Jeff Englund

June 2, 2020June 2, 2020

1 Peter 1: 1(a) — Everyman

Two men work on fishing nets in the early morning light.

Peter…

As we begin our meditations on 1 Peter, it seems fitting that his text begins with his name. Since this “book” of the Bible is a letter, Peter follows the tradition of letter writing used two thousand years ago. Today we would begin with, “Dear Sir and/or Madam,” or something similar. Not until the end of the letter would our signature reveal who the author is. In Peter’s time, that was not the case. He begins, “Peter…” and then continues with a description of his credentials. Only then does he tell us who he is writing to.

June 1, 2020June 3, 2020

Jude 1:25f — So Be It

Amen.

At the end of Jude’s letter is a one-word sentence: Amen. This word is both unique and ubiquitous. Like so many words in Christian traditions “Amen” has assumed a familiarity that leads one to take it for granted. Yet we shouldn’t. There is much to know about this simple word.

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020

Jude 1: 25e — A Reasonable Faith

…before all ages, now and forevermore!

The nature of time is an interesting and much-debated topic. It exists to help us navigate life by dividing our experiences up in three ways: past, present, and future. God’s view of time is different than ours (See Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8). In fact, time may not have any meaning in heaven except as it relates to our world and our need for temporal structure.

Jude writes that God is God, “… before all ages, now and forevermore!” He is covering all the bases. There never has been a time when God wasn’t God. There never will be a time when God is not God.

Why is this important?

May 30, 2020May 31, 2020

Jude 1: 25d — Something Fishy

Large aquarium with people standing outside looking in at the fish.

…through Jesus Christ our Lord …

Jude is nearing the end of his letter and his doxology. Today he tells us something very important and also very mysterious. Everything God does is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Several questions come to mind. How does Jude know this? What does it mean? How does this work?

The reason I say that this is “mysterious” is that some things are beyond our ability to know. We can guess, and we can surmise, but we can’t know. Even though this is beyond our ability to know the answer directly, God has given us some clues in his Word.

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020

Jude 1: 25c — Granted

… be glory, majesty, power and authority…

To the only God, our Savior, who keeps us from stumbling and brings us to Himself…

… be glory, majesty, power and authority…

Why does Jude tell us this? Isn’t it obvious that God is worthy of all glory and majesty? Doesn’t it make sense that all power and authority reside in the Creator of All Things?

No?

May 28, 2020May 29, 2020

Jude 1: 25b — Saved

… our Savior …

As we continue with Jude’s doxology, we follow him from praising God for what he does for us (keeping us from stumbling and presenting us without fault) to describing the attributes of God. The first attribute is that He is the only God. There is no other God. He does not have any competition.

Today we turn to his most important work; the saving of his creation.

May 27, 2020May 27, 2020

Jude 1: 25a — Doxology

… 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.

May 26, 2020May 26, 2020

Jude 1: 24b — The Heart of Jude

The nativity is intertwined with the word, "Love" against a colorful background.

…and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—

At the beginning of Jude’s letter (verse 1) he writes: “To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ…” These people, he adds, will be presented before Christ “without fault and with great joy.”

How?

This is the heart of Jude. This is what he wanted to write about in the first place. What is the amazing secret? How are sinful people to be presented before Jesus Christ without fault? As he pointed out earlier, the answer is Jesus Christ himself.

May 25, 2020May 26, 2020

Jude 1: 24a — Stumbling

A paved walkway under an arched colonnade.

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling…

We begin the last sentence of Jude’s letter with this phrase about stumbling.

We live in a world of paved walkways. That may not sound significant, but it is. Two thousand years ago there may have been a few paved walkways, but they were very few. Most of the paths people walked on were on bare earth.

Like a trail through the woods, earth paths contain surprises. A stray rock here, an uneven place there, and every now and then a big root winding its way across the path. These things cause a person to stumble if they are not careful. During the day when it is light it is easy to see and the roads are safer, but at twilight and night it becomes dangerous to walk.

Another difference these days is that we tend to wear better shoes. In the days of Jesus, an open sandal was more common. Have you ever smashed your bare toe into a doorpost or a chair? That is the kind of pain you might feel wearing sandals and meeting up with a rock or a root on the trail.

Why is this important?

May 24, 2020May 24, 2020

Jude 1: 23c — Corrupted Clothes

A rack of shirts and jackets at a men's clothing store.

—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

As we continue to parse Jude’s closing thoughts, we run into this interesting phrase, “ — hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” Whose clothing is Jude talking about? Yours? Mine? His?

The answer, it seems, is “all the above.” Peter references this idea in his second letter when he writes, “This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.” (2 Peter 2: 10)