Secure Salvation

I can identify with Jude in the fact that his desire was to write a letter of encouragement regarding all the wonders of salvation that his readers and you and I have in Jesus Christ. However, what Peter had written about in his second letter was becoming a major issue in the churches. This issue was the false teachers, or the apostates. I would much rather present encouraging and uplifting messages. However, sometimes, the church has to be awakened and made to be alert to Satan’s tactics and methodology. After all, we are in the midst of a spiritual war. We have been called to take part in presenting Christ to a dying people, rescuing them from certain death. The enemy desires to confuse us or trip us up so that we fail in our mission.

John MacArthur points out that nineteen of the twenty-five verses in Jude are parallel verses found in 2 Peter. Jude is a very forceful condemnation of the apostates, or false teachers. We, too, can certainly receive these warnings as very applicable today. Today, truth is considered an inconvenience and is supposedly flexible and variable, depending on the audience. To be tolerant is of greater value in our culture than being true to God’s Word.

Who exactly were these people? This was a group of Gnostics that were known as antinomian, or anti-law. They believed and taught that anything having to do with the spiritual was good; whereas, anything having to do with the physical or material was evil. It’s not unlike what we see in today’s world in the pursuit of hedonism; the pursuit of personal pleasure and satisfaction, regardless of the cost.

So what would this teaching be that was so bad? Sadly, they would do all kinds of activities to make their spiritual lives look good, while believing and practicing that they could do anything they wanted in the flesh. It’s like saying that since I’m forgiven, I can do whatever I want. Or, that God is in the forgiveness business, so what I do won’t matter to God. Obviously, these are comments that no true believer would make. Sadly, if you do whatever feels good or whatever you want to do, there would be no consequences, they felt. Thus, they were practicing lawlessness; which is the description of antinomian. Jude describes them in this letter as immoral, covetous, proud, and divisive.

One of Satan’s greatest threats to the church is to infiltrate it with false teaching. Sadly, truth can be easily compromised for those who simply want to get along at all costs. Truth is seen as a threat to those who would use half-truths, innuendos, blatant lies to accomplish whatever they wish. They believe that God’s truth, which is the only truth, is not for them. What I believe is the worst form of attack in this area comes, not from the outside world, but for those who are inside the local church and just pretending to be Christian. If you find this hard to believe, consider the fact that when Revelation was written, some 25 years later, only two of the seven churches in chapters 2-3 were considered faithful in their walk.

Knowing that our salvation is secure in Jesus Christ, we must stand firm in the truth.

Bond-servant of Christ - 1a

We want to take a little time to get to know the author of this very short letter that is quite easy to overlook.

Jude 1a NASB95

Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

The writer, Jude, states that he is the brother of James. James is the half-brother of Jesus, which makes Jude also the half-brother of Jesus. The reason that they are half-brothers of Jesus is for the simple reason that Joseph was not the father of Jesus, since Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. In addition, James was very well known as the leader in the Jerusalem church.

Jude was actually shortened from Judas, or Judah. It was a very common name, but those who compiled the New Testament chose to not leave it at Judas, so there would be no confusion with Judas Iscariot, nor the Judas who led the Zealots in an uprising.

Now, you will remember that while Jesus was on this earth, his brothers (I’ll use that term, knowing that they were half-brothers) were not at all supportive of Jesus, nor were they believers in Him.

However, we know that after the resurrection of Jesus, James was saved when he encountered the resurrected Christ. He also led the Jerusalem Council as the head of the Jerusalem church in Acts 15. We can assume that Jude was saved after the resurrection, as well. This can be identified by the fact that Jude referred to himself as a bond-servant of Jesus Christ. In addition, it would seem that he valued his position as a slave of Christ as greater than his blood relationship as a half-brother. There’s no name-dropping here on Jude’s part. The fact that Jude used the designation of bond-servant, showed that he was completely under the authority of Jesus Christ; which was a complete contrast to those false teachers he would be warning the churches about.

Beloved in Christ - 1b-2

Now we want to try to get an idea as to whom this letter was written.

Jude 1b–2 NASB95

Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

It is written to the called. This refers specifically to those who are true believers. This was of God’s doing, in which those who were reading it, recognized themselves as those who responded to the inward calling by God’s Holy Spirit. Since it was God who called, and not by any of my effort in seeking Him and trying to earn my salvation, I can be assured of my salvation, even when there are others around who would try to get me to doubt or even deny Jesus.

We are called because God has placed us love on us, even when we were His enemies. And that love is unconditional and not dependent on us in any way. It is that love which sent Jesus to the cross to die in your place and mine, paying the price for the penalty of our sin. It is that same love that chose to send the Holy Spirit to move upon us, convicting us of our sin, pointing us to the Savior, causing us to place our faith in Jesus Christ, and then giving us a brand new heart. That same love is what watches over us every single day on this planet. That same love is what will guarantee us that we will be with Jesus for all eternity.

