"To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." Jude 25 (NKJV).

In this closing statement by Jude he clearly declares the deity of the One we call Savior. "To God our Savior". Anyone, person or religious organization who would deny the deity of Jesus Christ; or decrees deity to all who could or would achieve the "Christ-spirit" or whatever they would call it; denies the very heart of Christ Jesus; therefore they do not know Him. They are in fact worshipping a different "Jesus".

The Jesus whom Jude, Peter, James, John; and Matthew, Mark and Luke write of is Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, who is God made flesh, and "dwelt among us". He alone is the One who died for the sins of the whole world, was buried in a dead human body; and rose victoriously over sin, death and hell in a glorified human body. If you don’t know the Jesus who died as the incarnate God, was buried as the incarnate God, and rose again as the bodily form of God, then you know not my Jesus.

Jude gives Jesus as the One "who alone is wise". We can read the eighth and ninth chapters of Proverbs, and you see the Personification of wisdom, and that Person is none other than Jesus the Christ. Solomon is often given credit as being "the wiseth man who ever lived", but then, there is Jesus; the One who gave Him His wisdom. Jesus was wise to follow the guidance and direction of His heavenly Father. He desired to always do those things which pleased His Father, even to the death on the cross.

The glory of Jesus is in the fact that He did the Father’s will. We have all sinned and fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Jesus came, as like sinful men, yet without sin, and Himself was the glory of God on earth. He fulfilled the task which the first Adam failed to fulfill. As followers of Jesus Christ, and by imputation - the reckoning of God - we fulfill the glory of God. When we see Jesus we will see Him in all His glory and majesty. The only things we have which are symbols of majesty on earth are the eagle in the sky, and the lion. These pale in comparison to the majesty of Jesus.

With Jesus is all power, and He rules in the hearts of rulers, and will ultimately have His way in this world. One day the Lord Jesus will return to this earth, will overthrow the kingdoms of this world, and its rulers, and He Himself will rule and sin will no more have rule and dominion in the hearts and minds of men or women. These qualities which Jude ascribes to Jesus are given to Him also by the angels and the saints in heaven according to Revelation 4:10, 11; 5:12-14.

Give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father by believing in Jesus, and the work He has done on the cross, becoming sin for us, receiving the wrath of God that was ours, taking our sins away in His burial, then, rising victoriously over it all proving once and for all that He is all that He said He is. Proving that there is life after death, and that eternal life is found solely through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

"To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…" Jude 24 (NKJV).

Can you imagine standing in a courtroom, you are the defendant, all the evidence has been given; you are guilty; you did the crime, and you figure that the judge is going to "throw the book" at you; sentencing you to the full extent of the law. You pled guilty, and the judge steps up to the judge’s seat, sits down, looks at his book of evidence; then, he says, "Not guilty, by reason of substitution. Someone else has already paid for the crime."

Wouldn’t that send a relieving shock through your mind, your heart? It does mine. We are all guilty before the great Judge who is Almighty God, the Creator of all that is. We have sinned - for those who do not understand what sin is; you/we have broken God’s law, we have stepped out of His will to do our own will, and made our own laws for ourselves - we have disobeyed His laws.

God, who is holy, righteous, and just could not fellowship with what was vile, unclean, and unholy, unrighteous, and unjust. Because He loved us so extremely much, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay our sin debt. There on that cross there was a transaction between the Father and Son which we cannot fully understand. The Father poured out all His wrath toward sin, upon that precious Son, and the Son submitted Himself to the Father’s will. Jesus, in fact, "became sin for us", and was "wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5). The Father, Himself struck His own Son in wrath for my sins and yours. The debt of sin is paid.

Jude tells us, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Not only is He able to keep us, but He is also able to present us before the presence of the glory of the Father "faultless". We will one day stand before the Judge of all men, women, boys and girls - those who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior - and will hear the Judge say, "Not guilty; there is no fault here", and all because of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross of calvary.

Those who have not received this gracious gift of God. Have shunned the truth of God’s Word, the gospel of Jesus Christ, will one day stand before this Judge, and will hear Him say, "I never knew you. Depart from me into everlasting judgment." That is not what you want, and I do not want that for you. If I have any enemy, other than the devil himself, I do not want that for them. Seek the face of God. Turn from your sins to Jesus Christ. There is forgiveness with Him alone. There is Cleansing through Him and only Him. There is eternal life by the power of His resurrection, and it is yours by grace through faith in Him.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…" Jude 24 (KJV).

