eternal security

²⁴Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵to 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

Technically, these two verses form the closing to Jude’s letter. But there is far more here than initially meets the eye. As Jude wraps up his heart-felt message to the church, he ends with a stirring tribute to God. In spite of the presence of false teachers and the ongoing need to stand firm in their faith, Jude wanted the believers to whom he wrote to understand the glory and greatness of God.

The Christian life is anything but easy. Nowhere in the New Testament is it presented as a walk in the park or a trouble-free existence devoid of pain or suffering. Jesus Himself told us, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows,” but He went on to say, “take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 6:33 NLT). Paul and Barnabas preached a consistend message in all the churches to which they minisered:

They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. – Acts 14:22 NLT

And Paul warned his young protegé, Timothy:

…everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. – 2 Timothy 3:12 NLT

And Peter offered up a similar warning about the reality of suffering as a non-negotiable aspect of the Christian life.

…if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. – 1 Peter 2:20-21 NLT

But suffering, while inevitable for the Christian, does not have to result in stumbling. The Greek word Jude used is aptaistos and it is made up of the negative participle “a,” which means “no” or “not,” and word that can mean ”falling” or “sinning.” So, Jude is reminding his readers that, while they will experience suffering as a part of their spiritual journey, it doesn’t have to result in them falling into sin. In fact, they can stand firm and remain blameless even in the face of outside pressures and intense forms of suffering. But the best news is that this thriving in the face of suffering is not up to them. It is the work of God.

Jude is simply reinforcing a statement he made earlier in his letter.

I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. – Jude 1:6 NLT

God is going to keep and complete. He is going to finish what He started in their lives. Their faith journey was going to include their salvation, ongoing sanctification, and future glorification. There are no halfway Christians. There are no partial saints. Everyone who is called by God is guaranteed the right to experience the consummation of their spiritual transformation. Paul made this point explicitly clear to the believers in Rome.

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. – Romans 8:30 ESV

Paul spoke of all these things using the past tense. While their glorification had not yet happened, Paul wanted them to see it as guaranteed and as good as done. It was inevitable and unavoidable. Which is why he went on to encourage them to remember that they had been “prepared in advance for glory” (Romans 9:23 BSB). Their future glorification would be the inescapable outcome of their salvation.

And Jude echoes this remarkable truth by stating that God is determined “to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 1:24 ESV). But Jude seems to have more in mind here than the believer’s future glorification. He is reminding them that God has made it possible for them to stand before Him as blameless, right here, right now. He is not describing a state of sinless perfection, but of acceptance before God. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and our acceptance of His payment for our sins, we stand before God covered by the righteousness of Christ. Which is why Paul told the believers in Rome, “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (8:1 NLT).

Our sins have been paid for. Which means our sin debt has been wiped clean. And while we will suffer in this life, we can rest assured that we will survive all this life will throw at us. We can be exactly what Paul said we should be: “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37 ESV).

And the best news is that, one day, all those who have been called by God and have placed their faith in His Son, will stand before the two of them in all of their glory with great joy. And the book of Revelation records John’s vision of that coming day.

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
⁷Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
⁸it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. – Revelation 19:6-8 ESV

And Jude seems to alluding to this very scene in the very last line of his letter. In fact, his words echo those of the saints who will be standing before God and the Lamb in the eternal state.

…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 1:25 ESV

But these words of praise and adoration are not reserved for some future point in time, but are to be a part of each and every believer’s life as they live on this earth. Notice that Jude include the past (before all time), the present (now), and the future (forever). God deserves our praise at all times. He is and always has been worthy of glory, majesty, dominion, and authority. Our circumstances don’t change that reality. Our suffering does not diminish His glory, limit His dominion, or call into question His power or authority. Present affliction shouldn’t cause us to doubt our future glorification. God has it all under control. He who called us will keep us. He who saved us will sanctify us. And He who redeemed us through His Son’s death will one day grant us eternal life. It is a promise of God that was reiterated by the Son of God.

“I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.” – Luke 18:29 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.s

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Words of Encouragement.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. – 1 Thessalonians 4:17 NLT

The Thessalonian believers to whom Paul was writing this letter were wrestling with something. It’s important to keep in mind that, not only were these people new to faith in Christ, but the Christian faith was still in its infancy. The Gospel was being spread around the known world, but it was still a relatively new teaching. And apart from the apostles, there were not a lot of seasoned teachers, pastors, elders or other spiritual leaders. There was no New Testament yet. There was no established or written doctrine to speak of. These new believers had only what Paul and Silas had been able to share with them on their first visit there. And most of what they knew revolved around the basic message of the Gospel – that Jesus had died on the cross as their sin substitute, and had risen from the dead in order to provide them with forgiveness of sin and the assurance of eternal life. Through belief in the saving work of Jesus, these people had been made right with God and given the hope of a restored relationship with God the Father.

But that’s where the confusion came in. Having accepted Jesus as their Savior, they had assumed that they were now part of God’s Kingdom and would enjoy eternal life. And yet, along with suffering and persecution, they had watched as some of their fellow believers had unexpectedly died. Of course, these events triggered questions in their minds. Why had they died? Where had they gone? What would happen to them when Jesus returned? This was all new territory for these new believers and Paul had received word about their confusion and distress. So he wrote them to let them know what to expect. He gave them assurances regarding their deceased brothers and sisters, and comfort about the return of Christ. These people had been grieving. They were sad and confused. They were wondering what their own fate would be, because each of them had fully expected to be around when Jesus came back. Paul had even alluded to it earlier in his letter. “May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people” (1 Thessalonians 3:13 NLT). So it was no wonder they had questions about the state of those who had died since accepting Christ as their Savior.

So Paul tells them, “we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT). Paul assures them that Jesus is going to come back, and when He does, He will bring with Him all those believers who have died prior to that point in time. Paul clearly states, “when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died” (1 Thessalonians 4:14 NLT). This event is what we call the Rapture. It is not the Second Coming of Christ, but the return of Christ for the Church, His bride. In this event, Jesus does not return to the earth, but He comes in the clouds, accompanied by angels and those believers who have died. “Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17 NLT). The words, “caught up” literally mean to be snatched up and are where we get the word Rapture. All believers who are alive at this point in time will be suddenly removed from the earth to meet Jesus in the air. Another important part of this event is that the bodies of those believers who have died will be raised, renewed and reunited with their souls, which have been with Christ in heaven. Then we will all return to heaven, where we will spend eternity with Him.

Paul says, “So encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18 NLT). Why? Because this is our hope. This is our future. Death is not the end. One of the reasons this passage is frequently used in funerals is because it provides us with hope regarding those who have died. If they were in Christ, their souls have gone on to be with Christ. They are no longer with us physically, but they are far from gone and forgotten. And one day, they will return with the Lord to come get us who remain on the earth. That day is coming, We don’t know when. We don’t know exactly how it will all work, but it is going to happen. We can count on it. We can rest in it. We can encourage one another about it. One of two things is going to happen to every single believer. Either we will die and go to be with the Lord, or we will live to see the Lord’s return. So there is no reason for us to grieve like those who have no hope. We know how the story ends, and it ends well.

Father, thank You for the assurance of Your Son’s return for the Church. Thank You for the assurance of our place with You at death. We have nothing to fear and everything to hope for. Don’t let us lose sight of that reality. Our future is secure and settled. Death has been conquered and the eternal security of our souls has been guaranteed by Christ. May we constantly encourage one another with these words. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Devotionary

The Bible Made Accessible and Applicable

Kept By God

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18