For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
English Standard Version (ESV)
These infiltrators are condemned not by an arbitrary decree, but because their character and actions are the very things ancient prophecies described as deserving judgment. Jude is pointing to a clear, documented pattern of ungodliness foretold long before, meaning their condemnation is a predictable outcome of their chosen path, not a surprise.
For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jude had intended to write about their shared salvation, but a pressing issue forced him to change course. He's writing now because dangerous individuals have secretly infiltrated the community, twisting God's grace into an excuse for immorality and denying Jesus Christ as their Lord.
Have you ever been completely fooled by someone you thought you could trust? Jude warns about people who don't openly declare their wicked intentions but slip into the community unnoticed.
A Hidden Danger
Jude uses the word "crept in unawares" (or "privily" in some translations) to describe how these false teachers entered the church. This isn't about an open attack, but a subtle, insidious infiltration. They didn't announce their arrival with a banner of rebellion; instead, they wormed their way in, blending in until their harmful influence could take root.
This should remind us that spiritual danger often doesn't come with a warning siren. It can look like a friend, sound like good advice, or feel like a harmless opinion. The enemy is cunning, and his methods are designed to deceive, making it crucial for us to be discerning and watchful within our communities.
What happens when the very message of God's freedom becomes an excuse for sin? Jude exposes a dangerous distortion of God's grace and a denial of Jesus' authority.
Perverting Divine Gifts
These infiltrators had a two-fold destructive agenda:
Ask a follow-up
Jude speaks of these individuals as 'before of old designated for this condemnation.' Does this mean God predestined them for destruction, or is there another layer to this truth?
The Certainty of Judgment
The phrase "who long ago were designated for this condemnation" can be challenging. It's crucial to understand that Jude isn't necessarily teaching that God arbitrarily predestined individuals to damnation, irrespective of their choices. Instead, this language points to several intertwined truths:
This helps us hold together the reality of God's sovereign knowledge and plan with the human responsibility for our actions and choices.
Understand the original words
charis · Greek Noun
The unmerited favor of God, whereby He bestows blessings and salvation upon those who deserve judgment. It is the core of the Christian message.
asebēs · Greek Adjective
Lack of reverence or piety toward God; a heart or lifestyle that ignores God's authority and moral standards.
krima · Greek Noun
The legal standing of guilt and the resultant sentence of punishment for one's sins or rejection of God's truth.
aselgeia · Greek Noun
Unrestrained indulgence of the flesh, moral debauchery, and defiance of God's commands. It is the result of suppressing the truth and turning away from divine law.
despotēs · Greek Noun
A term for "Master" or "Owner" denoting absolute authority and ownership, often applied to Christ to emphasize His sovereign rights over His followers.
Jude's letter is a direct response to a specific, immediate crisis within the early church, drawing on both Old Testament prophecies and apostolic warnings to address the infiltration of false teachers.
c. 140 BC
Apocryphal Book of Enoch Circulated
The Book of Enoch, a pseudepigraphal work, contains prophecies and warnings about false teachers and judgment, which Jude later alludes to.
c. AD 30-60
Early Christian Ministry of Apostles
Apostles like Paul and Peter establish churches, encounter false teachings, and warn believers about deceptive individuals within the community.
c. AD 62-64
Second Peter Warns of False Teachers
Peter writes his second epistle, warning the church about destructive heresies and immoral individuals who would secretly infiltrate the community.
c. AD 65-70— this verse
Jude Writes His Epistle
Jude writes a brief but urgent letter to believers, warning them about ungodly individuals who have secretly entered the church, perverting God's grace and denying Christ.
This passage describes similar insidious infiltrators into the church who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, mirroring Jude's warning about those who pervert God's grace.
1 Timothy 4:1-2Paul warns Timothy about people in later times who will depart from the faith by hypocritical lies, having their own conscience seared, which aligns with Jude's description of ungodly men who deny Christ.
Romans 6:1-2Jude's concern about people perverting God's grace into sensuality is directly addressed by Paul's rhetorical question and answer about whether believers should continue in sin because grace abounds.
Galatians 5:13While Jude warns against using Christian liberty as an excuse for sensuality, Paul uses the same concept of liberty to encourage serving one another in love, highlighting the perversion Jude is addressing.
1 John 2:22This passage speaks of the antichrist who denies that Jesus is the Christ, directly connecting to Jude's charge that these infiltrators deny 'our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ'.
wesleyJude 1:4: "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
1:4 There are certain men crept in, who were of old described before - Even as early as Enoch; of whom it was foretold, that by their wilful sins they would incur this condemnation. Turning the grace of God - Revealed in the gospel. Into lasciviousness - Into an occa…
pulpitJude 1:4: "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
Verse 4. - It has been inferred that the writer had been actually at work upon another Epistle, when he felt it necessary to give it up and compose this one. That is not a certain inference from the previous verse. What that verse makes clear is that it had been Jude…
These infiltrators are condemned not by an arbitrary decree, but because their character and actions are the very things ancient prophecies described as deserving judgment. Jude is pointing to a clear, documented pattern of ungodliness foretold long before, meaning their condemnation is a predictable outcome of their chosen path, not a surprise.
Jude had intended to write about their shared salvation, but a pressing issue forced him to change course. He's writing now because dangerous individuals have secretly infiltrated the community, twisting God's grace into an excuse for immorality and denying Jesus Christ as their Lord.
Jude had intended to write about their shared salvation, but a pressing issue forced him to change course. He's writing now because dangerous individuals have secretly infiltrated the community, twisting God's grace into an excuse for immorality and denying Jesus Christ as their Lord.
"For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." — These infiltrators are condemned not by an arbitrary decree, but because their character and actions are the very things ancient prophecies described as deserving judgment. Jude is pointing to a cl…
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Last reviewed October 2026