Speaking Well of God (Jude 1:24-25)

This short book was written by one of the brothers of Jesus. It is not known when he wrote it or where he was at the time. We can see from the contents that there was a problem with false teachers who were advocating the toleration of immorality in the churches and Jude gives advice and instruction concerning that problem.

Despite the fact that they had such a problem in the churches, Jude closes his book with a doxology, which is a reminder that in times of crisis we should consider God. Sometimes, a Bible book closes with a doxology; at other times, a Bible book closes with a benediction. Both responses consider God and his salvation, but a doxology is a statement of praise. In this doxology, we can probably see several matters of interest, but I want to highlight four. 

Our present

The first point to consider is what the doxology says about our present situation. Jude mentions that the Father is able to keep us from falling. Perhaps he realised that some of his readers would be concerned that they might fall in a manner similar to how those in the letter fell into sin. They knew that they could not keep themselves from falling. 

 

How does the Father keep his people? Since he is the Almighty God, he could use his providential power to prevent sinful situations coming near to them, which he does do sometimes, such as when he causes a believer to be held up in traffic or something like that and miss the danger. He can also use words of wise Christians to guide or awaken others, without the speakers realising that was happening. But that is not the main way by which he keeps them. Rather, he preserves them through the process of sanctification in which the Holy Spirit renews their minds, changes their thinking, and enables them to love holiness and hate sin through the instructions of his Word.

 

This reality obviously requires regular attendance at church services where the Bible is taught. It also requires practising what the Bible says. Obedience to God’s Word removes most of the dangers from falling that Christians will face. Sometimes, they will face fierce or subtle temptations from the devil as he appeals to features in their character. But it is safe to say that obedience to God’s requirements is a safe path to walk on, as Psalm 1 makes very clear. 

 

Obedience to the Bible keeps us from grieving the Holy Spirit. One of the devil’s tricks is to get us to think that strict obedience to God’s Word is legalism. Of course, a self-righteous approach is legalism, but such a response contains numerous details that God does not require. Although it is tautology, God requires what he requires, and he does so at all times. And the reading of the Word should be accompanied by prayer for divine help to keep us from all potential causes of falling.

 

There are numerous examples of the Bible where believers departed from God’s requirements and found themselves in great trouble or lost out on great blessings. Abraham’s lies about his wife caused problems for him in the eyes of pagans. Moses lost his temper and failed to enter the promised land. David’s sins led to repercussions in his family. Peter’s sins led him into days of deep distress. They are all recorded as warnings for us.

 

The process of sanctification is lifelong and does not bring about perfection in this life. Yet it does include progress in obedience to God’s commandments and results in increased likeness to Jesus. This is an amazing activity of God’s grace, and it is not surprising that Jude wants to praise the Father for what he enables his people to have in the present through the work of the Holy Spirit in blessing their obedience to the Word of God.

 

Our future

The doxology also describes the future of God’s people, but it does so in a particular sense. The Father will ‘present [them] blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy’. We are told that all of them will be blameless, despite the fact that all of them had committed large numbers of sins. Of course, the reason that they are blameless is because Jesus paid the penalty for their sins when he was on the cross. It is possible for us to read those words too quickly and not absorb the wonder that Jude describes. Every believer is going to be blameless on the great day because of what Jesus did for them on the cross as well as through providing for them the perfect life that is reckoned to their account.

 

Jude also mentions where we will be on that great day – we will before God’s glorious presence. The only way we can appreciate what is meant here is to use comparisons. An obvious comparison would be to think about being present on a great state occasion in our national life when all the important people of the land are present and all the performances connected to that event take place. If we had not been there before, we would be overawed. But the importance of such an event pales into insignificance when we consider the greatness of the resurrection day, which is what is described in this verse by Jude.

 

Being in the presence of God will reveal to us the dignity of God’s people because they will be publicly recognised as God’s children. God is not only a great sovereign, he is also their Father. Earthly fathers love to have their families in their presence. How much more does the heavenly Father want his people to be there. Yet they are also the sons and daughters of the King which mean that they are of the royalty of heaven.

