In Jude 1:5–7 Jude gives examples of individuals from history who may have experienced something of God’s grace only to reject his authority and be judged by him.
The first example in Jude 1:5 comes from the exodus. Very famously, God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt so that they could go and worship him (Exodus 3:12). They were delivered from the rule of Pharaoh into the rule of God, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5–6). The Promised Land was the place where they would enjoy true freedom. With God dwelling in their midst they looked forward to a life that would be blessed by him.
Their salvation then was not from obedience but into obedience. That is what God’s grace was giving them: freedom from slavery in order to live as God’s people (Exodus 20:2). But then they rejected God’s authority and refused to submit to him. Of course they would never say things quite so explicitly themselves—their problem was not with God but with Moses and the rules he gave them. To their minds they rejected Moses and not God. But just as the rule of God has come to us through the apostles and the faith which they delivered, in the same way the rule of God came to Israel through Moses and therefore to reject Moses was to reject God. And the consequences for them was death in the wilderness instead of life in the land.
The second example from Jude 1:6 concerns the angels or the messengers who did not stay within their own position of authority. Now it is somewhat unclear as to what exactly Jude is referring here. Some commentators understand this as a reference to the fall of Satan and his angels whilst others take it to refer to the sons of God that we find in Genesis 6. Either way the message is quite simple. Like the Israelites, the angels belong in God’s presence; they were made to serve him in heaven. But the moment they sought to abandon their positions they were cast out into the dark. Like fools they sold themselves into slavery and bonds that last forever until the judgment of the great day. They enjoyed great privilege only to reject God and be judged by him.
Finally in Jude 1:7 we look back to the events of Genesis 19:1–38. In Sodom and Gomorrah, two visitors came as guests and then the men of the city tried to beat down the doors of Lot’s house in order to rape them. God sent messengers to warn Lot and the other inhabitants about their way of life but there was no concern for God’s authority. People were driven by their sinful desires and the end result was once again judgment, eternal fire.
What is God’s grace? Is it permission to wallow in sin and the selfishness with which we are born? Is it God’s grandfatherly approval of our greed, pride, and self-righteousness? Freedom to live as we please with an insurance policy that will pay for all damages? Or is it rather the gift of salvation, the privilege of relationship with God, and life in his family where we follow his rules? We have not been made part of God’s church so that we can indulge our desires without fear of consequence. If we claim to know God’s love but continually reject the revealed will of God, we are not living in the light of his salvation but perverting his grace. No matter what dreams or experiences you may have had—they do not trump the authority of Scripture nor do they exempt you from obedience to God’s commandments.
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.