What does “common salvation” refer to (Jude 1:3)?

Jude 1:3 states, “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (ESV). So, Jude had intended to write his short letter on the subject of the “common salvation” he and his readers shared, but circumstances necessitated a shift of focus. His beloved readers needed an exhortation to “contend for the faith.” What is the “common salvation” that Jude had in mind?

The phrase common salvation (koinēs sōtērias in Greek) refers to the salvation that all believers possess. All whom Christ’s blood has redeemed share the forgiveness of sins and are rescued from death. Salvation is accessible to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Believers possess a “common faith” (Titus 1:4) and are united in Christ.

In Ephesians 4:4–6, the apostle Paul lists seven “ones” that emphasize the commonality of our salvation:

Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). The result is “the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

This common salvation breaks down traditional barriers of division: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). On the day of Pentecost, men “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5) heard the gospel and responded in faith, and the church was born. “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (Colossians 3:11).

In Jude’s day, Jews and Gentiles harbored a certain animosity toward each other (see John 4:9; Acts 10:28). The common salvation they have in Christ removes the hostility and unites them in one family: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him” (Romans 10:12). The apostle Peter learned this lesson when he was sent to the home of a Gentile. Upon seeing God’s work in that household, Peter said, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34–35, ESV). The “common salvation” Jude 1:3 refers to is Christ’s redemptive work available to all who trust in Him.

Jude desired to elaborate on our common salvation, but he had to make do with a passing mention as he moved on to the importance of contending for the faith. There are many things that separate factions of believers today: particular doctrines, practices, interpretations, etc. Jude wished to rise above all that and address not a select group but believers as a whole. There are some things that all believers have in common, and that was what Jude had in mind when he mentioned “our common salvation.”