Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… 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?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 25c — Granted”
… 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.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 25a — Doxology”
… keep yourselves in God’s love …
Jude’s language is interesting. He does not say, “Thank God, we who believe are saved!” He doesn’t rest on his laurels. There is no pointing to how smart he is to have chosen to believe in Jesus. Instead, he offers some advice and encouragement when he writes, “… keep yourselves in God’s love.”
Remember how he started his short letter? In verse three he urges us to “contend for the faith.” In the next verse, he warns us about “certain individuals” who have “secretly slipped in among you.” Immediately we, his readers, are on the alert. Our minds may have started to sift through every “brother” and “sister” we know. We are suspiciously comparing them to the list of clues that Jude gives us to identify the ungodly.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 21a — Word’s Dawn”
But you, dear friends…
Jude is done writing about the “ungodly.” His letter is short, taking less than three minutes to read the whole thing. After a brief greeting, he jumps into his topic and doesn’t let go. Now, only a few words from the end of his letter, he abruptly stops and changes direction. At this point, he is talking to his brothers and sisters in Christ, those who believe. Those who are part of the Body of Christ.
But you, dear friends…
Who are his friends? These are the people who are called by God. They are loved in God the Father. They are kept for Jesus Christ. They have mercy, peace, and love. They share in salvation through the promise and presence of Jesus in their lives. And, they contend for the faith.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 20a — Dear Friends”
…they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
Jude wraps up his description of the ungodly with this final clue. What is it about boasting and flattery that has drawn Jude’s attention?
In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. (Romans 12:3)
Continue reading “Jude 1: 16c — Strange Reflection”
…they follow their own evil desires…
Jude is almost done with his description of those who pollute and dilute the Body of Christ. It is as if Jude is looking into the face of Jesus himself, and in that face he sees the purity that Jesus wants for his church.
Let’s join Jude and imagine what the Body of Christ could be like.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 16b — The Face of Jesus”
These people are grumblers and faultfinders…
With deft strokes, Jude is painting a picture of what the ungodly look like. I find it interesting that he does not call out specific people he might be thinking of. Yet, I can also see a reason for this. From God’s perspective, Jude is not being asked to write to a specific church or even a specific age of the church. Instead, the Holy Spirit has commissioned him to write a description for all time.
Jude’s letter is a fitting penultimate chapter for God’s love letter to his people. From beginning to end, the entire Bible is about two things; Jesus Christ and the difference between what is godly and what is ungodly. Jude’s letter paints a picture of what to look for.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 16a — On Guard”
…shepherds who feed only themselves.
Many years ago a young man from a small town went to study at the university. Unsure of what to do with his life, he studied a wide variety of topics. In his sophomore year, a campus ministry group that focused on college-age men discovered him. This group took him under their wing and counted him as one of their own until one day when they found out he was interested in religion.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to them. He had all the signs; a passion for God’s Word, a love of Truth, and a hunger to know more. Thinking of the university as a place to learn he had taken a world religion class and found it very interesting.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 12b — Tossed Sheep”
These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—
What is a “love feast?” Who eats there? Why should anyone have qualms about it?
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, is a great resource on this question. He describes in detail what the love feast is, who and how to eat it, and why it should be taken very seriously.
What is it?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 12A — Food”
Woe to them! …they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
In this unique passage, Jude does two things at once. He tells us one more thing about the ungodly people who pervert the grace of God. Then, in the same stroke of the pen, he tells us about their fate.
To put this story into context we need to look at a bit of Israel’s history.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 11c — Toast”