God is able
Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25 CSB
At the end of most apostolic letters, we see a doxology, a short formula expressing praise to God, describing Him or His actions as blessed, with an enumeration of the actions that He performs through Christ. Here in Jude, we see, as some commentators describe it, one of the loftiest doxologies found in Scripture. As a little side note, during college, I was in a choir, and at the end of every concert, we would sing this passage as a blessing to the congregations that we performed to. Remember the purpose of Jude’s letter? In verse 3, it says, “I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.” Jude then spoke on the dangers of the false teachers that infiltrated the congregation, the consequences of their sinful behavior, and the practical action steps to avoid following them. And yet, Jude had hoped he could have written a different letter at the beginning of verse 3, “Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share.” In this last sentence, Jude gets to do just that. After all, in the face of all the possible difficulties ahead the church receiving this letter, Jude reminds them that God is “able to protect [them] from stumbling.” Psalm 73:23-24 says, “Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward You will take me up in glory.” As we follow God and put our trust in Him, He will also guide us away from the temptations that we face, especially against the false teachers and their doctrines and the fear of falling to them. And we also cannot lose our salvation once we place our faith in Him. Jude also reminds the believers that in the end, they will all be in the presence of their Savior, cleansed and “without blemish and with great joy.” We can see this in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.” Finally, Jude affirms God’s glory, His majesty, power and authority, all, “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Because of the work of Jesus on the cross, we will be presented before our God without fault if we have that relationship with our Savior. Forever and ever, we will be joining in with the angels and saints singing praises to our God. What a joyous day that will be! In the meantime, we are called to contend for the faith, being encouraged by the salvation that we have been so blessed to have. May this closing prayer, this doxology, by Jude be in our hearts as an encouragement to face the challenges of our days with great joy and of the hope that comes ahead.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
