Calendar

A CALL TO ARMS (I)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1
Jude 1
1 Timothy 6:12
 
“… them that are sanctified …
preserved … called.”
A CALL TO ARMS (I)
 
The epistle of Jude, though one of the shortest in the New Testament, is powerfully significant and relevant for us today. The major theme of the epistle is apostasy. It is a rousing call to arms for all Christians to defend the faith against falsehood, error, and compromise. It is easy, in our eagerness to dive into the conflict, to pass quickly over the opening address as though it were a mere formality ‒ but this would be a serious mistake. The Holy Spirit has guided Jude to choose his words carefully, as he identifies the readers to whom this epistle is addressed. Jude is writing to those who are “sanctified… preserved… called” (Jude 1).
 
Those who are “sanctified by God the Father” (Jude 1) are those who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, and purified from sin by the act of God’s grace. What is in view here is not the ongoing process of sanctification (Jude does not address “those who are now being sanctified”), but the beginning of that process in the wondrous transformation of a sinner destined for hell, into a saint destined for heaven. Those who are “preserved in Jesus Christ” (Jude 1) are those who are kept or guarded by God’s power ‒ “safe in the arms of Jesus,” as expressed in the words of a famous hymn (cf. John 10:28). Those who are “called” are those who have experienced that irresistible, inward call of God (cf. John 6:44) by the mysterious working of His Spirit. Now there is a certain amount of overlap between these descriptions: in a sense they are synonymous, for all those who are called are inevitably sanctified, and all who are sanctified are inevitably preserved. Yet there is a reason these particular descriptions are chosen.
 
Notice, in the first place, the expansiveness of the description. Jude is not addressing some elite group of super-Christians; the epistle is directed to all who have experienced God’s salvific work. Apostasy is a problem for every Christian, and not just for theologians! No Christian can sit idly by, expecting others to defend the faith on his behalf. Therefore, as we begin this study, dear reader, recognize that this epistle is God’s Word directed to you. Our Captain has sounded the trumpet ‒ will you remain in your tent, while the battle rages?
 
THOUGHT: Defending the faith is my duty, not someone else’s.
PRAYER: Lord, help me not to be complacent concerning my duty.

Search