Jude 17–19 But You Must Remember, Beloved...

Jude 17–19 But You Must Remember, Beloved...

Main Idea: False teachers are not merely mistaken. They are spiritually dead and stand in direct opposition to the promises of God. The church must remember what has been taught, reject distorted versions of the gospel, and remain grounded in the Spirit-led truth of Christ.

Introduction

Although the book of Jude is short, it carries explosive spiritual weight. Every verse is loaded with urgency, and by the time we reach verse 17, Jude has already issued a fierce warning about those who have crept into the church unnoticed. These individuals use the right words, but they are not sent by the Spirit of God. Instead of pointing people to Christ, they subtly twist the truth and block others from entering the kingdom of God. Jude has described them in vivid detail, exposed their character, and warned of their destruction.

Now, he turns his attention back to the church with tenderness and purpose. “But you, beloved...” This is the turning point of the letter. Jude is no longer just sounding the alarm. He is preparing the saints. What follows is a pastoral call to remember what has already been revealed, to recognize the danger of those who follow ungodly passions, and to realize that those who cause division and distort the truth are without the Holy Spirit. They do not know God.

Jude is not warning about the dangers of the world outside the church. He is speaking about people inside the visible community of faith—people who lead, influence, and teach, but whose hearts are far from the Lord. The line that separates the faithful from the false is not appearance, eloquence, or position. It is whether they possess the Spirit of Christ.

This moment in Jude’s letter is not just a transition. It is a spiritual dividing line. And it begins with one command: You must remember.

1. Remember What Was Taught (Jude 17)

Jude begins this part of the letter not with another warning but with an exhortation: “But you must remember, beloved...” This shift in tone marks a turning point. After painting a vivid picture of false teachers and their judgment, Jude now turns to equip the faithful. The word “beloved” is not filler. It is the heart of this letter. Jude, once a denier of Christ, now writes as a shepherd warning the flock, not just about what to watch out for, but how to endure.

The command to remember is not sentimental. It is a call to spiritual readiness. Jude urges believers to hold fast to what has already been said—specifically, to the predictions of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. These warnings were not vague. The apostles said that scoffers would come, driven by their own desires, rejecting the authority and work of Christ, and seeking to reshape the gospel around their own passions.

This is not a new threat. Ever since the garden, the truth of God has been distorted. From Cain’s rejection of God’s warning (Genesis 4:6–7), to Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16), to the Pharisees’ opposition to Christ, spiritual deception has always existed. Jude reminds us that the appearance of false teachers is not a surprise. It is a fulfillment of what God said would happen. The church is not called to react with shock, but to remember and remain rooted in the truth already delivered.

But Jude goes further than warning. He draws a hard and holy line. Those who distort the gospel are devoid of the Spirit. They may occupy pulpits, write books, host podcasts, or lead ministries. But without the Holy Spirit, there is no salvation. And without Christ, there is no access to the promises of God. This is not a matter of theological disagreement. It is a matter of life and death.

Some false teaching is born from ignorance, like Peter’s misguided attempt to stop Jesus from going to the cross (Matthew 16:21–23), or his impulsive sword swing in the garden (John 18:10–11). In those cases, Jesus rebuked him but restored him. Sincere believers can still act foolishly or cling to things that need correction.

But what Jude is describing is something far more dangerous. Intentional ungodliness cloaked in religious language. These are not just misguided believers. They are anti-Christ in their words and actions (1 John 2:18). They reject the mission of Christ, distort the gospel, and cause others to stumble.

This is why remembering is not passive. It is a spiritual act of war. We must remember what the apostles taught, what the Scriptures say, and what God has promised. We must test every spirit (1 John 4:1), watch out for false prophets who appear as sheep but devour like wolves (Matthew 7:15), and stay anchored to the truth passed down to us. The Spirit of God leads us into truth, not confusion. The voice of Christ will never contradict the word of Christ.

Those who reject Him and lead others to do the same are not to be coddled or entertained. They are to be identified, resisted, and grieved—for they are not part of the true body of Christ.

2. They Will Reject Jesus (Jude 18)

Jude continues by quoting the apostolic warning: “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” This is not just a prediction of immoral behavior. It is a prophecy about rebellion—people who mock the message of the cross, reject the authority of Christ, and replace the truth with their own desires.

The word “scoffers” signals more than disagreement. These are not seekers or skeptics. They treat the promises of God with contempt, and they treat holiness as something laughable. Peter uses the same term in 2 Peter 3:3 to describe those who ridicule the return of Christ. These individuals elevate their feelings and dismiss God’s word. Jude says they are driven not by reason or conviction, but by ungodly passions—desires that are rooted in the flesh and cut off from the Spirit.

This rejection of Christ often comes in a religious disguise. Many scoffers speak the language of faith, wear the clothes of ministry, and even hold titles of influence. But their fruit exposes them. They deny Christ by distorting grace into a license for sin (Jude 4), and they deny the gospel by replacing submission to Jesus with spiritual self-expression.