The letter by Jude begins with words of assurance, encouragement, and promise. So Jude ends the letter the same way it began. It is so easy to get into a negative mindset. It is easy to see only the negative apostate teachings, and think what is the use.

Most of Jude’s letter has been concerning apostate teachers who come into the churches to deceive, and lead believers away from truth. We surely must continually stand our ground in faith of the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is - the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and the promise of His soon coming.

With assuring confidence Jude points us to the One and only One who is worthy of all praise. That is, of course, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; Redeemer, Sanctifier, Satisfier, Sustainer, and Friend. It is in Him and Him alone that we can have assurance of faith. The faith Jesus gives us is the faith that never stops. It is the faith of Abraham - faith, that even after 25 years of hearing and believing the promise, no son, yet the son is born. That son was Isaac. It is the faith of Job who was one of the most blessed men of God who ever lived, and was blessed with many material blessings, yet, when he lost it all he said, "The LORD giveth, and the LORD taketh away" (Job 1:21); and Job also said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15). That is the faith that Jesus gives us by grace. It is the faith that saves and keeps us saved. It is the genuine work of God, not of flesh. It is the faith that works. It is the faith that endures to the end.

We need messages of encouragement, promise, and hope sometimes; and we need the messages which warn us of apostate teachers and their teachings. We need messages of exhortation which show us how to live, love, confront the evil, and defend ourselves against what is evil. We have this promise, "Unto Him who is able to keep you from falling…". It is the power of our Omnipotent Lord Jesus Christ who will hold us and keep us from falling into the lying snares, and comforting, soothing temptations of the easy life talkers, and false gospel preachers and teachers.

At the beginning of this letter Jude uses the phrase, "…preserved in Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ is the initiator of our salvation, and He also sees to it that once that salvation has been initiated in our hearts and lives He also will complete it. Paul the apostle wrote these inspired words to the church at Philippi, "…Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…" (Philippians 1:6).

Everyday of the Christian is a day of God’s work in our lives. God sees to it that there is nothing in our walk with Him that does not work for our good and His glory. We are submissive to Him; and if we are not on one day, we will soon know it. We are obedient to His commandments; and if we are not He will correct us. If we get out of His will the true child of God - follower of Jesus Christ - will indeed be the most miserable person there is. The Holy Spirit in us is not comfortable with sin in the same vessel, and it will be cut out. Charles H. Spurgeon once said, "God will not allow His children to sin successfully". If you can sin, enjoy it, and get away with it without correction from God and His Spirit, you are not His; you have no hope for eternity with Christ, and you are without hope.

You must look to the cross of Jesus. That is the place where our sin debt was paid in full. Look to Christ and live eternally with Him. Confess your sins (disobedience to God’s laws and commandments, your hatred for God, and all that is right and good), repent, ie., turn from the direction you are going, and go the other way. The way you are going without Christ is the road to destruction, and eternal fire. Turn and live.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"…But others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh." Jude 23 (NKJV).

We look at verse 23 once again. After I finished the study on this verse I realized there was more there to be revealed than just the saving of those who had become ensnared in the apostate teachings that had led them astray. There are many still being led astray by apostate teachers and their heretical teachings. We are to preach the gospel, pure and simple, that they may possibly hear, believe, and come out of the bondage of heresy.

Those who warn them, teaching them the truth of the gospel, and whole counsel of the word of God, must also do so with "fear". We must guard our own hearts. Those who warn others of these teachings, are also hearing the lies, deceitful words, and acts; and if we don’t stand on the truth of the Word of God could be enticed by such easy hearing words.

Many of these apostate teachers and preachers are very charismatic, and possess a dynamic preaching and teaching style. They are easy to listen to. They would also be very easy to follow. That is why we as Christians must guard against what comes easy to us. Let me give an example or two. 1. It is easier to lie than to tell the truth; 2. It is easier to stay at home on Sunday than to be faithful in your attendance of worshipping the Lord; 3. It is easier to keep your money than to tithe, or put an offering in the plate as it passes in front of you; there is three. Let me give you another one; for a husband, it is easier to attend that football game, or baseball game with the guys, than to stay at home and help your wife with cleaning the house.

