KEPT BY LOVE AND MERCY
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Opening Prayer
Father, help me not only to receive from your Word; help me to share its life-saving message with others.
Read JUDE 17–25
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
A Call to Persevere
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.[a]
Doxology
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
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Footnotes
- Jude 1:23 The Greek manuscripts of these verses vary at several points.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want … thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’1
Jude is confident that the contrast between truth and apostasy will be clear to the believers. Jesus warned that apostates would come, but that they would be recognizable by their fruit.2 Jude gives some pointers: apostates are contemptuous about truth and purity (v. 18); they’re led by their ungodly desires, fanciful dreams (v. 8), and natural instincts (v. 19); they bring division (v. 19). They do not have the Spirit of God in them and do not produce the fruit of the Spirit—we must recognize this and have nothing to do with it.
Always remembering that God loved them while they were yet sinners, believers must build on the foundation of their most holy faith, praying in the strength and wisdom of his Spirit. They are to keep themselves in God’s love for them, experiencing its benefits and looking forward with hope to Jesus’ mercy in keeping his promises vv. 20,21).
We are encouraged to be watchful of others, to show compassion to those who are doubting, and to share the message of the gospel with those who are in danger of perishing. For others, we must show mercy with fear, condemning sin but keeping ourselves from it (v. 22).
While Jude has emphasized our responsibilities as believers, he concludes by reminding us of God’s faithfulness that is always at work in us. No matter what are our sins, shortcomings, or failures, his power is able to keep us from falling and to present us blameless (v. 24).
Apply
In what ways does Jude’s doxology offer you encouragement?
Closing prayer
Father, keep me in your love and mercy. Help me distinguish what is false. Help me display your love and mercy to doubters and stumblers, drawing them back to you.
1 Ps 23:1, 4, KJV 2 Matt 7:15–20
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