God is Able to Keep You From Stumbling

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25 ESV)

In context, Jude was writing to the church, the body of Christ, and he was cautioning them and warning them against people who were within the gatherings of the church who were ungodly, but who were most likely putting on a show of righteousness on the outside. For it says that they had crept into the gatherings unnoticed, not that the people could not physically see them, but that the Christians did not realize who these people were in character and in purpose. And some were the shepherds of the flock.

For, in character and in practice, these people are ungodly people who are perverting the grace of God into sensuality and are denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ, by their words and by their actions. For they are teaching most likely what so many are teaching today which is that we can make a one-time profession of faith in Christ, have all our sins forgiven, and be on our way to heaven, and that nothing can take that away from us, but regardless of how we live. But that is not biblical.

So these people are like Cain, whose deeds were unrighteous, who killed his brother whose deeds were righteous. And they are the sexually immoral, shepherds feeding only themselves, who follow their own sinful desires. But they are also loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. And they are scoffers following their own ungodly passions. And they are those causing divisions in the gatherings of the church, etc.

So, when it says here that God is able to keep us from stumbling (or from struggling in sinful addiction) and to present us blameless (morally pure), this is not speaking of a status of righteousness. For in 1 John 3 we read that those who are righteous in the sight of God are those who make righteousness their practice, who walk in righteousness and in holiness and in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin. It is not saying that we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2), but sin should no longer be our habit (deliberately).

And this is why we need to read these two verses in the context of the whole book of Jude, which is just one chapter, because the context has to do with those who are not living righteously, and who are living ungodly lives, and who are living in immorality, etc., and who are under the judgement of God. And so this is an encouragement to us that, if we are truly in Christ, that God is able to keep us from deliberately and habitually sinning against him, but we have to cooperate with him in doing what he says to do.

And what God says we need to do is we need to die with him to sin, not just once, but daily, and that we need to follow him in obedience to his commands under the New Covenant, and that we are to live holy and godly and upright and self-controlled lives in the power of God. In our flesh we can’t do this. We will fail every time. But in the power of God, if we cooperate with him, and we do what he says, we can live in victory over sin and Satan and we can live holy and godly lives to the glory of God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

God is Able to Keep You From Stumbling

Video Talk

August 20, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycbgAB02yg

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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