Jude 1:20,21

‘But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.'

Jude now seeks to turn their minds from all the error and from all the distraction that he has been describing towards the triune God, Who alone is God. They are to pray in the Holy Spirit, keep themselves in the love of God, and look for the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Compare for this combination of the three members of the Godhead together Matthew 28:19; 2Co 12:14; 1 Peter 1:2.

Once again the term ‘beloved' is a reminder of what is central to the Christian faith. ‘By this will all men know that you are my disciples if love one another' (John 13:35).

And they are to ‘be building themselves up on their most holy faith.' The necessity for the continual building up the body of Christ is constantly emphasised in the Apostolic letters, and the aim of it is so as to achieve a central oneness in Him as His church grows more and more like Him. They are being built into a holy Temple in the Lord. Compare 1 Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 4:12; Colossians 2:6; 1Th 5:11; 1 Peter 2:5; 2 Peter 3:18.

And the building up is to be continual and it is ‘on their most holy faith', in other words it is to be on the central teaching about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, having in mind especially Their work in bringing about the full and final salvation of the people of God to His glory.

Notice the contrast between these words and the divisions and the lust of the previous verse. The aim is not to be a dividing but a building up. It is not to be aiming at sensuality but to be aiming at holiness. It is not to be devoid of the Spirit but to be dependent on Him. And he then stresses how they are to do this.

· They are to pray in the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself emphasised that those who would worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Prayer, in other words, is meaningless unless it is inspired by His Spirit and in accordance with the truth. In the same way when Paul spoke of combating the activities of Satan and his minions by putting on the armour of God his final exhortation was that we should ‘pray at all seasons with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watch thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all saints' (Ephesians 6:10).

How then do we pray in the Spirit? It is by being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:16) as a result of our lives being open and transparent before God, with all our sin dealt with (1 John 1:7), so that we have become dead to ourselves in order that we might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). It is by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him, which is our reasonable service, and not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewal of our minds in order that that we might prove that good, acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1), with the result that we continue instant in prayer (Romans 12:12). It is by walking step by step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24) and praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

And the reason that we can pray in the Spirit is because ‘God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). Nevertheless if we would pray in the Spirit our hearts must be forgiving, for if they are not neither will God forgive us (Matthew 6:14). And if we regard iniquity in our hearts the Lord will not hear us (Psalms 66:18).

· They are to keep themselves in the love of God. Nothing is more important for us than to maintain our awareness that we are within God's love (Ephesians 3:16). It is in that love that we have peace and security. Jude has already told us that we are ‘beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ' (Jude 1:1), and his point is now that this is an awareness that we must continually maintain by the study of the word and through prayer. Once we have truly believed in Jesus Christ then being in His love is not something that we actually have to do anything about. We do not fall in and out of His love. Our place is secure in Him, because our lives are hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:4). What Jude is stressing is the importance of keeping ourselves aware of the wonder of it, and of, by obedience, maintaining the assurance of His love. For those who know that they are hidden in the love of God in Christ live at perfect peace and nothing can disturb their peace. We remember that ‘Herein is love, not that we love God but that He loves us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins' (1 John 4:10). In Him then we have all.

· They are to look for the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ, to eternal life. In contrast to the ungodly persons who look to a number of saviours they are to keep all their hopes fixed in the Lord, Jesus Christ Himself. They are to remember that it is in Him, and in His mercy alone, that forgiveness and life is secure. Jesus Christ is to be all.