This is seen in the fact that Jude writes that we are kept for Jesus Christ. Because of the context, as well as the word which is used and how it is used, kept by, is a much better translation, which the NIV actually uses. This makes even more sense when we consider the various places in the New Testament which describes Christ keeping the believer secure. Our salvation is securely guarded. Also, knowing that Jesus is God and that there is none equal to Him, we have even greater security in our salvation. Believe it or not, when you think about it, this is not only assuring and comforting, but gives great confidence, in that the false teachers would try to convince you that any way besides what they taught could cause you to not really be saved or even lose your salvation. We know better!

Verse 2 points out three different blessings that belong to us and will be multiplied or increased. This is a prayer or wish directed to each individual reader. We can experience this in the darkest of times or the most glorious of times.

Mercy is so rich in its meaning and application to our lives. Instead of us getting what we deserve for our sin, Jesus took our punishment upon Himself. I’m reminded on a daily basis how blessed I am in not getting what I deserve. Jesus certainly didn’t deserve to be punished for my sin, but in His love, He chose to do so. Because of God’s great mercy, I am secure in Christ.

But I also am privileged to experience peace. Without Jesus Christ, I would be at war, so to speak, with God. I would have such turmoil in my spirit because I would be aware that I’m separated from God. But because of being chosen to be a child of God through Jesus Christ, I am at peace. And though I know I could never repay Him, I don’t have to worry about that, since Jesus paid it all. I can also experience peace, knowing that my sins are all forgiven and that nothing is held against me. I can also experience peace with other people because I know that I’m a child of the King.

Then the third part of Jude’s blessing is love. This can only truly be experienced by the one who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. If this has happened, then the Holy Spirit immediately comes into our lives and is constantly reminding us of this love.

Boldness for Christ - 3

In this verse, we’ll get an indication of why Jude wrote what he did and why.

Jude 3 NASB95

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.

As we look at this last verse today, it’s important to remember why Jude felt the necessity to write this letter. These apostates or false teachers were not true believers. I know that even today, people don’t like to hear someone being described as being unsaved, especially if that person is involved in a church and at times, seem “religious.” However, if they are teaching heresy, or false doctrine, then the description of them as being unsaved and condemned is not my estimation or judgment. It is simply agreeing with what the Word of God states. It is also a means of warning the true believers to watch out for them. Pastors and elders are called upon to be watchmen over the flock of God. Over the years, I have been made aware and observed these apostates or false teachers. There have been times that I have called them out and been chastised by others for it. However, not too much later, they revealed who they truly were, as they destroyed churches and families. The Lord takes a very dim view of those who would pretend to speak on His behalf falsehoods, as we see throughout the entirety of the Bible.

Jude felt it necessary to write this letter, rather than what he had originally intended. We see his heart and his concern in how he addressed the readers as beloved. The whole issue of false teachers infiltrating the church was of paramount importance; for they were trying to hijack God’s truth and deceive the believers. Somehow, they were in the church already and Jude felt it necessary to awaken the believers.

In using the word appealing, Jude shows that he is strongly urging and encouraging them to contend earnestly for the faith. In other words, Jude’s readers needed to be extremely intentional in defending the truth of God’s Word. In fact, the word for contend earnestly, is where we get the English word for agony. It carries the picture of an athlete straining every muscle and exerting every ounce of energy to accomplish a victory.

What is it specifically Christians are to be defending? The faith. This is referring to Gospel which is the truth as God has revealed it in relation to salvation. It consists of what Christians affirm as truth from the Bible, but also how we live out the truth, which is in contrast to the false teachers. The truth is that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through [Him]. There is no truth in the teaching that there are many ways to heaven. There is no truth that Allah is simply the Arabic understanding of the One True God. There is no truth in that one must do certain things and recite certain words to get to heaven. The Gospel as presented in the Bible, given by God, is the only truth, the faith which Jude’s readers were to contend earnestly.

How serious is it to go along and not call out those who would suggest there are many truths? What does Paul say in Galatians 1:9? If any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed. John spoke strongly against the false teacher’s in 2 John: Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God . . . If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

Jude further describes the faith by being quite specific in using the phrase, once for all handed down to the saints. It was completed. Once was enough. What is in the Bible, in the Old and the New Testaments, is where the truth is to be found. The Bible is all that the believer needs for all of our faith and life. Anything else which is “discovered” is not of God. The reality is that not even the writers of Scripture discovered anything. It was revealed to them through the Holy Spirit. Finally, we see in the phrase, the saints, that it is always in the plural throughout the New Testament, showing that we are part of the family of God.

Conclusion

Anyone who claims to have a new word from the Lord, or who claims to have received a new revelation from God, or who claims that what was in the Bible is no longer relevant for today, or that we must change to fit our culture, is absolutely not from God. That is why Jude was feeling the necessity to write what he did, which we’ll be looking at in more depth in the coming weeks.

However, as believers in Jesus Christ, we ought to be encouraged greatly in what Jude reminded us of in these first three verses.

What a privilege to be bond-servants of Christ.

What assurance to know that we are beloved in Christ.

What strength and security in knowing these blessings and that we are called upon to be bold in Christ, contending earnestly for the faith.

Knowing that our salvation is secure in Jesus Christ, we must stand firm in the truth.