JUDE 20: DEFENSE AGAINST THE APOSTATES, PT. I

Verse 20: But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.

Jude begins by emphasizing that the characteristics of his beloved readers are to be in distinct contrast with those of the apostates. He specifies four personal qualities that his readers should possess as a defense against the deceitfulness of false teachers. Believers, today and until the Lord comes for His church, should endeavor to attain to these same qualities. We will analyze the first two of these personal qualities in this time and the other two will be addressed in the following study.

First, building yourself up on your most holy faith. Because of the confusion over the exact implication of the word ‘faith’ in this verse, this characteristic has not been widely observed in Christianity today. The difficulty lies in the misconception of what exactly is this most holy faith? The word faith has various inferences in Scripture. It can imply the faith one expresses in Christ for salvation (Ephesians 2:8). But it can also refer objectively to the content of that which is believed—body of faith or belief, doctrine;1 denoting the embodiment of absolute truth which encompasses the teachings of Christianity based upon a correct interpretation of Scripture. This is how it is used elsewhere in Scripture2 and to which Jude is precisely referring and what he commanded that we contend earnestly for in verse 3.

Note that the Apostle Paul maintains that the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17), is an integral part of our spiritual armor. Paul informed Timothy of the spiritual objective of Scripture:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

When compared with other Scriptures, we find that it is not a coincidence that Jude advises his readers to continually build themselves up on the doctrinal truths contained in God’s Word. Consistent daily Bible study is the key defense against false teachings. But to study means more than merely reading Scripture—it is meditating, memorizing and integrating the truths of our most holy faith into our consciousness, so that we are able to think God’s thoughts and respond to every circumstance of life in a manner that reflects the reality of Jesus Christ. Just as a building has a solid foundation, God’s Word is our foundation upon which we build level upon level of our understanding of God’s plan for our lives (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:10-11).

A little sermonette on Sunday morning will not maintain a believer throughout the week. If that is all we are getting, its effectiveness would probably last only until Sunday dinner. The fact that there is so little individual study by believers today is the reason that false teachings, divisions and the craving to be entertained has entered the church today, not to mention the negative effect it has had upon our culture.

Secondly, Jude instructs us to consistently be praying in the Holy Spirit—by the powerful intercessory working of God the Holy Spirit. Prayer is the believers’ power-line to the throne of God. And yet the principle guidelines of prayer are rarely understood and employed within Christianity today—specifically, the order in addressing prayer and the scope of prayer requests.

The order of prayer is provided by Our Lord in Matthew 6:9-13. He commands His disciples to begin prayer by addressing the Father. This is the manner in which He prayed at all times, most notably in His great Intercessory Prayer recorded in John 17 and on the cross before “He breathed His last”: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46). We are never directed by Scripture to address prayer to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Prayer is addressed to the Father, our requests are asked in the name of Jesus Christ (Luke 11:2; cf. John 14:13, 16:23), in the power of the Holy Spirit (Jude 20).

Our Lord outlined the scope of our prayers in John 16:23, “if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” But this is not without its reasonable limitations, for our prayers should be in accordance with God’s purposes and that which glorifies Christ. See the converse example in James 4:3 where James pointed out that they were praying with wrong motives—seeking their own pleasures. Prayer is not intended to be a grab bag of personal desires, but instead it is to advance the spiritual plan of God in our lives and in the lives of others. So prayer is divinely intended to be an important function of the believers’ daily life: rejoicing, thanksgiving and prayers for the brethren (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 25) and also for politicians and those in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

It is important to point out that while we are building ourselves up and praying in the Holy Spirit, we are commanded to keep ourselves in the love of God. This will be examined in the next study.

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[1] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1957). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, p. 669.

[2] cf. Galatians 1:23; 3:23; Ephesians 4:5; Philippians 1:27; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:4; Jude 1:3, 20

 

© 2023 David M. Rossi