Jude 1:21 (KJV)
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
I get amused by John Gill sometimes when he gives several differing ways a passage might be taken. In this case, “Keep yourselves in the love of God” may mean to keep the love of God before us—to remember His love for us. What encouragement, comfort, and peace are brought upon the child of God by thoughts of God’s love set upon us.
Or else, it may mean to remember to love Him, and to endeavor to grow in our love for the Lord. We love Him because He first loved us, but that we love Him is also a matter of choice and discipline. Love not the world. Yet it is easy to love the things of the world if we do not focus our love upon Him.
Or else, it may mean that we can keep ourselves and protect ourselves from the attacks of the enemy through the love of God. Satan is certainly our adversary. He hates us and would devour us at the slightest opportunity. It is the love of God—staying close to the Lord, submitting to Him, obeying His commandments—that keeps us near enough to the Lord that the devil has less opportunity.
Is there one of these interpretations that is more true than the others? I think not. Consider that none of them are private interpretations, neither are they “spiritualizations” of the text. They are honest, accurate, and appropriate ways of understanding the passage, each one having as much merit as the others, and therefore each one carrying weight.
Did God mean for one to be applied more than another?
Only eternity will tell.
#KeepYourselvesInTheLoveOfGod #Jude121 #MercyUntoEternalLife #WalkingInGodsLove #StandCloseToTheLord
Are You Staying Close Enough to God to Stand Against the Enemy? How God’s Love Protects, Comforts, and Keeps His Children
What do you think Jude meant by “Keep yourselves in the love of God”? Do you see this as remembering His love, growing in our love for Him, or staying close enough to Him for protection from the enemy? Leave a comment below—I’d truly enjoy hearing your thoughts.
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