Stumbling

December 6

Amos 3-4

Psalm 138:1-3

Proverbs 29:4-6

Jude 1

Stumbling

“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.”  Jude 1:24-25 LSB 

Jude was the brother of Jesus. He grew up with Jesus and his other siblings in the house of Joseph and Mary. Like James, Jude did not believe his big brother was the Messiah until after his death   (John 7:5).  His conversion probably happened sometime between the resurrection and Pentecost.  He was not with his mom at the cross, but he was praying with Mary and his brothers in Acts 1:14.  He is spoken of several times as serving in the early church.  Several decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jude joined the chorus of voices in the New Testament sternly warning about false teachers within the church.  He ended his letter with this doxology to instill confidence in believers and help them understand God’s ability to keep true believers from stumbling and falling away from their faith.  He explained that Jesus is able to present us faultless before His heavenly Father.  This is not achieved through human effort, but through His mercy, grace and saving power. 

This passage provides assurance of salvation and confidence that you cannot lose your salvation.  There are numerous passages that affirm this.  I know this is a struggle for some, but it is important to understand that the idea that we can lose our salvation is not consistent with the gospel message.  We can do nothing to save ourselves.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8 LSB   Likewise, we cannot keep ourselves saved.  We cannot be good enough to save ourselves and we cannot be good enough to keep ourselves saved.  We are wretched sinners and if it was up to us every one of us would fail, but it is not up to us.  Jesus assures us, “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:28-29 LSB   We are sealed with a promise by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  When we are saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us permanently, as a guarantee of our inheritance of eternal life. “In Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13 LSB   Nothing can separate us from God.  “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:28-29 LSB   Those who are saved, are secure because Jesus keeps us from stumbling away from our faith.