Beloved Brethren: The epistle we now have before us, while very short, embraces a vast historical period. It presents to us the apostasy of Christendom from the earliest elements that crept into the assembly to corrupt it, in the days of the apostles, down to its final judgment at the appearing of the Lord. This epistle shows us how the Church, forsaking the truths which God had entrusted to her, has made rapid progress toward ungodliness which will culminate in the rejection of the Father and of the Son. In that day, still future, moral darkness will replace the light of the gospel shining at present in this world; nevertheless we see at work even today the various elements which characterize the apostasy. And the epistle of Jude instructs us regarding the attitude to be taken by every Christian in our day toward this evil, and the manner in which he may glorify God in these sad circumstances. Let us ever remember that the Christian can glorify God just as completely in a time of ruin as in the most prosperous of the early days of the Church. Circumstances have changed, no doubt; but God may be honored by His own, honored in a different manner perhaps, but just as truly as when the Spirit fell on the disciples at Pentecost. God does not ask us today to rebuild that which we have ruined ourselves, nor to deport ourselves in the midst of Christendom as if all were in order, closing our eyes to its declension; but He reveals to us a way which leads us through the midst of ruins, a path approved and known of Him, which the eagle's eye could never see, but which faith learns to discern.
Notice first of all the very general way in which Jude defines the Christians to whom he writes: "Jude, bondman of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to the called ones beloved in God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. v. 1; J.N.D. Trans. The other epistles are addressed to them in very different words; it is true that they are there named twice, "called saints"; that is to say, saints by, calling, but never just "called." When God wants to win a soul to Him, He begins by calling it. It is thus he did with Abraham, the father of believers; and one could not give to the children of God a character more general than this. It takes them all in, for they are all called, without a single exception.
Do we not find here a very evident intention? This epistle which deals with the present times, is an appeal to all the children of God, excluding none, without distinction of walk or of knowledge, and regardless of what might divide them. All then are responsible to listen and to conform to it. Hence this term "called," at once so broad and so individual. When an apostle addressed a local assembly, many a Christian who was not a part of it might have (in this, very unintelligently, no doubt) considered himself not bound by the whole contents of his epistle. With Jude, such a thought would be inexcusable. Every member of God's family in this world must say to himself, The Lord is here speaking personally, individually to me.
It is to be remarked that there are two things which give to these "called" an absolute certainty as to their relationship with God. They are "beloved in God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ." There should never be in God's great family a single soul doubting its relationship with the Father, and not having the certainty of its salvation. Let those who doubt it meditate these words: The love of the Father for you is as perfect as His love toward Christ, His beloved; this is why He says to you, "beloved in God the Father." Your security is as perfect as that of Jesus Christ's. For this reason He says to you, "Preserved in Jesus Christ." If the salvation of those who are called were dependent upon their faithfulness, not one of them could _reach the end of his career. We are equally powerless to keep as to save ourselves. Our eternal security is assured, not because we are faithful, but because God in love sees us in Christ before Him.
