With unfeigned delight and good-will we now turn from the history of the apostasy to consider the practical exhortations addressed to the preserved remnant in Christ. This is happier work; though God has seen it good to foretell, at the commencement of the history of Israel and of the church, what their end would be, This, no doubt, is for the guidance, if not for the warning, of the faithful, and that they may not be surprised, however grieved, at the coming in of evil. Besides, the character and doom of the ungodly in all ages are plainly revealed in the writings of both the Old and the New Testament. But the grand object of the ascended Savior’s gifts unto men is the blessing of His believing ones in divine fullness. “And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Next to the glory of their exalted Lord, this was to be their great work. And even when led to speak of many things which seem to have no direct bearing on their main object—as Paul in his second epistle to Timothy—it was never lost sight of. “Therefore,” says Paul, “I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” 2 Tim. 2:1010Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10).
It never was the intention of the christian ministry to depreciate and censure the saints of God in general terms for the lack of this and because of that.
True, there is always plenty to mourn over, but the style is not apostolic.
Here Jude found it needful to turn aside from his main design, and warn the “ beloved” saints against departure from original standing, and to exhort thorn to hold fast their most holy faith, and, above all, to “ keep themselves in the love of God.” This is the great object of his epistle. The faithful are happily assured, in the first place, of that which is well fitted to nourish this personal confidence and delight in the love of God. “ To them,” he says, “ that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: mercy unto you, and peace, and love be multiplied.” If we have fairly taken in what is here declared, we will have found our own proper sphere of thought and action outside the increasing evil, and will have little difficulty in believing ourselves to be the special objects of His love, as also of His tender care. Here it is strictly individual; it is no question as to the church. “ Keep yourselves in the love of God.” And surely, if I believe that God, in His faithful love, has thus shown His care for me in an evil time, I can have no difficulty in believing that I am a special object of His love, and that I am to make His love the object of my special, supreme, unceasing delight.
KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD.
But some may inquire, What are we to understand by “ keeping ourselves in the love of God?” Just, we think, what is here stated—personal, conscious, enjoyment of the love of God as our sure portion, whatever may be the abounding evil around us. It implies the knowledge of God as He has revealed Himself unto us in Christ, and communion with Him as thus revealed. It is the soul’s refuge as the darkness thickens, and troubles increase. Nations may be quarreling and fighting; the cry of war may be coming from all quarters; the professing church may be passing through the several stages of apostasy, as “ the way of Cain, the error of Balaam, the gainsaying of Core;” but the soul’s hiding-place from the strife of nations and the divisions of the church, is the love of God—the unchangeable love of God; and faith can add, without a question, This is His love to me, for whom He spared nothing, not even His own Son, that I might be cleansed from all my sins, possess eternal life, and be brought into the cloudless enjoyment of His perfect and eternal love. Whatever may occur in the history of the church or of our brethren, He is unchangeable; and the individual soul that remains true amidst the general failure, will find no change in his “ safe retreat”—the changeless love of God.
But first of all we must know God to know love. “For love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:7, 87Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:7‑8).) The divine nature is love, and the believer is a partaker of that nature. We must possess the nature that loves in order to know what love is. “ Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth him.” A son must be the same nature as his father. This is true of all that are born of God. We are partakers of the divine nature morally—love, grace, peace, holiness, mercy, patience, long-suffering, kindness, &c. This is the grand truth to be familiar with if we would know the love of God as our refuge and delight. Let my reader give special heed to this immense prerogative, which flows from the whole doctrine of the epistle. The eternal life which was with the Father has been manifested, and has been imparted to us; thus we are partakers of the divine nature. The affections of that nature, acting in us by the power of the Holy Ghost, in communion with God, who is its source, place us in such a relationship with Him, that we dwell in Him, and He in us. The actings of this nature prove that He dwells in us. We know at the same time that we dwell in Him, because He has given us of His Spirit.
