TEXT: “20 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” (Jude 20-23). KJV
KEEPING OURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD
Introduction
The prophet wrote, “And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments” (Daniel 9:4).
Jesus said, “27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27- 28).
There are many who misunderstand and or misuse passages such as John 10:28 in an attempt to prove the false view of the impossibility of apostasy.
However, the Bible makes it perfectly clear that one is able to remove himself from the grace of God through disobedience to His Word (Gal. 5:4; 2 Pet. 2:20).
Therefore, one must realize the importance of keeping himself in the love of God. It is an ongoing process which requires constant attention.
This is in no way an attempt to nullify the grace of God or to say that one can earn merits with which to purchase his own salvation,
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
However, Paul, an apostle of Christ, made it perfectly clear that, in spite of all he had done in preaching the Gospel, it was still possible for him to be a castaway:
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27).
To keep oneself means to “maintain oneself, to manage or have charge of, to remain fresh or unspoiled or to prevent,” “to keep himself unspotted from the world” (Jam. 1:27).
We Christians must please GOD by walking worthy of our vocation as we seek to obtain His eternal kingdom and glory in Heaven (Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12; Eph. 4:1).
This task is made easier if the Christian’s fixation is on Heaven as it should be.
Paul, on several occasions, wrote of the constancy the Christian must exercise as we wait for the glorious appearing of Jesus (Tit. 2:13) and run this race to obtain eternal life (1 Cor. 9:24).
Let us look at eight keys to keeping ourselves in the love of God and to keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.
KEYS TO KEEPING
1. Set Apart
The Lord has always commanded His people to be set apart:
“For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Lev. 11:44).
The Lord still commands His people, Christians, to be set apart:
Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2).
Sanctifying oneself from the world is not to say the Christian has no obligations or dealings with the world. The Christian has no choice but to live in the world.
There is a difference, however, in living in the world and being of the world. Friendship with the world makes one an enemy of God (Jam. 4:4).
The Apostle John wrote, “4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:4-6).
Being sanctified simply means we are no longer tied to the world by sin. If the Christian is going to sanctify himself from the world, he must keep God sanctified in his heart:
The palmist said, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psa. 119:11).
The Christian’s love and allegiance should first be to God (not to the media, your job, hobby, recreation, or even your family).
One must realize, of course, the world will misunderstand and resent the idea of the Christian being set apart:
Jesus said, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19).
2. Answer With Meekness And Fear
To defend the Gospel is to be considered a privilege for the child of God (Jude 3), but it is a great responsibility as well.
God’s Will has been recorded for man, and we will be held accountable on the day of judgment for our stewardship of His Word (John 12:48).
It stands to reason that one cannot defend that which he does not know. Therefore, if the Christian is going to defend God’s Word, he must know God’s Word.
Not just having a casual knowledge of the Scriptures but having an intimate knowledge from diligent study (2 Tim. 2:15).
If one respects God’s Word, as he should, he will not want to misrepresent the Lord to others. Instead, he will want to be ready to teach it with accuracy and without bias, preconceived notions:
Peter wrote, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Pet. 3:15).
3. Never Compromising
The individual who is unwilling to compromise his spiritual beliefs in our society today is viewed as the most unpopular.
It is the common practice of denominations to take the “bullseye” approach in religion saying, “We all worship the same God, the rest is immaterial.”
To think there is no specific plan or that any part of God’s plan for the church and His people is irrelevant or immaterial is a blatant disrespect for God Himself and carries with it severe consequences.
However, there are people following this doctrine or philosophy by the droves. If this doctrine is true, then the Bible is not true, or it contradicts itself:
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6).
To compromise the truth in religion does no one any favours. It does not help those in the denominational world learn the truth.
The Christian who compromises the truth denies the power of the Gospel (Rom. 1:16) and leaves the Lord no choice but to deny him on the day of judgment (Matt. 10:32-33).
4. Church Attendance
Faithful attendance in worship is vital to the spiritual well-being of the child of God.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the cares of the world during the hectic work week.
To assemble with the saints helps to bring what is really important back into focus and keep the Christian pointed in the right direction.
It is a time when the Christian can regroup and reflect on his true priorities. It refuels the spiritual engine.
When the Christian argues whether or not every worship service or Bible study of the saints must be attended, it is most likely due to a “heart” problem rather than an attendance problem (cf. Rom. 6:17).
Paul wrote, “24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:24-25
Every human being desire to be part of a physical family who loves one another and shares the same cares, concerns, and moral values.
There is nothing worse than having no one to lean on in sad times or to rejoice with in the good times.
To be a part of a close-knit family is only possible if every person is willing to do his part for the family.
Just being there seems like such a small thing, but to the one who looks forward to coming home to a familiar friend, it is an enormous blessing.