Jude is not speaking hypothetically. The church is always in the “last time.” From the resurrection to the return of Christ, this is the age in which scoffing will increase, deception will multiply, and truth will be hated. False teachers do not just abandon the faith. They undermine it while claiming to uphold it.

Jesus encountered this spirit in His own day. The Pharisees and scribes—men of religious prestige—shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces (Matthew 23:13). They had power, they taught doctrine, and they were seen as the gatekeepers of truth. Yet Jesus said their teaching led people to hell.

In Luke 7, we are told the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, refusing the baptism of repentance and mocking both John the Baptist and Jesus. Their problem was not lack of exposure. It was hardened unbelief. They claimed to honor God while dismissing the very one He sent.

This is the danger Jude is warning about. Not just doctrinal error, but deliberate rejection of Jesus Christ—by those who still claim to speak in His name. Like the Pharisees, they hold the appearance of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). They are not building the church. They are blocking the way to life.

We must not follow them. And we must not be naïve about how this rejection is packaged. Sometimes it sounds like progress. Sometimes it sounds like freedom. But at its core, it is a resistance to Christ’s kingship, and an unwillingness to receive His word, His mission, and His call to holiness.

To follow these scoffers is to follow passion over promise, emotion over Scripture, and rebellion over redemption. To follow Christ is to walk the road that leads to life—and He has already warned us: that road is narrow, and few find it (Matthew 7:13–14).

3. They Do Not Know God (Jude 19)

Jude ends this short but weighty paragraph with a devastating conclusion: “It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.” This is not simply a behavioral critique. It is a spiritual diagnosis. The people Jude is describing are not just unhealthy influences. They are not born of God.

They cause division—not accidentally, but by the nature of who they are. Instead of building up the church, they split it. Jude says they are worldly people, shaped not by heaven’s wisdom but by the desires and systems of the fallen world. Their categories, instincts, and motives are earthly, not spiritual.

But the most damning charge is this: they are devoid of the Spirit.

This is not a minor difference. It is the great divide. Without the Spirit, there is no regeneration, no adoption, no sanctification, and no ability to speak truth. Paul says in Romans 8:9, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

Jesus warned that false teachers would come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly be ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). He warned that many would come in His name and lead others astray (Matthew 24:4–5, 11). Paul warned that after his departure, men would rise up from within the church, “speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29–30).

This is why Jude calls the church to remember. Not to innovate. Not to reinterpret. But to hold fast to the truth delivered once for all to the saints. Those who reject Christ, distort grace, and lack the Spirit may still be in the building, but they are not in the body.

The people of God are not defined by giftedness or platform. They are defined by their union with Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

Jude draws a clear line between those who follow Christ and those who oppose Him. The false teachers he describes are ungodly scoffers who distort grace, reject the authority of Jesus, and are devoid of the Spirit. But Jude writes not only to expose them, but to equip the church.

• We must repent of anything that minimizes the promise of God.
• We must contend against anything that rejects Christ.
• We must proclaim the glory of God revealed through Jesus.

Let no one take you off this path. Let no voice, no trend, no teaching move you from this foundation. The Spirit of Christ dwells in those who are His, and He will not abandon those who stand in the truth.

Remember, beloved. Hold the line. The King is coming.

Addendum: A Biblical Overview of Salvific History

If we are called to reject false teaching and test every spirit, then we must know what truth looks like. Jude says to remember what was taught. But remember what, exactly?

Here is the story that grounds our faith — the framework of God’s redemptive plan across history. This is the truth that false teachers twist, the promise that Christ fulfills, and the gospel that we are called to proclaim.

1. The World Was United in Rebellion

In the beginning, humanity was united by language and culture. But they used that unity to glorify themselves, not God. In Genesis 11, the people said, “Let us make a name for ourselves,” and built a tower that reached toward heaven (Genesis 11:4). God responded by scattering them, confusing their language, and forming the nations in judgment (Genesis 11:7–8). What should have been one people under one God became a divided world under the curse of sin.

2. God Gave a Promise to One Man for All Nations

Right after scattering the nations, God called a man named Abram and gave him a promise: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). That promise was not based on law or merit — it came before the law was ever given. God made it clear. He would create a people for Himself, and through that people, He would bring salvation to the whole world.

“He believed the LORD, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

This promise — righteousness through faith — becomes the foundation for the entire story of redemption. Abraham’s physical descendants became Israel, but the true fulfillment of the promise would come through a greater seed: Jesus Christ, the Son of God and descendant of Abraham (Galatians 3:16).

3. The Promise Came Before the Law

Over 400 years after God made His promise to Abraham, He gave the law to Moses (Exodus 20). But the law was never meant to replace the promise. Paul says in Galatians 3 that the law served as a tutor, showing sin and pointing us to the need for a Savior. It could never make anyone righteous. The promise came first, and it was fulfilled in Christ.

“If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God... Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:2–3).

