A Work of Grace

"To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ.  2 Mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you."    Jude 1-2   NKJV

This is mostly an unread epistle and yet, it is packed with excellent teaching. Jude was the brother of James and therefore half-brother to Jesus. Initially, during Jesus' ministry, both brothers refused to believe in Jesus' ministry but were saved after the resurrection, finally convinced of what Jesus had been saying. Jude and James were actually part of the praying group who were waiting on the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:14.

Jude wrote this epistle as a warning to believers. Apostates were on the scene, pedalling their unbelief and spreading false teaching to anyone who would listen. Peter had earlier prophesied this would happen (2 Peter 2:21-22) and Jude, wanted to reinforce this to the believers about the truth of Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, this is an epistle of warning and encouragement. God doesn't give us what we deserve. Instead, because of His great mercy, He delivered us from this and transferred our sin onto His Son, Jesus on the cross. As we seek forgiveness, we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams. In fact, we are sanctified - consecrated and set apart for holy purposes. In the New Testament, this was regarded as a work of grace following conversion (Phil 1:6 Warren W Weirsbe.) God calls all of His people to holiness and sanctification, a joining and commitment to Jesus Christ. To speak of us being preserved means, we are recipients of God's choicest blessings. 

We should be on the lookout for apostates. They once were believers but, for one reason or another, chose to fall away and totally renounced Jesus. They are dangerous people, controlled by the devil to confuse believers and completely wreck the life of a church. This is why so many churches split or even close down. Don't be fooled by them; you are a work of grace as we saw before, you also carry God's choicest blessings. You are sanctified and set apart for the work of the King of kings. Therefore, stand up and challenge this false teaching if you need to. 

We'll have more on this subject over the next day or too. However, focus on what you are to Jesus. You are precious - a work of grace. I like that term, it fits nicely. But it is not a cliche, it is the total truth. This is what you are to Jesus.

With this in mind, have a great Easter Monday and bless as many people as you can, with mercy, peace and love.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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