Inductive Study: Jude 22

And on some have compassion, making a distinction;

Jude 22

Dear Heavenly Father, help me remember that the little things mean nothing.  Help me to concentrate on what is important.  Help my son and daughter be comfortable being different than the world.  Help them understand how to manage the resources and gifts that you gave them.  Help them to control their tempers and be open to discussions and be able to learn and follow You.  Please be with me as  I study Your Word.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Jude continues in this verse to encourage the believer.  As he begins to close out the letter, he gives instructions to the church.  To bring deeper understanding to today's text, let's examine some key words and their companion or similar verses.

The passage begins with "and" which instructs us to look to previous verses.  In this case, we look to determine who are "some." In verses 18 and 19, Jude talks about the false teachers in the church.  In verses 20 and 21, Jude talks to the believers in the church.  He refers to them as "you" and "yourselves."  Whereas, he refers to the false teachers as mockers, sensual persons, and dividers.  "Some" in verse refers to these false teachers who may possibly understand the Christian life but don't live it or believe it.

"Compassion" in the Greek is eleeo which means pity, have mercy on, to show mercy as God defines it and accords with His truth (covenant) which expresses God's Covenant-Loyalty-Mercy (acting only on His terms), to succor (assistance or support during hardship or distress) one afflicted or seeking aid.  Jude instructs the church to provide assistance and support to any false teacher who seeks help and mercy in their times of hardship and distress.

"Making Distinction" in the Greek is diakrino which means doubting, wavering, distinguish, discern, doubt, hesitate, waver, discern one thing from another, judging back and forth, vacillating, over judge, withdraw from one, desert Him, heretics withdrawn from Christian society.  When having compassion for a false teacher, Jude clarifies that church must make sure that this false teacher is not one who has withdrawn from the church.

Jude spends most of this letter describing the terrible false teachers and to avoid them.  However, Jude still asks for compassion for them just like any other person of the world who is not saved.  Don't give up on the lost.  Even during their worst actions and sin, you may not realize that they are wavering about their belief.  In the flesh, no one is totally committed one way or the other.  There is always doubt.  Don't stop praying, don't stop caring, don't stop witnessing.

And have mercy on some, who are doubting;

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Inductive Study: Jude 21

keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jude 21

Dear Heavenly Father continue to grow in me and help me to understand and follow your Word.  Please be with my family, protect them from the evil one.  For my extended family who don't believe, please send people to share the Gospel and send the Holy Spirit to convict them that they need a savior.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Jude continues to close out the letter by giving instructions to the church.  This verse is a continuation of the previous verse.  In verse 20, Jude encourages believers, who are favored, esteemed by God-Christ-each other, to finish their Christian understanding upon the foundation that has already been built by God based on His Truth (right doctrine).  Jude also asks the believers to pray in the Holy Spirit.  We learned to be able to pray, we need faith.  To bring deeper understanding to today's text, let's examine some key words and their companion or similar verses.

"Keep" in the Greek is tereo which means keep, guard, observe, watch over, maintain, preserve, keep intact, spiritually guard, cause one to preserve or stand firm in a thing.  2 Corinthians 13:14 states "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."  Acts 13:43 states "Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God."   "Love" in the Greek is agape which means benevolence (well meaning, kindly), esteem, love which centers on moral preference, divine love, what god prefers.  Stand firm in God's love that focuses on morality, what He prefers.

"Looking" in the Greek is prosdechomai which means expect, welcome, accept, welcome with warm repriocity, expectant, ready and willing, wait for fulfillment of promises.  It is made of pros which means toward, interchange and dexomai which means welcome, receive.  Titus 2:13 states "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."  2 Peter 3:12 states "looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"  "Mercy" in the Greek is eleos which means pity, compassion, covenant loyalty, covenant-love, loyalty to God's covenant, the mercy of Christ whereby at His return to judgement He will bless true Christians with eternal life.  Wait expectantly for the fulfillment of Christ's compassion to believers.

"Eternal" in the Greek is aionios which means unending, age long, not brief and fleeting, life operates outside of time - inside of time - yet is also time independent, has been and always will be, without end.  "Life" in the Greek is zoe which means both physical (present) and spiritual (particular future) existence, the Lord intimately shares His gift of love with people creating each in His image which gives all the capacity to know His eternal life.  Christ's mercy to people loyal to God is an unending existence with God.

Do I stand firm in Christ?  When I'm pressured and stressed do I turn to Him or rely on myself reacting like the world does?  We all struggle with the flesh.  Resting in His love and focusing on a life according to God's morality, we can ignore the distractions and be peaceful in the stress.  We can react by letting go of the world's expectations and drivers.  No matter what happens during your day, remember God's compassion.  Remember we are not of this world but the world to come.  Be loyal to Christ.

and keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously and looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ [which will bring you] to eternal life.

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Inductive Study: Jude 20

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

Jude 20

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You.  Thank You for all Your provision, for Your answered prayers, for Your gift of salvation through Your Son.  I am truly amazed by You. Thank You for the opportunity that I can just serve and not worry about hidden agendas.  Please Lord continue to be with me, my family, my church and my work.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Jude transitions in this verse to encourage the believer.  He is beginning to close out the letter by giving instructions to the church.  To bring deeper understanding to today's text, let's examine some key words and their companion or similar verses.

"Beloved" in the Greek is agapetos which means dear friends, a title for the Messiah as beyond all others by God who sent Him, Christians loved by God, Christ, and one another, esteemed, dear, favorite.  Root word for "beloved" is a word that we've studied before, agape.  The church is unconditionally loved by God.

"Building" in the Greek is epiokodomeo which means build upon a foundation, following a plan with pre-designed specifications, build up, edify, finish the structure of which the foundation has already been laid, give constant increase to Christian knowledge and life conformed thereto, resting on your most holy faith as a foundation, make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher.  Colossians 2:7 states "rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."  "Most Holy" in the Greek is hagios which means set apart, sacred, different, likeness of nature with the Lord, different from the world, distinguished, distinct, reverend, worthy of veneration (great respect).  "Faith" in the Greek is pistis which means belief, trust, come to trust, belief of Christians, truth, right doctrine, is subjectively appropriated, mere acknowledgement of divine things and the claims of Christianity, confidence. Our foundation as Christians is our most holy faith, our great respect for truth and right doctrine.  We build on this faith to further our lives in obedience to Christ.

"Praying" in the Greek is proseuchomai which means offer prayer, to interact with the Lord by switching human wishes (ideas) for God's wishes as He imparts faith (divine persuasion).  Praying is closely interconnected with faith.  Proseuchomai is made up of the word pros which is towards, exchange and exomai which is to wish, pray.  Ephesians 6:18 states "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—."  Romans 8:26 states "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."  "Spirit" in the Greek is pneuma which means wind, breath, full of majesty, adorable, utterly opposed to all impurity, Holy (hagios) Spirit.  We are to switch our wishes with God's wishes by the intercession of the Holy Spirit.

Faith and trust in God is the bedrock of the Christian life.  We build upon this foundation to further grow in the Christian life.  Praying is the means to reconcile our needs and plans for our life with what God desires for us.  Sometimes we may not pray as we should but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.  When we pray, we trust our anxieties, worries, and cares with God.  To pray, you must have faith. 

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit,

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