THE Savior has given such strong assurances of His keeping His own to the end, that all who rely on His faithfulness may adopt the words of the apostle, and say, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." (2 Tim. 1:1212For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12).) The apostle thus spoke, having the experience of who the Savior is; he spoke out of his heart. To rely on Him whom he had believed was enough; his Savior could not do other than He had promised.
The believer is kept unto salvation.
There is salvation yet to be revealed, even as there is salvation which is now made known. Glory is at hand, and it shall be revealed presently, but now is the time of trial, temptation, and difficulty. Through this time the believer is "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed" (1 Pet. 1:55Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5))—that is, he is kept from this present moment until the revelation of the glory, the full salvation from sin, sorrow, and death.
The power of God is here spoken of. The limit of the keeping is the illimitable power of God. In like manner St. Paul spoke of Jesus, “I am persuaded that He is able to keep." A very strong comfort is here. In view of the many temptations and difficulties to which all are exposed, it is no light thing to be assured that divine power is exercised in keeping all who put their trust in Christ.
Let us rest upon such gracious words as the following: "My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand." (John 10:2929My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:29).)
Resting in faith on such gracious realities makes the believer strong in faith, and sets him giving glory to God. We have not power, ourselves to keep ourselves, but we have in our God and Father, and the Lord our Savior, almighty power for us.
“Kept from falling".
St. Jude writes of “the common salvation," and describes various characters of falling from it. Such evils were growing in his day; they are developing rapidly in our own day. We speak of the spiritual difficulties of the times in which we live; let us never forget that the only wise God our Savior is able to keep us from falling. But let us not forget that, if a true believer departs from the truth of the common salvation, he will fall into some evil. The truth makes us free, and by it our loins should be girded, if we would stand for God and for Christ. Our prayer should be that we may be kept in the truth.
It is a great cheer for the heart to look back upon the centuries that are passed, and to observe how the Lord in His wisdom and power has kept His people. What He has done He will do. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has raised up again and again men who have recalled His church to the truth, without which the church would become darkness.
The keeping of His people is very near to the heart of the Lord. This we know without doubt from His own words to the Father. When He was about to leave the world, He said He had kept in the Father's name those who had been given Him, and He asked for His people who were in the world that the Father would keep them from the evil. (John 17:1515I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (John 17:15).) Hence we know that the people of God are under the keeping of both the Father and the Son. It is through this love and power we are Kept from the evil. Each believer has his own special world to be in, and yet not to be of, and none can live a holy life save by divine power. True, many a backsliding step do God's people too often make, but the feet led again into the path of peace, and the heart humbled and chastened, attest to the unfailing and unchanging keeping of the Savior of His own.
Kept from the evil of the world is absolutely comprehensive. Everything that is not of the Father is of the world; such is the standard the word of God presents to us.