4. The Prophets Declared God's Promise Was for All Nations

The promise given to Abraham was never meant to remain within the borders of Israel. Through the prophets, God repeatedly reaffirmed that His salvation would reach the ends of the earth. He was not building a kingdom of ethnicity, but a kingdom of faith — made up of those who trust His covenant and come under His rule.

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants... these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer... for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:6–7).

This vision is not symbolic or vague. It is the outworking of the promise given in Genesis 12 — that all the families of the earth would be blessed through Abraham’s seed. The prophets were not changing the story. They were amplifying it. They declared that even foreigners would be welcomed, not as outsiders, but as worshipers.

5. Jesus Is the Fulfillment of the Promise

The long awaited seed of Abraham is Jesus of Nazareth. He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He was born into Israel, but His mission was global. He lived without sin, died as a substitute, and rose to defeat death. In Him, the blessing promised to all nations has been made available to all who believe.

“If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did” (John 8:39). “Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).

6. The Nations Will Be Gathered Before the Throne

Revelation gives us a vision of where all of this is heading:

“A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb... crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10)

The curse of division at Babel will be undone by the blood of Jesus. One kingdom. One gospel. One Savior. From every tribe, tongue, and nation.

7. What This Means for Us

This is the truth false teachers resist. This is the plan the enemy tries to obscure. When someone teaches another way to be saved, redefines Christ, or distorts grace, they are not just misinformed — they are rejecting the very structure of salvation history.

So how do we test what we hear?

• Does it align with the promise given to Abraham?
• Does it place Christ alone at the center?
• Does it affirm salvation by grace through faith?
• Does it honor the Spirit’s work to build, sanctify, and unite the church?
• Does it lead us to worship the Lamb with all the nations?

If not, it is not the gospel.

Scripture References

• Genesis 4:6–7 – God warns Cain to master sin before it destroys him, showing that sin is active and must be resisted.
• Genesis 11:4, 7–8 – Humanity tries to make a name for itself by building a tower, and God scatters them in judgment by confusing their language.
• Genesis 12:3 – God promises Abraham that all the families of the earth will be blessed through him, initiating the plan of salvation for all nations.
• Genesis 15:6 – Abraham believes God, and his faith is credited to him as righteousness, setting the foundation for justification by faith.
• Exodus 20 – God gives the law to Moses on Mount Sinai to reveal sin and instruct His people in righteousness.
• Numbers 16 – Korah and others rebel against Moses and Aaron, representing opposition to God's appointed leaders and order.
• Deuteronomy 32:21 (implied from the broader salvation structure) – God provokes Israel to jealousy by turning to a foolish nation, foreshadowing the inclusion of the Gentiles.
• Isaiah 56:6–7 – God welcomes foreigners who love Him into His covenant, declaring His house a place of prayer for all peoples.
• Matthew 5:17 – Jesus affirms that He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it completely in Himself.
• Matthew 7:13–15 – Jesus describes the narrow way that leads to life and warns of false prophets disguised as sheep.
• Matthew 16:21–23 – Jesus rebukes Peter for opposing His path to the cross, showing that even well-meaning believers can misunderstand God’s plan.
• Matthew 23:13 – Jesus condemns religious leaders for shutting the kingdom of heaven in people's faces while pretending to lead them.
• Matthew 24:4–5, 11 – Jesus warns that many will come in His name and lead others astray with deceptive teachings.
• Luke 7:29–30 – The Pharisees and lawyers reject God's purpose for themselves by refusing to repent and believe.
• John 8:39 – Jesus challenges the religious leaders’ claim to Abrahamic identity, calling them to reflect Abraham’s faith and obedience.
• John 8:56 – Jesus reveals that Abraham looked forward to His day and rejoiced, affirming the unity of God’s plan across generations.
• John 18:10–11 – Peter draws his sword in the garden, but Jesus commands him to stand down and embrace the path of suffering for salvation.
• Acts 20:29–30 – Paul warns that after his departure, men will arise from within the church speaking twisted things to draw away disciples.
• Romans 4:2–3 – Paul affirms that Abraham was justified by faith, not by works, quoting Genesis 15:6 as the standard for righteousness.
• Romans 8:9 – Paul declares that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ do not belong to Him.
• Galatians 3:16 – Paul explains that the promise to Abraham was fulfilled in one singular seed: Christ.
• Galatians 3:21–25 (implied) – Paul teaches that the law was a tutor pointing to Christ, not a replacement for the promise of faith.
• 2 Peter 3:3 – Peter foretells that scoffers will come in the last days, following their sinful desires and mocking the return of Christ.
• 2 Timothy 3:5 – Paul warns that some will have the appearance of godliness but deny its true power, rejecting transformation by the Spirit.
• 1 John 2:18 – John identifies many antichrists already present, showing that the rejection of Christ is a mark of the last hour.
• 1 John 4:1 – Believers are commanded to test every spirit, because not every message or teacher comes from God.
• Revelation 7:9–10 – John sees a great multitude from every nation worshiping the Lamb, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham and the prophets.