An Uncorrupted View of Godly Leadership from Jude

In the brief book of Jude, we do not have opportunity to observe all that a godly leader thinks or does. Yet, we have opportunity to observe much. Though details are scant about Jude’s recipients, we know that they had received the apostolic faith, though they were at risk of forgetting it (Jude 5). We also know that false teachers and deceivers had found their way into the church, gaining sway over congregants—and it seems these interlopers were largely unnoticed (Jude 4).

Just Who Was Jude?

Jude began his letter’s salutations with, “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James” (Jude 1). Immediately, we can notice that Jude did not relate to his recipients on the basis of his full qualifications, for he was likely the half-brother of Jesus and/or an apostle. We have evidence, therefore, that he did not consider himself impressive. He spoke of some of his qualifications specifically for the purpose of serving the message of his letter. He did not view his attainments as important for serving himself. Rather, he employed them for the purpose of serving the message and calling of Christ—for the benefit of others and glory of God.

Jude was a writer and leader in the church who loved the good news of who Christ is and what He accomplished for the salvation of mankind. Jude desired to revel in the joys of this salvation, shared equally among him and his recipients, writing, “I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation” (Jude 3). He wanted to fellowship over the glorious truths that lead to eternal life and eternal peace with God—and do so in a way that would cause both writer and recipient hearts to rejoice.

Yet, instead of writing this message of only joy, he was compelled to write a confrontational message: “I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Jude found that to ignore his recipients’ theological peril—which, unremedied, would have grave eternal consequences—would be a violation of both his love for them and his responsibility as a leader. Jude’s confrontational message originated in necessity. False teaching had crept in; danger was afoot—and his recipients were not protecting themselves or their fellow church members.

Speaking Up Against False Teaching

Jude was willing to write this message of truth when he could not have been confident in his recipients’ responses. The recipients were not awakened to the danger they were facing. In fact, they were enjoying time with the interlopers—participating in Christian “love feasts” (Jude 12) with them, meaning, in communion. So, Jude was asking of the church members what very likely would trigger fractured relationships (if we assume unrepentance of the false teachers).

At the least, Jude was asking of his recipients certain actions of discipline and remediation of the dangerous issues that would run counter to the felt experience of enjoyable interpersonal interactions with these crept-in churchmen and/or churchwomen. How could Jude be sure that his readers would side with truth over experience? Despite the potential violence to his reputation, Jude took the risk—he was compelled to it because the danger of the false teaching for his readers was far more important to him than the potential of others’ judgment of him.

In his message and writing, Jude spoke plainly of God’s holy will and hope. He compassionately pled for his readers to listen to truth and obey it—to remember their originally received faith. He reminded them of the love of God and goodness of Christ frequently in a brief letter. He also did not avoid—indeed, in the bulk of the letter—the realities of sin, judgment, and condemnation for the unrepentant. He demonstrated no fear of man but only a righteous fear of God, knowing that the warnings of Scripture are to direct people to repentance and faith through being awakened to the high stakes of these spiritual matters.

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Jude’s High Calling to His Readers

Jude saw the equality that the gospel message gave him and the church members to whom he wrote—that he was not somehow “more saved” or of more value to God than others in the church merely because of his stature in the broader Christian community. He and his recipients served under the same Head, Jesus Christ. Thus, his recipients had also been given the high calling of bearing the name of Christ in this world (Jude 1). So, he exhorted them to minister in many of the same ways as he ministered—they were to do precisely what Jude was seeking to do, having mercy on those in doubt (Jude 22) and pulling others from the flames of judgment through prayer and careful, right instruction (Jude 20, 23).

In his leadership, he considered ministry and the recipients’ use of spiritual gifts for the good of others in the church God-given. Though his recipients needed to be restored to truth amidst dangers that had gone unnoticed, he did not view his recipients calling to ministry for these errors to be revoked. When they were fledgling, Jude sought for his readers to be restored to all God had for them, including the high calling of service for others’ good and God’s glory.

What Does Jude Teach about Strong Leadership?

In Jude’s example of uncorrupted leadership, we see that he was unimpressed with himself and any authority in the church he obtained, while being highly honoring of Jesus Christ and His authority. He treasured the gospel message and the fellowship of sharing in it with the saints. He prized the truth and saw his fellow believers’ drift from the truth not merely as their problem but also as his own burden. Therefore, he willingly risked his reputation to write a message that might have been met with rejection.

Jude did not consider himself the solo carrier of significant ministry, but encouraged his readers to take up anew the same types of ministry in their context. Pervasive in Jude’s letter are worship of Christ, fear of God, and high thinking of others—including their salvation and spiritual ministry given by God. For Jude, all of this was to be enacted with truth.

Leadership, according to this example of Jude, is not concerned with receiving credit or accolades; it is not for the purpose of obtaining influence or power for oneself. Leadership, in part and according to Jude’s epistle, is characterized by being so immersed in the Scripture and truth that threats to others can be identified and characterized by the willingness to take necessary risks for the sake of that truth. In it, leadership seeks, from beneath, to lift to the one and only God—providing vision, help, correction, instruction, encouragement, and aid toward establishment in the right theological framework.

While good characteristics of Jude are clearly evident, I leave Jude’s letter not worshiping the human writer, but worshiping Jesus Christ—Him who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before the presence of God and Him to whom belongs all glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time, now, and forever (Jude 24-25).

Christ as Our Ultimate Example

There, in Jesus Christ, is Jude’s example—and our ultimate example in all of what Jude displays. Christ humbled Himself—is due all accolades but obeyed the Father unto the cross, took our burden of sin upon Himself, and willingly enduring the scorn and shame of being reviled by the very creatures into whom He breathed life. Amidst this mission, His heart’s message among man was to alert us to the dire future of those who reject God. With compassion, He gave us Himself—the Way of eternal life, graciously preaching good news to the poor, that we might see our need and become rich in Him.

In a world that idolizes influence, that values personal power over sacrifice, and that is quick to judge and dismiss rather than restore, we (I!) need this uncorrupted example of leadership—found in following and worshiping Christ and following Jude as he followed Him.

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Lianna Davis is author of Keeping the Faith: A Study in Jude and Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss. She is also a contributor to We Evangelicals and Our Mission with Cascade Books. Lianna is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She lives in Illinois with her husband and daughter. You can learn more about her writing at her website.