 

The feature of that great occasion that Jude stresses is the fact that it will be exceptionally joyful. No doubt, there will be many reasons for that. The possession of eternal life will cause joy. In this life, I don’t think we grasp the wonder of having this amazing possession. Eternal life is fullness of life for ever. The company of perfect beings will bring great joy, both angelic and human. This joy will flow into us before it flows out of us. We will have the Holy Spirit in a much greater manner that we have now, which means that we will have the Holy Spirit in a more comprehensive way than now. The fact is that in this life we have not seen a totally joyful person, but on that day we will see billions of them.

 

Our relationships

Having just thought of being children of the King, it is helpful also to recognise and ponder other relationships with God that are mentioned in this doxology. Two are stated, one about the Father and one about Jesus. Jude addresses the Father as Saviour, which may surprise us at first because we usually speak of Jesus in this way. But the Father and the Holy Spirit can also be called by this term. After all, it was the Father who sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. The Father called us to himself through the gospel when he invited us to believe in Jesus. The Father has provided us with an inheritance which can be described as complete salvation. And it all began because the Father purposed in eternity to save us.

 

Jesus here is called by the title ‘Jesus Christ our Lord’. As we know, the title Christ is another way of saying that Jesus is the Messiah that was promised in the Old Testament, and if we wish to discover how great he is, all we need to do is consider those Old Testament predictions that reveal details of his aims and activities. When we do so, our hearts will be full of wonder at what is said about him. Calling him Lord may be a reminder that he is fully divine, but I think it is more likely that Jude is referring to what happened to Jesus when he ascended to heaven and was given the title Lord by the Father as a reward for his life of obedience. Jesus now has the highest name, the name that is above every name, a name that is always to be said with respect and awe.

 

We should not forget that the man who was guided to use these words was once a devout Jew living in Nazareth in a poor family, one of whom was exceptionally dedicated to God from his childhood. At least, that is how it would have seemed to Jude as he considered his elder brother. Yet through his own childhood and teenage years, and his early adulthood, Jude’s grasp of who his brother was did not arise any higher. But the resurrection of Jesus from the dead changed Jude’s perception of Jesus and he now gladly and reverently addresses him as Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Our calling

The main purpose in life is to serve God. Part of our service is what we say about him and to him. We can see from this doxology that it is possible to say a great deal in a few words. I wonder how long it took Jude to compose the doxology. Of course, it may have been in common use already and he is merely quoting it. No one knows if that was the case. Still we are reminded that praise should be comely and correct when speaking about the Lord.

 

Jude’s words remind us that there is only one God. It is difficult for us to understand how the Trinity is one God but three persons. The best way to react to this is to accept it and allow the Holy Spirit through the Bible to reveal the wonders of God to us. It is not a profound observation or illustration, but most of us know very little about how the universe works. Yet we accept that it does, and because we do, we discover many benefits. In a higher way, we should do that with what the Bible teaches about our great God. 

 

I am not sure if it would be better not to have a comma after the word ‘Saviour’. Whether there should be or not, we are reminded that we must approach the only God through Jesus. Even our worship of the Father is through the Son.

 

Jude uses four words to describe God and they have been divided in different ways as commentators try to explain them. No doubt, most of the suggestions will be helpful. It looks to me as if two describe the effect God should have on us and two describe how he is able to do what he does. When we think of God, we should respond by recognising he is glorious and majestic, infinitely above everything and everyone that exists. There are being and things with less glory and less majesty than God. Mountains are glorious and majestic on a nice day; people can seem glorious and majestic when they do their best (such as a musician or an artist). But God is constantly glorious and majestic in who he is and what he does.

 

The other two words – dominion and authority – describe how he displays his glory and his majesty. To put it in a phrase, he is always number one, and the gap between him and number two, whoever that would be, is infinite. God always has total control. It is important to know that when things seem to be going wrong. How long has God been like this? Always, or as Jude says, ‘before all time and now and forever.’ 

 

Application

The obvious application is, what are our thoughts of God? Do we acknowledge his beauty, his bounty and his superiority? When was the last time did we said a doxology to God, extolling his forgiveness of his people and his intention to bless us in his presence?