To Him Who is Able

“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 vv. 24-25 ESV)

This letter from our Lord’s half-brother, Jude, is only 25 verses in length, yet it provides much-needed teachings to the first Century Christians as well as to us today. Jude, one of four half-brothers of our Lord Jesus, came to saving faith in Jesus after Jesus’ resurrection. He and James were noted followers and evangelists for their brother and spent their lives proclaiming this Gospel of Grace.

Early in his letter, he uses many Old Testament references and illustrations to bring to the remembrance that the truth of faithfulness to the Word of God is what allows God’s people to stand against false teachings. In verse 11, he reminds his readers that false teachers have always plagued God’s people, “Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.” 

Even though separated by multiple centuries, these same types of ungodly persons continue to teach falsely about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus today. In 16 verses, Jude shows his readers the character of these false teachers and their intended purposes. These false teachers had crept into the living church “…saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (v. 4) and that “It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.” (v. 19). These types of false teachers have been attacking the true gospel of grace from the very beginning of the Church.

Then, in verses 17-25, Jude specifically calls out, “But you beloved must remember…”. You see, the only effective defense the Church has against such false teachings is remembering the words of “the apostles and of our Lord Jesus Christ…”.  It is the Word of God that changes people; it is the Word of God that causes the blind to see and the deaf to hear; it is only the Word of God that allows someone dead in their sins to awaken to new life in Christ.

Jude tells us in verses 24-25 how we, as followers of Jesus and beloved by the Father, can stay true to the Word of God. He says, “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.”

Once again, we are taught that we cannot effectively fight the attacks of the evil one on our own, but it is indeed our Lord Jesus who is able to keep us from stumbling and present us blameless before the Throne of Grace.

So beloved, stand firm against false teachings and examine everything that you are taught. Make sure that the teachings of the Apostles and our Lord Jesus are being followed. When you find that these inevitable false teachers find their way into our churches, then trust in Him to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the Father. Know His Word, study it to understand His teachings, and stand firm against anyone that “…denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"