Two Bookends : Fear of the Lord & Being Kept in His Love.Примерок

To the only god our saviour.

To what kind of God are we being presented? The ONLY GOD!! At the time Jude was writing his letter to Jews that had come to faith there were two dangers that the church was facing.

The first danger was the grace of God was being changed into a license for immorality (v4). License or liberalism says you are free to sin because Jesus has forgiven all your sins.

On the other hand, the Galatian church needed to be reminded of the freedom for which Christ had set them free: they were in danger of legalism which says, “You should not...”

Freedom in Christ or Grace says you are free not to sin anymore because you are no longer a slave to sin, it shall not have dominion over you.

The second danger that was already doing the rounds at that time is the thought that Jesus is not the only way. Jude is reaffirming the creed that comes through in all of Paul’s letters which Jude may have also read. God is our Father who sent Jesus His son to die for our sins. He is the only perfect spotless Lamb who could take away our sins. And Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to now dwell in us and empower our life. This incarnation and deity of Jesus were already being challenged. And Jude is telling his readers to contend for the faith.

Only God – there is none like Him.

No one can be compared to Him. Unbelief makes you believe that He is one of the many gods out there. Idolatry is when you value or give something other than God all the affection that He alone deserves.

“When we idolize other stuff, it does not mean we have lost our faith – we have just misplaced it in something or someone else.” Jackie Hill Perry.

So sexual sin is not just based on lust but because people want comfort, and they believe this sin will give them the comfort they desire. But God is the source of all comfort. 2Cor 1:4 God, not sex, not pornography, not alcohol, money, ministry. Only God!!

Our Saviour

Why do we need a Saviour and what do we need to be saved from? We are powerless to save ourselves from the consequences of our sins. We have been saved from the wrath of God. Salvation is found in no other name other than the name Jesus. This is a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. You are free to believe in anything else but that would not be the Christian faith. And this is what Jude reminds his readers.

Our

Yes, Jesus saved you, but he also saved Us. Don’t forget the communal nature of our faith. So, part of working out your salvation is to guard yourself against isolation and continue to press into the community. Remember you are a ‘chosen people’. God is a triune God. When you isolate yourself from people you do not represent Trinity well.

REFLECT

·Have you been tempted to take matters into your hands and not wait for God to work in your life?

·Have you desired something or someone more than Jesus?

·This is a good time to acknowledge it, repent, and take steps to replace those things by surrendering to Jesus and obeying Him.