Jude 24-25: Lifetime Guarantee

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

"And when I heard it said that the Lord would keep His people right to the end, when I heard it said that Christ said, 'My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand.' When I heard that said, I must confess that the doctrine of the final preservation of the saints was the bait that my soul could not resist. It was sort of life insurance, an insurance of my character, an insurance of my soul, an insurance of my eternal destiny. I knew I couldn't keep myself but if Christ promised to keep me, then I would be safe forever and I longed and I prayed to find Christ because I knew that if I found Him, He would not give me a temporary salvation as some preach. But eternal life which could never be lost, the living and incorruptible seed which lives and abides forever for no one and nothing could ever separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

~ Charles Spurgeon

The sad truth is that If I could lose my salvation, I would. The same goes for you – we’re all unable to eternally secure our salvation. God has any and every reason to reject me.  However, unlike our ability, the good and amazing news is that God is able to keep us and secure us for eternity through Christ our Lord.  This is the point of Jude’s doxology.  His ending ties back to the greeting of his letter – reminding us that we’re in the grip of God answering Jesus’ prayer in John 17 - being eternally “kept” for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Throughout his letter, Jude exhorts his audience with much vigor because he believes he is speaking to a people being “kept” for Jesus Christ.  And because of this, Jude is able to end his letter with one of the most encouraging doxologies in the Bible. He has faith to speak truth into their lives because it is God who is coming behind him to “keep” his people in faith and present them “blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.” Therefore, how can we not with Jude respond back and say, "to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Posted by Henry Jung on 9/4/2016

Comments

One of the doctrines of Scripture that has had the lasting and most profound impact on my life is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints-- that once God saves us He will keep us to the end. He is 100% totally, loyally, and completely committed to His children being kept in Christ. Because it magnifies the glory of His grace-- that He would keep sinners who (as Henry mentioned) left to ourselves would very definitely find a way to lose our own salvation.

Hebrews 12:2 - looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God

Philippians 1:6 - And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

John 10:27-28 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Here is verse 4 to Come Thou Fount--

Oh that day when freed from sinning
I shall see Thy lovely face
Full arrayed in blood-washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry
Bring Thy promises to pass
For I know Thy pow’r will keep me
Till I’m home with Thee at last

Robert Han on 9/8/2016 at 8:51 AM

Deep down inside, it's easy to believe, and maybe we even prefer, a passive God who is in the shadows, an afterthought. Because that allows me to do things my way and be dependent on myself. But I think if we truly understand the magnitude of the cross and the love of God, we cannot help but to be relieved that we are backed by God.

Jane Lee on 9/15/2016 at 10:11 PM

Each time I sin, each time I fail at life on my own, the first thought God brings to me is that He is better and He took it all from me when Jesus died on the cross. Those are the moments when I realize just how amazing God is and deep His love, His mercy, His grace, etc go. There's no end to God. He is all around and everything in between. I remember back when to when I researched other spiritual walks, but nothing comes down to the greatness of our God. He is and forever will be. Once we accept Him, we enter His realm, and He continues to show us just how great our Father is.

Diana Lim on 9/16/2016 at 7:37 AM

How comforting it is to know that God will keep me forever. He is faithful and loyal. I am His child. He saved me from the darkness and chaos not just for a little while but for eternity. Whatever happens in this life, God has an eternal plan for me. His grace is overwhelming. I am eternally thankful for His perfect plan.

Ellen Jung on 9/20/2016 at 9:30 AM