Hebrews James & Jude

by Rousas John Rushdoony

There is a resounding call in Hebrews, which we cannot forget without going "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach" (13:13). This is a summons to serve Christ the Redeemer-King fully and faithfully, without compromise. In our time, it calls for a break, not only with the prevailing culture of humanistic statism and its messianic claims and pretensions, but also a wayward church that has made itself the handmaiden to Christ's enemies.

When James, in his epistle, says that faith without works is dead, he tells us that faith is not a mere matter of words, but it is of necessity a matter of life. We are dead men if we no longer can breathe, and we are spiritually dead if our faith is unaccompanied by works. Too many churches are like graveyards because too many members have no living faith. "Pure religion and undefiled" requires Christian charity and action. Anything short of this is a self-delusion. James's letter is a corrective the church needs badly.

Jude similarly recalls us to Jesus Christ's apostolic commission, "Remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 17). Jude's letter is usually classified as an apocalyptic tract, but we cannot forget that all the Bible speaks of a division between fallen and redeemed humanity, between the saved and the lost, of the necessity for a new creation beginning with us, and of the inescapable triumph of the Kingdom of God.

Genres: Theology, Christianity

252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 4, 2002

About the author

Rousas John Rushdoony was a Calvinist philosopher, historian, and theologian and is widely credited as the father of both Christian Reconstructionism and the modern homeschool movement. His prolific writings have exerted considerable influence on the Christian right.

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent, if brief, commentary for three epistles. Good as a transition from subject-based ten minute devotionals to a more whole-scripture approach, but obviously not comprehensive. I’d recommend as a family learning guide for those with middle school kids. Gets them used to working through scripture as a whole (not just topically), gets them accustomed to reading not only for personal application but as a study of the framework of when the epistle was written. This is a first-touch for a study of Hebrews, James, and Jude.

[David Kingery · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent brief commentary on 3 epistles. The timing study was thorough yet brief enough to be completely finished in 15 minutes, with “chapters” only covering 3 verses to ensure all topics are touched. Hebrews was a personal favorite

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was our family commentary of 2011- Dad read it aloud to us twice in the year. As usual, the author drives the truth right home, calling us to faithfulness, action, and triumph in Christ. "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach" ( Heb. 13:13)