Inductive Study: Jude 24

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

Dear Heavenly Father, as I write today, I pray that You will work in me through Your Holy Spirit.  Please continue to encourage me in my studies.  Help me to use it to fulfill Your will in my life.  Please place Your healing hand on my family.  Protect them, keep them from injury and illness, and direct them to serve You.  Thank you Lord for all that You've provided.  Help me to stay humble and never forget that you have given me everything that I have and am.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

With these next two verses, Jude praises God to close out the letter.  This section is sometimes  called the "doxology" which means "Praise God."  To bring deeper understanding to today's text, let's examine some key words and their companion or similar verses.

There are two companion verses that also start with "Now to Him."  Similarly to today's text, these verses also close out letters.  Romans 16:25 states "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began."  Ephesians 3:20 states "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."  Clearly, "Him" is referring to God the Father.

"Able" in the Greek is dunamai which means I am powerful, to show ability (power), enabled by God, strong, powerful, to be able to do something.  From this word, we get the English word, "dynamite."

"Keep" in the Greek is phulasso which means guard, observe, protect, preserve by having an eye on, exercising unbroken vigilance as a military guard, vigilance to keep what was entrusted, guard that they may remain saved.  John 17:12 states "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."  Jesus exercised unbroken vigilance to protect the believers entrusted to Him.

"Stumbling" in the Greek is aptaisos which means sure footed, standing firm, exempt from falling, without stumbling or falling, without sin.  This word only appears in Jude.  Understanding  this and the previous two words, God the Father has the dynamite power to vigilantly protect us from falling back into sin.

"Present" in the Greek is histemi which means stand, place, set up, establish, appoint, stand firm, steadfast, cause one to make an appearance faultless before, designate a place for one to occupy.  Colossians 1:22 states "In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—"  1 Peter 4:13 states "but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."  As believers, we have been designated to occupy a place with Christ.

"Faultless" in the Greek is amomos which means without blemish, blameless, without one single fault, without spot or blot, unblemished from the marring affects of sin, unblamable.  Ephesians 1:4 states "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."  Ephesians 5:27 states "that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."  Philippians 2:15 states "that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."  Revelation 14:5 states "And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God."  Before the world began, the believer is without fault, without deceit, having no spot or wrinkle on their character, unblemished from the marring affects of sin. The believer will be found holy and therefore able to be in God's holy presence. The believer is to shine as a light guiding the world to Christ.

"Before presence" in the Greek is katenopion which means before the face of, over against, in the sight of, in the presence of God who always act in conjunction with all He knows.  "Glory" in the Greek is doxa which means honor, renown, splendor, an especially divine quality, the unspoken manifestation of God, that which belongs to God, God's infinite - intrinsic worth, what evokes good opinion.  Glory corresponds to the Hebrew word, kabo, which means to be heavy.   "Exceeding joy" in the Greek is agalliasis which means exultation, exhilaration, ecstatic delight, wild joy, exuberant joy, intense joy and gladness, exultant joy, extreme joy, gladness alluding to inaugural ceremony of anointing, uses as an emblem of the divine power and majesty to which the Son of God has been exulted.  At God's throne, the believer will see God's presence that exudes splendor that fills the believer with ecstatic, wild, exuberant, intense, exultant, extreme gladness.  The believer will fully understand and bow to God's infinite, intrinsic value and greatness.

We don't have the ability or character to be perfect, without blemish.  Therefore, we can't be in God's presence as demonstrated in our study above.  We must be without fault, without deceit, having no spot or wrinkle on our character, unblemished from the marring affects of sin.    

But there is Good News!  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."  What have we been "saved" from?  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  What "faith" have we been saved?  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  Believe in Jesus' sacrifice.  Believe in Jesus "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed."  This way, we can be without fault before the throne of God and occupy a place with Christ.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight,

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Inductive Study: Jude 23

but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Jude 23

Dear Heavenly Father, you are too awesome, too great for me to even praise you with the correct words.  I fall in reverence of Your love, grace, and mercy.  I so don't deserve it.  But thank You.  Thank You for all that You've done for me and my family.  I was once lost but now I'm found.  Please guide and direct me and my family.  Help us to be grounded in Your Word.  Please be with me on completing this week's study.  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

With this verse, Jude concludes his instructions to the church.  To bring deeper understanding to today's text, let's examine some key words and their companion or similar verses.

"Others" in this verse refer to these false teachers who don't understand the Christian life.  "Save" in the Greek is sozo means heal, preserve, deliver out of danger into safety, God rescuing believers from the penalty and power of sin and into His provision, keep safe and sound, to deliver from the penalties of messianic judgement, salvation by Christ.  "Fear" in the Greek is phobos which means terror, reverence, alarm, respect, fleeing because feeling inadequate, positively in relation to God but more often negatively of withdrawing from the Lord (His will), remove oneself to avoid dread, anxious heed lest be defiled by the wickedness of one whom you are rescuing. 2 Corinthians 5:11 states " Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences."  Rescue even unbelievers from the penalty and power of sin with the reverence, respect of an Almighty God but careful not to be defiled by the wickedness of those whom you are saving.

"Pulling" in the Greek is harpazo which means seize, obtain by robbery, seize by force suddenly and decisively (bounty, spoil, prize), taken by open display of force, rescue from the danger of destruction, snatching.  Amos 4:11 states "'I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; Yet you have not returned to Me,' Says the Lord."  Zechariah 3:2 states "And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?'"  "Out" in the Greek is ek which means from out, out from among, suggesting from the interior outwards, out of the depths of the source and extending its impact on the object.  "Fire" in the Greek is pur which means heat of the sun, lightning, strife, trials, the eternal fire, snatch from the danger of destruction, elevating one's value over another.  1 Corinthians 3:15 states "If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."  Seize by force suddenly and decisively these unbelievers from the depths of the eternal fire of destruction like snatching a piece of burning wood from the fire.

"Hating" in the Greek is miseo which means detest, pursue with hatred, love less, esteem less, denounce, to love someone or something less, denounce a choice in favor of another, loathing.  "Garment" in the Greek is chiton which means tunic, under garment, worn next to skin, undershirt.  Revelation 3:4 states "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy."  Zechariah 3:4 states "Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, 'Take away the filthy garments from him. 'And to him He said, 'See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.'"   "Defiled" in the Greek is sproo which means stain, spot, soil, spiritually stain, contaminate, polluted.  This word is only used in two places here and James.  James 3:6 states "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell."  "Flesh" in the Greek is sarx which means body, human nature, kindred, carnal, human origin or empowerment, according to self (apart from God), unaided human effort, animal nature with cravings that incite sin.  Loath the unbelievers filthy undergarments polluted by their human nature with cravings to incite sin.

God still desires to save unbelievers, even ones who hate Him.  2 Peter 3:9 states "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 

God mandates us to not neglect or condemn the unbeliever.  In Ezekiel 3:18-19, God tells Ezekiel "When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.  Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul."  We will be called to explain why we didn't attempt to share the Gospel with the wicked.  Our job is not to save that is God's work, but we are commanded to share the Gospel and disciple the believer.  The Gospel is to be shared with everyone, even ones consumed and controlled by the evil one.  Stay faithful, share God.

save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy but with fear, loathing even the clothing spotted and polluted by their shameless immoral freedom.

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