# 27 2021 Dev. Jude 1:20 Eternal life! Read all of Chapter 1 first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Jude 1:20 “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
Introduction: Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. That indicates that Jude was a brother of Jesus and not an Apostle. Jude intended to write to a group of followers of Jesus “about the salvation we share, I was compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”
Vs. 1,2 Jude begins with a greeting that include three truths that only followers of Jesus acknowledge: they are “called, who are loved in God the Father and are kept for Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” Called in mercy, loved by God and have peace in Christ. Amen
Vs. 3,4 I for one would have liked to read the letter Jude intended to write. As it was and as it is today, there were more urgent matters of faith that followers of Jesus needed to contend for. Ungodly people among them “who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality” and deny Christ. This is a call to the church today and to followers of Jesus to contend for the true faith: much immorality is accepted among us.
Vs 5-7 Jude brings to mind the punishments of God on His own people, and on some of His angles and on Sodom and Gomorrah for their immorality. This reminds us that God’s patience for sin is limited, yet, as we have also seen in Scripture, God stands ready to forgive and to save in Jesus.
Vs. 8-13 Jude here becomes more specific in his discussion of sin and his examples in order to drive home his accusations: their thinking, the disregard for their natural conscience, their actions, their disregard for human authority and heavenly authority. They follow Cain’s murder, Balaam’ greed and Korah’s rebellion. They are fruitless trees, twice dead, unstable as water, and “wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” Jude does not pull his punches for he knows, as we start to see today, these attitudes and actions will pull down our churches and those who follow Jesus if we do not contend for the true faith.
Vs.14-16 Enoch, (see notes) prophesied the great day of the Lord: He comes to judge the living and the dead, the good and evil. At that time, the common belief was that Christ’s return was imminent: to judge ungodliness and defiant words against the Holy one. “These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.” I know a world like that and I know a world that is completely opposite, a world of mercy, peace, harmony and love. We still have a choice, choose while we can!
Vs.17-22 “A Call to Persevere” This is also a call to us, Jesus warns us- the world hates Me, they will hate you. Jude doubles down, there will be scoffers, dividers, those who do not have the Holy Spirit. “So build yourself up” in faith, “Praying in the Holy Spirit,” walk with God, look to Jesus’ mercy, He will “bring you to eternal life.” Jude’s Doxology is appropriate here:
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
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