A Survival Strategy

Yes, real believers can fall, fail, and be derailed! To take serious precautions with our relationships, associations, philosophies, and habits are a given to ensure survival. I’ll leave it to others to debate whether real Christians can commit deep dark sins that discredit our Faith and shame our Lord. I personally see warnings about this very thing as I casually read the Word of God. Furthermore, I am of the opinion most Believers desire to live out their lives in a manner that is generally pleasing to the Lord. No one I know wants to fail as a Christian. Yet, so many of us do! It is heart-breaking, shocking, and somewhat disconcerting when major Christian figures fall. Regardless of theological positions, gross failures are an all to common occurrence.

The question is what can we do? What has God provided to keep us on the straight and narrow? What survival strategies can we employ to avoid disaster? Note the sagacious counsel the prophet Jude gives,

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, [21] Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. [22] And of some have compassion, making a difference: [23] And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. [24] Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, [25] To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 20-25, KJV)

The following is a compilation from several Christian leaders based on Jude 20 – 25.

Study:

I.                   A Survival Strategy for Fighting Apostasy (Jude 20-23).

In addition to remembering what the apostles had said about the apostates, Jude’s readers were to give attention to themselves. The believer’s resource, of course, is to stay close to the Lord and live in unbroken fellowship with Him. But how is this done? Jude lays out the strategic steps.

A.    Build up yourselves in the Christian faith as a means of defense (vs. 20).

                                                 1.      The first is personal edification (“building up yourselves”). This comes from progressing in the knowledge of “your most holy faith,” that is, the Christian faith. This “faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (v. 3); entrusted to the people of God comprises the teaching of the apostles now recorded in the Scriptures, to be studied by us (Acts 20:32; 2 Tim. 2:15).

                                                 2.      We build up ourselves on it by studying and obeying the Bible. Constant familiarity with the word guides us positively in the way of righteousness, and warns us against the perils along the way. “Men may decry doctrine,” H. Pickering says, “but it is creed that produces character and not character that produces creed.” –MacDonald

B.     Continue praying in the Spirit with His illumination, assistance, and power (vs. 20).

                                                 1.      The second step is “praying in the Holy Ghost.” Praying in the Holy Spirit is not speaking in tongues, but is “praying out of hearts and souls that are indwelt, illuminated, and filled with the Holy Spirit” (George Lawrence Lawlor, Translation and Exposition of the Epistle of Jude, p. 127). It is praying in the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph. 6:18). –Walvoord

                                                 2.      This means to pray as guided by the Spirit. That is in accordance with the will of God as revealed in the Bible or as privately revealed by the Spirit in a subjective way to the believer. It is in contrast to prayers which are recited mechanically or spun off without any real spiritual involvement.

                                                 3.      The power for building the Christian life comes from prayer: “praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 20). The Word of God and prayer go together in spiritual growth. If all we do is read and study the Bible, we will have a great deal of light, but not much power. However, if we concentrate on prayer and ignore the Bible, we may be guilty of zeal without knowledge. We read the Word to grow in faith (Rom. 10:17), then we use that faith to ask God for what we need and what His Word tells us we may have.

The Word of God and prayer certainly go together (Acts 6:4). Evangelist Billy Sunday used to give his converts three rules for success in the Christian life. Each day they were to read the Bible and let God talk to them. They were to pray; in other words, they were to talk to God. And they were to witness and talk to others about God. It would be difficult to improve on those rules.

What does it mean to “pray in the Holy Spirit”? (Note the contrast with Jude 19—“having not the Spirit.”) It means to pray according to the leading of the Spirit. It has well been said, “Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven—it is getting God’s will done on earth.” This agrees with 1 John 5:14–15.

As Christians, we may pray in solitude (Matt. 6:6), but we never pray alone; the Spirit of God joins with us as we pray (Rom. 8:26–28) because He knows the mind of God and can direct us. He can give us wisdom and knowledge from the Word (Eph. 1:15ff). He can also help us approach the Father through the access we have in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:18). We worship God “in the Spirit” (Phil. 3:3), and the Spirit motivates us to pray, for He is “the Spirit of grace and of supplications” (Zech. 12:10). When the believer is yielded to the Spirit, then the Spirit will assist him in his prayer life, and God will answer prayer. –Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary

C.    Guard yourselves by remaining in the love of God and fellowship (vs. 21).

                                                 1.      Thirdly is keeping ourselves in God’s love (Jude 21) does not indicate that salvation depends on our own efforts, for that would contradict other clear Scripture passages (v. 24). Instead, a believer is nurtured as he is occupied with God’s love for him, and is in fellowship with Him (John 15:9-10, “abide in My love”).

