Keep in the Love of God

Probably it was Jude, the full brother of James and half brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, who authored the short memo on apostasy called Jude. Written from Palestine to Hebrew Christians the letter of Jude confronts the apostasy of the Church. In verse 21 Jude exhorts his readers to “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” The word “keep” is in the imperative and establishes our responsibility to be obedient and faithful by living out our salvation. We do this while God works out His will. We are to stay in the place of obedience where God’s love is poured out on his children as opposed to being disobedient and reaping the correction of the Lord. Another way of saying it is to stay always in the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you. This means to live close to Him and His people, not listening to false teachers who would pull us away from Him.

But how does a person keep himself? The answer is in Acts 20:32. “So now, bretheren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” We build ourselves up by allowing the Scripture to be our guide and the rule of our lives. God’s word is the antidote to the poison of apostasy. May God’s word be your counselor in every decision and the light that guides every step of your journey? I hope that it will. God loves you and so does First Baptist Church.