I only share those things to remind you that we are all prone to do the easy things, and listen to the easy going along to get along message, which makes us feel good about ourselves, and others. Preachers, who are called of God to preach were not called to please men or women, but to preach the Word of God, and to preach it in the power of His glory and His cross; no matter who it offends. It is better to please God and displease men, than it is to please men, and displease God. There is more to this life than comfort, and ease.

"Save with fear…" is words of wisdom coming from Jude, and it is the wisdom of the Spirit of God. It is by the study, reading, prayer, and the living of the Word of God in personal life that we can stand against the flashy, easy, dynamic, charismatic, and false teaching of the apostate teachers. This is not just for the preacher, pastor, or teacher. It is for all Christians to hear, and take heed to yourselves.

The message of the Bible is the message of Jesus. It is about His death on the cross - and the shedding of His blood; His burial and carrying our sins away, our sin debt paid to the Father in full; and His resurrection proving and assuring us that everything Jesus said of Himself, and the Father is true; and by His resurrection we have the assurance that when He said, "I will come again", that He will indeed come again.

Snatch them from the burning fire of lying deceptions, and apostate teachers; and guard yourselves with "fear", ie., considering yourself (Galations 6:1).

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

In the previous study of Jude 22 we dealt with compassion, and Compassion dave left a comment concerning the meaning of the word as a "coming along side", well, let me give you his exact words:

And, with this I would give CD appreciation for this help and aid in understanding. Thank You CD.

There are a couple of way of approaching these two verses, ie. verses 22 and 23. Some see three groups of people who are being associated with the apostates, yet it seems to me that there are only two. The first being those who need compassion from those who are holding to the truths of God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ; and the other group being those who are so heavily involved in the worship of "Faith" that they need more than compassion, but hasteful warnings, as though snatching them from a fire.

We are often warned about being too hasty in some matters. There are some times, and some people who may require our haste. For example; Suppose you are driving down your road from home, and pass by a neighbor’s home, and you see fire where fire is not supposed to be. Do you drive on? Do you stop and investigate? In the investigation you find if the fire is allowed to continue it could very well burn the neighbor’s house down. You knock on the door, but there is no response. Do you just leave? A good neighbor would do their best to stop that fire, call the fire department, and do what is necessary to save the home and any possible lives who may be inside, if any. That requires a bit of haste.

We look at the lives of people involved in these false religions, ensnared by the false teachings, because these teachings make them feel so good about themselves; and it is actually a fire, a spiritual fire which is burning, taking the very souls of these individuals further away from truth and the Lord GOD. We should be caring enough to take time and address these matters. Sure there is going to be offense, but doesn’t the lies, the deception, the false teaching of the apostates, and their pride offend the true gospel of Jesus Christ, denying the power of the cross of Christ and His resurrection.

When will those professing Christ learn, and realize that being a Christian is not about achieving this world’s goods. The Christian life is about the praise and glory of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The glory of God is done through the power of the cross, His burial, and resurrection, and the promise of His coming again. The glory of God is seen in His power to work in the trials and troubles of every Christian’s life. God is glorified in the life of a Christian who despite cancer and dying from it continues to give praise to the name of Jesus throughout the whole ordeal, then goes on to be with Jesus in Heaven. The glory of God is seen in a man and wife who loves the Lord despite financial hardship, and even into bankruptcy.

That is not what the false teachers are teaching. That is not what they want you to hear. That is, however, what God teaches us in His Word, and it is what He wants you to know and hear.

It is with great urgency we should deal with those engrained in the lies of false teaching and teachers. It is also with "fear" that we should consider our own faith in Jesus as we deal with them. Prayer, daily being in the Word of God, and walking with God daily is the only way to confront them, with the truth and love of God.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"And on some have compassion, making a distinction…" Jude 22 (NKJV).

We will be looking today at a group on whom Jude is calling for Christians to have compassion. There are times when we Christians are seen as being without compassion. The definition for "compassion" is: ’sympathetic feeling: PITY, MERCY.’ That is according to THE MIRRIAM/WEBSTER DICTIONARY. It is for those who have experienced mercy to give or show mercy.