                                                 2.       [Thus] believers are to keep themselves in the love of God. Here the love of God can be compared to the sunshine. The sun is always shining. But when something comes between us and the sun, we are no longer in the sunshine. That’s the way it is with the love of God. It is always beaming down upon us. But if sin comes between us and the Lord, then we are no longer enjoying His love in practice. We can keep ourselves in His love first of all by lives of holiness and godliness. And if sin should come between, then we should confess and forsake that sin immediately. The secret is to let nothing come between us and God. –Believer's Bible Commentary

                                                 3.      Nothing between my soul and the Savior, Naught of this world’s delusive dream; Nothing preventing the least of His favor, Keep the way clear, let nothing between. —Charles A. Tindley

D.    Keep looking to Jesus for mercy until He comes for us in the Rapture unto eternal life (vs. 21).

                                                 1.      Fourthly, we should be eagerly “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

                                                 2.      The phrase “looking for” means waiting expectantly for the blessed hope, the return of Christ for His saints, as another means of personal nurture. The mercy of our Lord here refers to His imminent return to take His people home to heaven. Waiting for that event is waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ in the sense that the Rapture will be the consummating evidence of His mercy. Jude added that it will bring us “unto eternal life,” that is, to enjoying never-ending life in God’s own presence (1 Peter 1:5, 9, 13). In days of darkness and apostasy, we are to keep the light of the blessed hope burning in our hearts. It will prove a comforting and purifying hope (1 Thess. 4:18; 1 Jn. 3:3).

                                                 3.      We build our Christian life on the foundation of faith and through the motivation of love. But we also need hope: “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” The believer’s eyes must be lifted heavenward. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God” (2 Peter 3:12).

The word translated “looking” (Jude 21) means “earnestly expecting.” It describes an attitude of life that is motivated by the promise of our Lord’s return. The apostates can only look for judgment, but God’s people are looking for mercy. Not only is our salvation from sin the gift of God’s mercy, but so also is the deliverance of His church from this evil world. In His mercy, He will come for us and take us to Himself.

We have already noted that looking for the coming of the Lord is a great encouragement to Christian living. It makes us want to keep pure (1 John 3:3) and to avoid the things of the flesh and the world (Phil. 3:17–21). Our hope in Christ is like an anchor (Heb. 6:19) that holds us in the storms of life, and like a helmet that protects us in the battles of life (1 Thes. 5:8). –The Bible Exposition Commentary

E.      Serve with compassion and caution to make a real impact in your ministry (vs. 22-23). A certain measure of spiritual discernment is necessary in dealing with victims of apostasy (v. 22). The Scriptures make a distinction between the way we should handle those who are active propagandists of false cults and those who have been duped by them. In the case of the leaders and propagandists, the policy is given in 2 John 10, 11.  Do not receive them into your house nor greet him with blessing; to do so is to participate in their evil activities. But in speaking of those who have been deceived by false teachers, Jude counsels making a distinction and gives two separate courses of action.

                                                 1.      Exercise Compassion (v. 22). On these believers we should have compassion. That is, we should show a compassionate interest in them and try to guide them out of doubts and disputations into a firm conviction of divine truth.

i.        Compassion refers to being gracious and showing pity on those struggling with confusion and doubts. It is to show mercy by extending help because of the grave consequence of sin, as opposed to becoming hardened and adding to their pains. Generally it is to be merciful on a person in miserable circumstances when they do not deserve such gracious treatment.

ii.      Because the words of the apostates were confusing, probably many believers were in doubt as to whether to follow them. Such persons, Jude wrote, should not be slandered or criticized. They should be dealt with in love and mercy—the same way in which the Lord dealt with them (cf. v. 21). They needed encouragement, not criticism. They needed to be built up, not torn down. –The Bible Knowledge Commentary

                                                 2.      Exercise Caution (v. 23). Some must be saved “with fear.” Such individuals are so corrupt that the stench of sin has polluted them and even their clothing reek with the odor of corruption (v. 12, “spots”). Be on alert as you attempt to rescue people from the grip of lies (vs. 23) because you could become contaminated in the process. Be sure to hate the lifestyles of carnality you will be exposed to as you try to save others from the clutches of evil (vs. 23).

i.        Then there are those who are on the verge of the precipice, ready to fall over into the flames of apostasy (v. 23). These we are to save by strong, resolute warning and instruction, hating even the garment spotted [defiled] by the flesh. In the OT the clothing of a leper was contaminated and had to be burned (Lev. 13:47–52). Today in dealing with people who have fallen into sexual sins, we must remember that material objects, such as clothing, for example, often excite the passions. As we see these things or feel them, there is a mental association with certain sins. So in dealing with people who have become defiled, we must be careful to avoid anything which might prove a temptation in our own lives. –Believer's Bible Commentary

ii.      Clothing suggests the contaminating effect of their sin. Like the leper whose clothing was polluted by the disease (Lv. 13:34; 14:8), they are to be seen as a source of pollution and therefore shunned. –New Bible Commentary

iii.    An unknown author expressed it like this: “The clothes that belong to a man have about them the association and infection of sin, the contagion of evil. Whatever is associated with a life of sin should be cast off and renounced, if we are to be safe from the infection and contagion of this soul-destroying disease.”

iv.     J. B. Mayor warns, “While it is the duty of the Christian to pity and pray for the sinner, he must view with loathing all that bears traces of the sin.”

