Jude 5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
Jude turns to the Old Testament and the history of Israel as illustration of the problem and solution for his readers. It is significant that Jude mentions Jesus as the one who rescued Israel from Egyptian slavery. This connection of Jesus to Yahweh shows a high Christology and belief in the incarnation. It is possible that Jude is talking figuratively here and that Egypt represents sin, but the verses that follow have a strong historical slant and imply a literal reading. Perhaps the ungodly people had tried to use the Old Testament is a way that distorted the story and Jude is trying to correct that. Either way, it is remarkable that Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, sees Jesus in a greater way than simply the brother he grew up with in Nazareth. This verse gives a warning to all who remain in sin and reject Jesus. Jesus is not only the savior but also the judge. He will destroy those who do not believe in him. Unbelief and rejection of Jesus will have consequences. This recalls what Jesus said in John 3:18: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Jude sets out the choice clearly right at the beginning of this short letter. How we respond to Jesus determines everything. It appears that the readers may have forgotten some of the fundamentals of their faith because they knew all this at one time but had been fooled by false teachers. We must be every vigilant in our study of the truth that is found in Jesus.
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