Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting- begging! -that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. Jude 1: 3, Message.
Holy Father, we thank You for this faith of our forefathers, the “old-time-religion,” that has been entrusted to us. As we study, may we realize just how blessed we are. May we hold on to our faith for dear life; in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Our Scripture for today is taken from the short letter written by Jude, the brother of James, who was the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ. While the letter is short, it has quite a lengthy list of examples of those upon whom the wrath of God fell; and those who were being preserved for the final judgement. In the midst of all of this is an urgent exhortation by the apostle, for the saints to “fight with everything you have in you.”
Now what were they supposed to put up such a fight for? For their faith! It was this faith that ensured them of “the salvation [they] had in common.” It is interesting how the apostle Jude describes this faith as a “gift,” that had been entrusted to them to “guard and cherish.” His burden over this matter was so great, that he had “dropped everything” he was doing, in order to expedite this letter!
This faith, or, way of life, that he was referring to, is the salvation that comes through grace, by having faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. For Jude, a Jewish Christian, to be saved by the merits of Another, was indeed, a gift! For the typical Jew, the keeping of the law was what guaranteed his or her salvation. Had not their forefathers said to Moses, “Everything God says, we will do” (Exodus 19: 8)[?] But Jesus came, and by taking our place, He had paid for our salvation, IN FULL!
Paul summed it up this way: “If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that its something only God can do, and you trust him to do it-you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked- well, that-trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift” (Romans 4: 4, 5, MSG, emphasis provided)!
This is a gift worth guarding and cherishing; not only because of what you receive; but more so, because of how much the Giver of the gift was willing to pay – His blood. That makes it priceless! If you ever become weary in the Christian journey, just remember both the gift and the Giver; and hold on to your faith for dear life!