II.                An Exaltation for God’s Preserving Power (Jude 24-25). 

In this final paragraph Jude exploded with a most elevated doxology, answering the unexpressed question, “But who will deliver us from the apostates and the apostasy into which they lead the unsuspecting?” His proclamation was, praise be to Him who is able to keep you from falling. Victory over apostasy is found in Jesus Christ! He is the One who will “keep” believers.

A.    Christ is able to keep you from falling prey to apostasy and present you faultless in God’s presence (v. 24).

                                                 1.      Christ is able to preserve us (v. 24).

i.        Jude ascribes praise and worship to Him who is able (v. 24). He is able to save (Heb. 7:25), able to establish (Rom. 16:25), able to aid (Heb. 2:18), able to subdue (Phil. 3:21)—and here He is able to keep. He is able to keep us in perfect peace (Isa. 26:3), He is able to keep that which we have committed to Him until that Day (2 Tim. 1:12), He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20), and He is able to keep us from falling into error.

ii.      This last promise is especially timely for the days of apostasy to which Jude is referring.

                                                 2.      Christ will present us (v. 24). The promise doesn’t stop with preservation, it includes faultless presentation. Christ is able to make us stand faultless in the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (v. 24). Christ will present believers to His Father without fault and with great joy—joy both for Himself and for them (Heb. 12:2; 1 Peter 1:8). This is ridiculously astounding!

                                                 3.      Here is the greatest theme of victory to be sounded, the highest note of praise and adoration possible, and the greatest assurance for the redeemed. When we think of what we were—dead through our trespasses and sins; when we think of what we are—poor, weak, failing servants; and then to think that one day we will stand absolutely faultless in the Throne Room of the universe, rejoicing “with exceeding joy”—what grace is this!

B.     God, our wise Savior, is worthy of glory, majesty, dominion, and power today and forever more (v. 25).

                                                 1.      Jude attributes to God—to the only wise God our Savior glory, majesty, dominion, and power, which are all available to believers through the Victor, Jesus Christ our Lord. And this exalted position is true of God in eternity past, in the present, and for all eternity in the future. Thus, Jude fulfills his heart’s desire of writing in the most joyful terms (Jude 3), for in Christ there is hope in victory, which gives believers joy and confidence.

                                                 2.      He is not only our Keeper and Perfecter—He is God our Savior (v. 25). It is a marvel that God should be so interested in us that He would also become our Savior, in the sense that He devised the plan whereby we are saved, and He provided His sinless Son as the sacrificial Lamb. Who alone is wise—ultimately all wisdom comes from God (cf. Jas. 1:5). Our wisdom is merely derived from the fount of wisdom, the only wise God.

If worship (Old English “worth-ship”) means ascribing to God what He is worthy of, it will be glory, and majesty, dominion, and power. Glory—the superlative honor He deserves for all He is and all He has done for us. Majesty—the dignity and splendor He deserves as the Supreme Monarch of the universe. Dominion—the unchallenged sway which is His by sovereign right. And power or authority—the might and prerogative to rule all that His hands have made.

He was worthy of such praise in the past, He is worthy at the present time, and He will be worthy of it throughout eternity. Apostates and false teachers may seek to rob Him of glory, detract from His majesty, grumble against His dominion, and challenge His power. But all true believers find their greatest fulfillment in glorifying and enjoying Him both now and forever.

Amen. –MacDonald, William: Believer's Bible Commentary

Conclusion:

So, this is how we are to earnestly contend for the faith. This includes energetically defending the Christian Faith, resisting the influence and message of false teachers, and ministering with compassion and caution to those already burned by their erroneous teachings. All the while we have the assurance of God’s preserving power on our behalf!

We are not given the choice to opt out and hide in a religious cloister somewhere…no, God calls upon us to engage in such intense spiritual battles for the souls of men and the welfare of believers. Biblical separation is always appropriate, but isolation has never been God’s strategy. While this type of ministry is not for every believer, it is a part of mature Christian ministry. None of us can afford to be presumptuous about our levels of strength, serious preparation is necessary to engage these challenges effectively.