speak in time. Many a person would have been saved from error of thought and of action, if someone else had only spoken in time. Sometimes we hesitate to speak, but there are many times when silence is cowardly and can cause more harm than speech could ever cause. One of the greatest tragedies in life is when someone comes to us and says, "I would never have been in the mess I am now in, if someone--you, perhaps--had only spoken to me." (ii) There are those who have to be snatched from the fire. They have actually started out on the wrong way and have to be stopped, as it were, forcibly, and even against their will. It is all very well to say that we must leave a man his freedom and that he has a right to do what he likes. All these things are in one sense true, but there are times when a man must be even forcibly saved from himself. (iii) There are those whom we must pity and fear at one and the same time. Here Jude is thinking of something which is always true. There is danger to the sinner; but there is also danger to the rescuer. He who would cure an infectious disease runs the risk of infection. Jude says that we must hate the garment stained by the flesh. Almost certainly he is thinking here of the regulations in Lev 13:47-52, where it is laid down that the garment worn by a person discovered to be suffering from leprosy must be burned. The old saying remains true-- we must love the sinner but hate the sin. Before a man can rescue others, he must himself be strong in the faith. His own feet must be firm on the dry land before he can throw a lifebelt to the man who is likely to be swept away. The simple fact is that the rescue of those in error is not for everyone to attempt. Those who would win others for Christ must themselves be very sure of Him; and those who would fight the disease of sin must themselves have the strong antiseptic of a healthy faith. Ignorance can never be met with ignorance, nor even with partial knowledge; it can be met only by the affirmation, "I know whom I have believed." (2Ti 1:12) (Jude - Barclay's Daily Study Bible) Have mercy is an present imperative, a command calling for the dispensation of mercy to be carried out habitually, daily, as their lifestyle. They are to manifest this Spirit enabled compassionate lifestyle whenever the need arises. Why would Jude command his readers to have mercy? One reason is that it might be tempting to some of the saints to harshly judge those who are doubting (You don't have enough faith!, etc) or to be critical of them rather than compassionate. Jude calls us to be compassionate, not critical or judgmental. Have mercy (1653)(eleeo from eleos) means “to feel sympathy with the misery of another, especially such sympathy which manifests itself in action, less frequently in word. Eleeo describes the general sense of one who has compassion on one in need. It indicates being moved to pity and compassion by tragedy and includes the fear that this could happen to me. Eleeo means to see someone in dire need (including one who may not deserve the misfortune), to have compassion on them, and to give help to remove the need. Kistemaker - Jude is alerting the readers to the danger some weak Christians face when they are confronted by the apostates (compare 2 Peter 2:18). Whenever these people begin to doubt Christian teachings, reassure them by giving them help and understanding. Avoid any form of criticism, but show mercy and love to those who waver. (Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude) Stephen Grellet says: I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to my fellow-creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. Some who are doubting - Jude used the same verb diakrino earlier in Jude 1:9-note to describe the dispute over Moses' body. Henry Alford and Lenski support that meaning in the present passage as do some of the translations (Wuest = And some indeed on the one hand be convicting when contending with you). If this is the intended meaning diakrino would describe some who had been influenced by the apostate's and who now raised questions about the divergent views ("contending with you"). The meaning favored by most modern translations (NAS, ESV, NIV, et al) is that these were individuals who were doubting. Their faith was wavering because the lies of the apostates contradicted the truth they had previously heard ("the faith" Jude 1:3). The following verses all of which use diakrino in the sense of doubting and all allude to weakness in faith (Mt. 21:21; Mk 11:23; Ro 4:20-note; Ro 14:23-note; Jas 1:6-note). Hiebert - This meaning (doubting) depicts these individuals not as openly antagonistic but as beset with inner doubts and questions which must be compassionately dealt with. (Second Peter and Jude An Expositional Commentary) Plummer - They are "earnest doubters, who are unable to make up their minds for or against the truth." (Jude - Expositor's Bible Commentary) Spurgeon - Some of those professors, who are not living consistently with their profession, in whom you can see signs and tokens of sin, yet there may be some trace of repentance, some reason to hope that they will forsake the evil when they see it to be evil: “have compassion” upon them. (Exposition) Doubting (wavering, hesitating) (1252) (diakrino from diá = separation, root meaning = "two" + kríno = distinguish, decide, judge) literally means to judge between two and has a range of meanings in the NT. As discussed above, most commentators favor that Jude uses diakrino to describe one who is at odds with one's self and thus those who hesitate, waver or doubt. One author says diakrino pictures the idea of divided in one's mind. This person is the one who is vacillating between two opinions or decisions, and thus is doubting (the classic passage is Jas 1:6-note). What might they be doubting? In the context of this letter, they might begin to doubt the truth and/or authority of God's Word, specifically "the faith that was once handed down to the saints" (Jude 1:3-note). Recall that the faith is not their acts of believing but is the body of doctrine which was believed. The words spoken by the apostates brought uncertainty as to who was telling the truth. These apostates were sons of Satan who was a liar from the beginning (Jn 8:44). One of his oldest, most effective tactics is to create question the Word of God. Recall his first ploy was to confront Eve with the question "Has God said?" (Ge 3:1) His tactic was effective then in generating doubt, and it is effective now. So Jude may be referring to those who have been "infected" by the lies of the apostates and as a result are doubting "the faith" (the truth they had heard in the church). Gardner - Almost any minister in any church today will agree that this problem faces their congregations again and again. Often nowadays those doubts are sown by people reading books that lead astray, but sometimes doubts are stirred up by others in a congregation who will not follow the Lord and his Word and who pour scorn on the faithful preaching of that Word. Some begin to doubt when they hear people saying it is unintellectual or naive to believe Scripture, or when they see a leader not living according to what is being preached. Whatever the cause of these doubts, the problem is ever with the church. (Focus on the Bible Commentary)

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Jude 1:22

Precept Austin Commentary

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