… to the only God …
The last sentence in Jude’s letter is spread out over two verses. Together they comprise a doxology. If you don’t know what a doxology is, that is okay. Even if you do, it is worth taking a minute of our “Three Minute Bible” post to review.
The word doxology comes from the Greek, doxologia. The two root words are “doxa” meaning “glory” and “- logia” meaning “divine sayings.” It a way of praising and glorifying God. It is a beautiful way of turning the reader’s attention back to God at the end of the letter.
In the first part of this doxology, Jude refers to God obliquely: To the one who can keep you from stumbling. To the one who can present you before his glorious presence. To the one who can make you stand before God without fault and in great joy.
These are discrete clues to the divine being that Jude addresses. In today’s part of this passage, Jude speaks more directly, “…to the only God our Savior….”
When Jude says that God is the only God he points to an important fact. The world was not created by a committee. There is not a consortium of divine beings who pooled their efforts to make mankind. There are many gods (small “g”) that people foolishly make for themselves, but there is only one God.
Application: Faith is not complicated, although we try and make it so. There is only one God.
Food for Thought: How many invented ”gods” is it possible to come up with, and why is it a waste of time to try and root them all out?
There are more gods in pantheism than one can count, remember or know about. Jesus is our Lord and Savior. There is no other name given by which we can be saved (Acts 4: 12). Jesus is the only way to be right with the Father (John 14: 6). He is God in the flesh who created all things, sustains all things and allows us to see God’s nature and character (John 1; Colossians 1: 15 – 17; Hebrews 1: 1 – 3). Yahweh – Father, Son and Spirit is the true God. He is more than sufficient. Any other god does not add to Him, but rather detracts from Knowing Him and distorts and pollutes our understanding of the true God.
Rich,
Thank you for the wonderful list of Scripture references! You are absolutely right, especially about the effect of made-up “knowledge” about false gods polluting our understanding of the True God. (That may have been part of what Jude was thinking when he wrote that the ungodly “pollute their own bodies” in verse 8. )
Rich, you have knocked this one out of the park.
The number of gods men come up with is only limited to the human imagination and as creations of men, have no value. We all know our true God exists, Rom. 2:15, the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.
Men rebel against Gods righteousness and create false gods, gods that will support their chosen lifestyle and bring praises from men. They surround themselves with creations of men, noise, mind altering drugs, live in chaos and insanity. All chosen to quiet the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
One day those without Christ will all stand before our God. Naked, their gods nowhere to be seen. It will be quiet, and as the doors to their hearts are torn down, the secrets of their hearts will be revealed. The judged will have only their evil deeds and imaginations, which will be fully revealed to all. These they will take with them as they are separated for all eternity from our Holy God.
Our time cannot be wasted, live alert to those God brings to us and allow His Holy Spirit to minister to them in the Love of Christ.
Ron,
Thank you very much! Your description of the ungodly standing before the One True God is both terrifying and highly accurate.
I agree Ron. Great description of the folly of following false gods and then standing before the one true God.
👍🏻
Now would you consider worldly idols something like a god? Because we are told not to have any idols above our God.