The salutation of the Apostle is of great importance: "Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied." v. 2. In the epistles to Timothy, the word "mercy" is part of the salutation, but none of the epistles addressed to an assembly of Christians contains this word. It is because mercy is a necessary thing, not to an assembly collectively, but to each believer individually. I am a poor, weak being, failing in many ways, exposed to continual dangers. My state calls for divine compassion which comes to my assistance, warns me, is interested in all the details of my walk. Such is the character of mercy. But here, a collective epistle, addressed to all who are called, without distinction, invokes mercy upon them. How are we to explain this anomaly? For the very solemn reason that in a time of ruin Christian testimony takes a character increasingly more individual. This does not in any way signify, as one sometimes hears it said to believers discouraged before an ever growing tide of evil, that Christian testimony can no longer have the collective character of an assembly of saints. Those who thus speak are in gross error, and this very epistle of Jude proves it. It mentions people who crept in among the faithful, that are spots in their feasts; their very presence is a proof that there exists an assembly of saints. But the teaching we get here is that we are bound in presence of the terrible moral state of Christendom, to be more and more faithful in our individual testimony, for God takes special notice of this. Doubtless, the hearts of intelligent Christians can rejoice together over the blessed privilege afforded them to unite around the Lord's table—blessed token of collective testimony, and proclamation of the unity of the body of Christ in a time when it is trodden under foot in professing Christendom. Needless to say, the testimony today is extremely feeble compared to what it was at the beginning; nevertheless, God takes notice of it, for that which is most elevated in Christianity, worship, is connected with the gathering of His children apart from the world. But that which we insist upon is that if our collective testimony can be so impoverished that it is reduced to the gathering of two or three around the Lord, individual testimony should in no wise suffer such hindrances. It can be as powerful as when the Holy Ghost filled the Christians individually in the early days of the Church. The Holy Spirit's power in the individual is no more limited now than it was then, if we are careful not to grieve the Divine Guest in our walk, while the Church's worldliness and unfaithfulness, its ruin in short, necessarily restrains the Spirit's operation in the assembly.
An individual testimony faithfully maintained in the present time, a holy separation from evil in all its forms, are all the more necessary when because of prevailing iniquity in the Church, we cannot look for much support and help from our brethren; but the Lord remains, and we can count entirely upon Him.
Here, perhaps, many Christians will interrupt me. You are speaking, they say, of the progress of evil, of Christendom's state of ruin, of its impending judgment. You seem to intentionally turn away your eyes from all the good that is being done around you, the activity in our churches, the considerable amount of efforts put forth for charity and solidarity which characterize the Christian world today, of the immense sums spent to promote the kingdom of God. I am far from denying all that faith produces among the children of God, but my answer to those who thus reason is, God considers not the state of Christendom as you do, nor as the world does. He judges the state of men by the manner in which they deport themselves toward His Son and toward the Scriptures that reveal Him; and you would not be sincere if you sought to deny that the professing body to which you belong is making rapid progress toward the surrendering of the Word and the denial of the Son of God.
This character of God's judgment is confirmed by the Scriptures from beginning to end. It is the moral state of the world toward God, not its material progress or its estimation of its attainments and of its devotedness that gives the measure of God's judgment. Complete apostasy consists of the denial of the Father and of the Son, and it is what the epistle of Jude, the second epistle of Peter, and the first of John, among others, set forth in all clearness. Satan has a thousand ways to turn men away from God and to blind them by feeding their pride and keeping them occupied with their progress, which is not the least of his wiles.
"Peace, and love, be multiplied"! (v. 2). Dear brothers and sisters, this is what the Apostle wishes for us all. He does not speak here of the peace with God, and of His love to which nothing can be added, but he desires that we realize these in a practical way. He knows the Christian's difficulties in these last days, when the world is characterized on the one hand by perpetual restlessness, and on the other by the coldness of all legitimate affections and by selfishness which primes all other considerations. "Love be multiplied"! I believe, dear friends, that if in the present days the "called" of the Lord should receive in their hearts what the Spirit of God wishes for them here, they would all be good witnesses of Jesus Christ. The enemy seeks in every way to cool off love which is the bond between the children of God. He must not be successful in this. It is never difficult for us to see and point out evil in others, but is the discovering of evil a remedy? No, it is love that heals, restores, and strengthens our brethren in their walk. Grace wins the heart; severity may repress evil, but it has never won anyone. If it is so with our brethren, it likewise applies in connection with the gospel preached to the world. Grace attracts, reaches the conscience, produces repentance, brings to Christ, and if it is necessary to tell man the truth to make him understand how far he is from God, it is grace which bares his condition to remedy it, for grace and truth. came by Jesus Christ. In a time when the love of many has grown cold, and iniquity abounds, do we not all need that love be multiplied?