We have already seen that we are all responsible for our own growth in our Lord Jesus Christ. There are, however, many who have fallen victim to false teaching, and the teachers of it. These victims of apostate teachers need us to show them great mercy, because they are some who have not reached a firm conviction of who Jesus truly is, about eternal life, and they remain unsure, doubtful, and could be persuaded of the truth of the identity of Jesus Christ.

Most Christians probably know some who have sit, or presently are sitting under the teaching of a man, or a woman, who is leading them away from the truth of Jesus Christ. These teachers proclaim, in the name of Jesus, things that lesson the power of the cross of Christ. They magnify "faith" over truth. Magnifying "faith" over truth is done by focusing more on what you can have, ie., wealth, health, etc., but there is no teaching on growing in the Lord Jesus and becoming more like Him. These apostate teachers may in fact, teach that you can become "Christ". I recently heard of an apostate group who believe that the universe revolves around the earth, and that the King James Version of the Bible is God in written form.

We must have "compassion" on those who have fallen into these cultic practices, and beliefs. It is tragic that there are those who would develop followers unto themselves, and lead them astray from the Lord Jesus. I have always said, and believe, that I want no one to elevate me, or see me in a position of grandeur. I am solely a sinner who has been saved by the grace of God, through the death - shed blood of Jesus Christ, His burial, and resurrection. And I like most Christians are looking forward to the day when we can see Jesus our Lord and Savior face to face, and live in His eternal presence.

When we see those who have been led astray; we must have compassion, give them the truth; in love; and trust the Holy Spirit of God to show them the way. When someone has sit under false teaching for a long time it may take much compassion, and patience with good Bible teaching to deliver them from the snare of the apostates.

Let us be strong. Let us be compassionate. Let us let others see the true Jesus and His truth in us. There are doubters in this world that are still open to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us love them like Jesus would. Let us show mercy with our words and our lives.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"…Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude 21 (NKJV).

We are continuing with the theme of personal and individual Christian responsibility. It is our personal responsibility, led by the Spirit of God, God’s Word, and through praying in the Spirit to build up our faith (v. 20). It is also the personal responsibility of every Christian to keep themselves "in the love of God".

That "keep yourselves in the love of God" is accomplished much like "building your faith", and that is through the power of God in us; given us at our new birth. That power is the presence of the Spirit of God. Paul wrote to the Romans, and one of the things he was inspired by the Spirit of God to write was, "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." (Romans 8:9b). The "Spirit of Christ" is the same Holy Spirit who lives in all believers/followers of Christ Jesus. That Spirit is the same Holy Spirit who lived and abided in Jesus as He lived and ministered walking on earth.

The love of God cannot be taken from us. We have this promise of God from another of the apostle Pauls writings, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (1 Corinthians 8:38-39, NKJV). The love of God is immeasurable. It is wonderful. It is powerful. The love of God is really beyond the common man’s grasp; anyone’s grasp. It can only be received as a gift, a gift from the giver of love.

"Keeping ourselves in the love of God" is done through persevering in the faith. Ministering to others in love, expecting nothing in return. To be always faithful in obedience and faithful in living out the salvation which has been so freely given to us.

We are to always be "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" by the expectant heart for the return of Jesus Christ. That will be the fulfillment of His mercy. That should be the expectation of the heart of every believer. Looking for the return of Christ Jesus. Jude was looking for that day. That will be the day of mercy, unlike any other day we have seen. It was so good and wonderful and gracious of the Lord to give us assurance of salvation, grace and mercy on that day we knelt before Him acknowledging Him as Lord, and receiving Him as our Savior, by His death on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection; and put within the heart of every follower of Jesus Christ is the desire to see Him face to face.

Remain in the place of obedience. The MacArthur Study Bible note for this verse notes, "It means to remain in the place of obedience where God’s love is poured out on His children, as opposed to being disobedient and incurring His chastening (cf. 1 Cor. 11:27-31; Heb. 12:5-11). Keeping ourselves in the "love of God" is done through an obedient love for God. It is not a task or a burden. It is really a joy for the true child of God to live in and keep the love of God. It is also a joy to live for and expect that day when Jesus comes and takes us to be forever with Him.

-by Tim A. Blankenship