The Christian is blessed to be in the family of God (Eph. 3:15).
It should never be considered a burden to be there for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We share a bond, as Christians, the world cannot understand.
To forsake the assembly is to forfeit the opportunity to build one another up in Christ. We cannot be a close family unless we are there for one another and know one another’s needs.
Our mothers are right in reminding us, when we will not eat our vegetables, that there are children in other countries that are going without the blessings we take for granted.
As important as the physical needs of all individuals are, one must realize that Christians are blessed above others spiritually (Eph. 1:3).
It shows ingratitude and is sinful not to appreciate both the physical and spiritual blessings Christians enjoy every day.
If one is thankful for the opportunity to worship, church attendance will not be a problem. The Christian should want to be in the presence of the Lord:
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).
The palmist wrote, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD” (Ps. 122:1).
5. Teaching The Truth In Love
The defence of the Gospel should be every Christian’s passion. It is the Christian’s responsibility to teach those in the world about Christ.
It is just as important to teach those in denominations the error in man-made religions and doctrines (Matt. 15:8-9).
One should not feel superior in doing so, but joyful in the hope that the lost might be saved.
There is a right attitude one must keep in teaching God’s Word to others. Since there is a right attitude, it stands to reason, there is a wrong attitude as well.
The Christian should never be haughty, boastful, or argumentative. To do so will prevent one from being effective in his ministry. No one likes to be made to feel foolish or inferior; therefore, to treat a person in such a way will only give them a false idea of the Christian faith and turn them away from the truth (John 17:17).
The truth is to be taught in love, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15).
That is not to say there is not a time to speak frankly with people, but the Christian should consider how he would feel if the shoe were on the other foot. The Gospel should be treated as the Good News that it is.
6. Independent Faith—Not Father’s Or Mother’s
The Christian must possess his own faith.
Too often young adults apostatize after they leave home simply because they have not developed their own faith. They have gone to church their whole life because mom and dad said it was the right thing to do, but they never took the time to teach them why. Now the child is grown and has no strong foundation on which to build.
The individual riding on his parent’s coattails of faith must be encouraged to develop his own faith before he is faced with situations that will squelch his interest and cause him to lose his soul.
7. Fellowship With The Brethren
Faithful attendance, as was discussed earlier, is one way in which we can fellowship with the brethren.
However, relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ that reach beyond the church parking lot are essential to strengthen and encourage the child of God.
It is odd to think that one would choose to live his life in devotion to Christ and choose friends with lesser values and wicked lifestyles.
The Bible warns the Christian about making poor decisions in the company he keeps, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33).
There is a reason clubs and gangs are so prevalent in today’s society. Everyone wants to belong.
Such institutions are made up of several people who hold the same values, goals, and interests. If you want to fit in, you must conform or meet the requirements of the group.
The hunter does not go out and becomes a member of the P. T. A. in order to find someone who shares his interests. But rather, he joins a hunting and fishing club.
The same holds true for the Christian. If we want to fellowship with those of like precious faith, we must fellowship with the saints—our brothers and sisters in Christ.
By surrounding ourselves with our Christian friends we can become stronger by their positive influence.
If we are constantly in fellowship with those in the world (via friends, secular books, TV, or other media outlets) eventually they will make us weaker.
I personally have never been to a taffy pull. But we understand the way it works is: you make the taffy, and then you pull it apart into pieces. The taffy is at its toughest when it is rolled into a tight ball. It is when you begin to pull it in different directions that it weakens and becomes more pliable.
We use this illustration to say this. The more one allows himself to be pulled in different directions, the weaker his resolve. He is eventually softened to the point that he adds little, if any, resistance to partaking in the activities he once forsook.
While the resistance to evil is softened, the heart eventually hardens until the individual loses sight of the ultimate prize and no longer desires his inheritance in heaven.
8. Yearning To See The Saviour And Take Others With Us
In conclusion, to keep oneself in the love of God requires that the Christian keep his eye on the prize.
A runner in a race does not keep looking back at the starting line, nor does he watch the other runners so that he may critique their approach to the race. Any distraction from the goal could easily cost him the race. A good runner keeps his eye fixed on the finish line at all times.
Likewise, the christian must keep his mind focused on Heaven. To become distracted with the cares of this world could lead to the Christian’s demise.
Paul is a wonderful example of one who kept his eye on the finish line. He conditioned his mind and body and maintained his spirit daily. He wrote:
“13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).
The Christian must be set apart from the world. He must be truly convicted, having his own faith, so that he may teach others the truth in love. By surrounding himself with those of like precious faith, the keeping will be made easier.
“21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And 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” (Jude 21-23).—
Yours indeed for the cause,
Bro. Robert H. Brown
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