As we continue in our journey through Jude, we are once again being encouraged in our walk with Christ. In verses twenty and twenty-one, Jude continues to encourage us in our walk with Christ in the midst of false teachers. He gives us four actions that we must do in order to stay strong in the faith. These four actions are building, praying, keeping, and waiting. It is with these four things that the Christian is able to stay strong in his faith.
We are to continue to build up our faith. This means that we are constantly growing. We are laying a firm foundation in Christ. This includes being ready to give a defense for the reason of the hope that you have in yourself. We are to constantly be learning more about what the Word of God is saying. We should be immersing ourselves in it every day. It is like learning a new language. The best way to learn a new language is to immerse yourself in it. We must be immersing ourselves in God’s Word. That is how we will be able to learn it best.
We are to pray. Verse twenty tells us to pray in the Spirit. Isn’t it such an encouragement that the Holy Spirit will be guiding our prayers? We don’t have to worry about what we should say. The Holy Spirit will be there for us, interceding on our behalf. I am reminded of the verse that tells us to pray without ceasing. This doesn’t mean that we should be praying all day. What it means is that we should be constantly going to God in prayer. Whenever something comes up, whether it is good or bad, we should be talking to God about it. Isn’t that an amazing thing!? The God of the universe, all-knowing, all-powerful, and holy wants us to talk to Him. He wants a relationship with us. As we talk to Him, we will be encouraged and strengthened in our walk with Him
We are to keep ourselves in God’s love. What does this phrase mean? Well, John 15:10 helps to clear this up. “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s command and remain in his love.” We are to keep the commandments. That is what will keep us in God’s love. We should be cautioned here, though. Our salvation is not works based. It is through the work of the Spirit in us that causes us to want to follow God’s commandments. We cannot fall out of love with God. That is not what this phrase is warning us about. Jude is saying that we must keep ourselves immersed in the presence of God. We are to follow what we are commanded to do in the Bible. It is through the working out of our salvation that we are able to stand firm in the presence of false teachers.
Finally, we must wait for the mercy of Christ to bring us eternal life. This is the idea of patience. We are to wait for the second coming of Christ. This causes us excitement and anticipation. When Christ comes back, we will be able to spend eternity with God. We will be in His presence for eternity. Keeping our eyes fixed on the goal will help us to stay firm in our faith. If you don’t know what you are aiming for, the long run is harder. However, if you know what you’re aiming for, then the long run is easier. You know what you are striving towards. We must patiently wait for the coming of the Lord.
Not only are we to be doing these four things, but they are also all interconnected. While we are keeping ourselves in Christ, we are praying and continuing to build up our faith. This, then, helps us in our waiting. We wouldn’t be able to wait if we weren’t keeping ourselves in Christ. We are able to keep ourselves in Christ by praying and continuing to build up our faith. As we do these four things, we will be able to stand firm in our faith in the presence of false teachers.