When these truths, so profound, so marvelous, so rich in blessing, are understood, we shall see the force and value of Jude’s exhortation—” Keep yourselves in the love of God.” What can be conceived so near to God as dwelling in Him, and He in us? And this is what the apostle proceeds to explain, or set forth, in the following verses of chapter. But we will only notice verses 9, 10 as their grand foundation. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Here we have our first lesson—the perfect manifestation of divine love to sinners as such. There is no mention of anything required of them; nothing said about law or commandments, but the simple fact that they did not love God, but that He loved them. Here, as lost sinners, we learn that God loved us when we were in our sins, and when we did not love Him, though we ought to have done so, as the law demands. And now, as a believer, I further learn—and can I speak of this without being deeply affected by it?—it was not anything good in me, but my need that drew forth His perfect love, and that in a twofold way—as life, and as propitiation. Being dead in sin, I needed eternal life, a new nature, and I have it in Christ; being guilty, I needed the forgiveness of my sins, cleansing from all defilements, and I have it in Christ, even according to the claims of the divine glory. God never separates these two blessings, life and forgiveness, and neither does faith, but unbelief is ever prone to disconnect them. They are the inseparable heritage of every child of God, and that too as the simple fruit of faith in Christ. We might also add righteousness, for we are made the righteousness of God in Christ. Thus we have a divine title, a divine fitness, and a divine capacity for communion with God, and the enjoyment of His love forever.
But on this foundation-truth there must be no mistake, no misgiving, or we shall fail to enjoy this love. Were it possible to have Christ as life, and not as propitiation, we should be perfectly miserable. To know God in His holiness, and as the Judge of sin, and not to be sure of the forgiveness of all our sins, is misery enough, as many a quickened soul has experienced. This is where doubts and fears come in as the fiery darts of the enemy. Many a truly converted soul has remained long-ignorant of God’s full judgment of sin on the cross, in the precious sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently exposed to the attacks of Satan, and great anguish of spirit. But we must ever hold fast this plain, all-powerful truth, that God, in His love, who gave Christ to be our life, gave Him also to be the propitiation for our sins. It is one of the strange inconsistencies of unbelief for a person to believe the ninth verse, and not the tenth of 1 John 4 It is perfect peace to know Christ as our life, righteousness, and propitiation, and the only way of enjoying God and dwelling in His love.
We have also to beware, at this point, of becoming occupied with our own feelings in place of the truth, or in seeking proofs of our love to God, and our possession of the divine nature in ourselves. This would lead to the greatest confusion and uncertainty. The obvious design of the Spirit in this passage is to fix our attention on the true object of faith—the Son of God. “ In this was manifested the love of God towards us.” How? In what way? Because we feel a change within? No, just the opposite; “Because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” We are assured of His love, not by our own feelings, or any change in us, however real these may be, but in its manifestation towards us in that He has given His only Son, that we might have eternal life, and the full, free, and everlasting forgiveness of all our sins.
Much light is thrown on the exhortation before us in the words of our Lord, in John 15 “ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” By walking as man—the path of the perfect Man on earth—according to the whole mind and will of His Father, He abode in His love. Communion was maintained; He dwelt in the Father’s love. The disciples, in this way, by following His example, and keeping His commandments, would dwell in His love. “ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you,” are wonderful words for the heart. When we have well weighed and understood them, we shall be prepared for what He asks, “ Continue ye in my love.” That He should desire such a thing, what grace! Abide, dwell, keep your-selves in my love!
The commandments of Christ, so frequently spoken of by John, must not be confounded with the commandments of the law. They are entirely different. The law was given to man in the flesh, with the promise of life if he kept it. The commandments of Jesus are His words, sayings, graciously given to the disciples for the direction of the new life which they possessed. Hence the unspeakable importance, as we have already seen, of attending to the words of Jesus. It is in this way that we dwell in His love. “ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him.....If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
Thus we have in the words of our Lord a beautiful exposition of the exhortation, “Keep yourselves in the love of God;” and in His own experience, while He dwelt on earth, a beautiful illustration of the important truth it conveys. May we walk in His path, abide in His love, and enjoy uninterrupted communion with Himself!