Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… into a license for immorality …
What is the most immoral thing you can think of?
Now that you have that in mind, ask yourself: What is the most immoral thing God can think of?
The book of Jeremiah answers this question. In the first chapter, verse eleven, Jeremiah records the essence of God’s judgment of immorality against Jerusalem:
Continue reading “Jude 1: 4c — The Slippery Slope”
They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God…
Jude begins to describe the people who have secretly slipped in among the believers who are loved by God and kept for Jesus.
He starts by saying they are ungodly people. Thinking back to James, chapter 3, we are reminded that the same tongue can both praise and curse. If someone were to walk into a church and curse God, they could not be said to have “secretly slipped in among you.” So if the ungodly were to sneak in secretly, they would make every effort to appear godly.
So what does it mean to be godly? Is it about what we say, or what we do?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 4b — Ungodly People”
For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.
To put this passage into context, let’s ask two questions:
Who is Jude? Answer: A servant of Jesus Christ.
Who is Jude writing to? Answer: Those who belong to (are “kept for”) Jesus Christ.
To summarize: Jude, called by Jesus, is writing to people who are also called by Jesus. The common name for a group of people who gather together to worship and honor Jesus is a church.
So let’s review: “certain individuals… have secretly slipped in among you.”
Is Jude being overly dramatic? He almost sounds as if he is describing a spy thriller. Who would want to secretly slip into a church group anyway?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 4a — The Tares Among Us”
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
There are three things I stand on as essential beliefs regarding the Bible:
These are my personal beliefs. They are based on a lifetime of searching for God. I see no contradiction between what I believe and the Bible as it has come down to us through the ages.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 3 — Battle Call”
Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
There is a very pleasant formality in the form of letters in the first century. The writer introduces who they are, and acknowledges the person or peoples they are writing to. They say something nice.
In this case, Jude offers mercy, peace, and love.
These are not random words pulled out of thin air. They are three things that only God can give and that humans need to survive.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 2 — Form”
…who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
As we begin our study of Jude’s letter, he tells us who he is and who he is writing to. The people he writes to “have been called” by God to walk in light and mercy. Today he adds that they are “loved in God the Father.” (NIV)
The Greek in this instance is either difficult to translate or it reflects an idiom that was common in Jude’s day but is not common now. The English Standard Version (ESV) translates the Greek this way: “…beloved in God the Father….” This formulation makes more sense to me than the NIV in this case.
Unless a person knows Greek, it is a good idea to explore different translations when a passage is difficult for you. This Bible website allows you to see all the available English translations at once.
Continue reading “Jude 1:1c — A Hard Thing”
To those who have been called…
The second mystery of Jude’s letter is found in these six little words: “To those who have been called.” What does he mean by “called,” and who are these people who have been called?
To answer the question of what it means to be “called,” let’s turn to Peter’s first letter:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
— 1 Peter 2: 9-10
Continue reading “Jude 1: 1b — Six Little Words”
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James…
Today we begin a study of one of the five shortest books of the Bible. The book of Jude is the last before the last. It is the book before Revelation.
Tucked into this very short epistle is a mystery about who wrote it. Obviously, it was written by someone named Jude, but which Jude?
Continue reading “Jude 1:1a — Jude Who?”
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
How do you tell if someone has wandered from the truth?
What truth are we talking about?
What does it mean to bring them back? Back to what? Where?
I have to admit that being able to turn a sinner from the error of their way sounds like a wonderful thing . Can you imagine the rush that comes from knowing you have saved someone from death? And how easy! Simply turn them from the error of their way!
But what does that mean?
Continue reading “James 5: 19-20 — The Right Way”
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Yes, Elijah was a human being. There is no indication in scripture that Elijah was anything more than a man. And yet he was called to be a prophet of God. He listened to God’s words and did what God wanted him to do.
Perhaps more important than whether he was human or not, was his righteousness. He obeyed God even at the risk of his own life.
The interesting thing I see about Elijah is that there is no difference between what Elijah wanted and what God wanted. Elijah prayed in harmony with God’s will. It is as if they were singing a duet together in close harmony. Elijah’s prayer was God’s will.
Continue reading “James 5: 17-18 — Harmony”