“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,
To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.” [1]
A little boy once asked his father, “Daddy, what is a Christian?” The dad patiently explained to his son what it is to be a Christian and all that God does in the life of a Christian. He spoke of the change God creates in the life of a Christian, giving careful attention to the evidence that Christ rules in the life of the Christian. When the father had at last given his best effort at describing what a Christian is, completing his explanation, the little boy asked, “Daddy, do we know one?”
What is a Christian? As an unbelieving world looks at the way you and I live out our lives before that world, would they be able to say what a Christian is by the evidence witnessed through how we live? How would you describe what a Christian is to someone inquiring what a Christian is? Should the people who live around you ask, “What is a Christian?” how will you respond to their question?
The little letter Jude wrote is addressed to a specific people. He identifies those to whom he wrote by means of the characteristics given in the opening verse of this brief missive. The letter is addressed to “those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.” And these words provide us with an understanding of what a Christian should look like.
The term “Christian,” carries different meanings in the estimate of different people. The term has become confused in the mind of many who assume that a Christian is anyone living in the western world. The assumption is that anyone from Canada, from the United States, from Australia, or from most European nations must be a Christian. Most Canadians think of themselves as being Christian, though the percentage of those actively participating in a religious organisation associated with Christendom are a distinct minority in the nation. By this criterion, anyone from India is a Hindu, a person from Gaza, Iran, or Syria must be a Muslim, and anyone from Israel is deemed to be a Jew. Even a brief consideration of that idea will prove it is errant. Followers of Christ are found throughout the world, though they may be a minority within their home nation.
It may interest you to know that the followers of the Risen Christ were not identified as Christians at the first. The earliest worshippers of Jesus—He is the Christ—were referred to as “Followers of The Way.” They were seen as a sect of the Jews, in no small measure because those first followers were themselves Jewish. Those who opposed the worship of Jesus as the Christ spoke of these first followers of Jesus as “The Way.” This was appropriate as the worshippers themselves identified as “The Way.”
In ACTS 9:1-2, we read, “Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”
We are given an account of opposition to Paul’s message as he ministered in Ephesus. It was at that time that we are told, “[Paul] entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus” [ACTS 19:8-9]. Later, in this same chapter, Doctor Luke writes about a riot in the city of Ephesus arising when certain individuals took offense at the group they identified as “The Way” [see ACTS 19:8-9]. Thus, we see that “The Way” was the identifying term to speak of those who worshipped the Risen Saviour.
When Paul presented his defense before Felix, he identified himself as belonging to “The Way.” Luke records Paul’s defense in this fashion, “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” [ACTS 24:10-16].
It was during this period that those of “The Way” were first called “Christians.” Luke informs us that “in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” [ACTS 11:26b]. The term, “Christian,” may have been coined by those opposed to “The Way” in an attempt to ridicule the worshippers of Christ Jesus. The term grew in popularity among the pagans, but the followers of Christ began slowly to identify themselves with this term. After all, Jesus Himself did say of His followers, “You belong to Christ” [see MARK 9:41]. From Roman writers we find evidence that the term was in common use among Roman citizens by the reign of Nero, and throughout the rest of the empire. [2] By the end of the second century, the term appears to have become well established among the faithful. [3]
It was at some point during the second century that an unknown person asked a learned Christian scholar, “What is a Christian?” The Christian Faith was then spreading rapidly throughout the Empire, and the people identified as Christians were becoming known as strange and unwilling to assimilate into the culture that then prevailed. Many current scholars believe the answer to that question was drafted by the Christian apologist, Justin Martyr. The answer is found in a brief missive identified as “The Epistle to Diognetus.” Whether it was actually sent to someone named Diognetus, and whether it was actually written by Justin Martyr, is unknown. The antiquity is unquestioned, and the response is well thought out. It presents a response that is worthy of our consideration and even adopting as the standard by which we who follow the Master should conduct our lives in the world even in this day. Here is what was written in the Second Century and presented in “The Epistle to Diognetus.”
“Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, language, or custom. (2) For nowhere do they live in cities of their own, nor do they speak some unusual dialect, nor do they practice an eccentric lifestyle. (3) This teaching of theirs has not been discovered by the thought and reflection of ingenious men, nor do they promote any human doctrine, as some do. (4) But while they live in both Greek and barbarian cities, as each one’s lot was cast, and follow the local customs in dress and food and other aspects of life, at the same time they demonstrate the remarkable and admittedly unusual character of their own citizenship. (5) They live in their own countries, but only as aliens; they participate in everything as citizens and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign country is their fatherland, and every fatherland is foreign. (6) They marry like everyone else, and have children, but they do not expose their offspring. (7) They share their food but not their wives. (8) They are ‘in the flesh,’ but they do not live ‘according to the flesh.’ (9) They live on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. (10) They obey the established laws; indeed in their private lives they transcend the laws. (11) They love everyone, and by everyone they are persecuted. (12) They are unknown, yet they are condemned; they are put to death, yet they are brought to life. (13) They are poor, yet they make many rich; they are in need of everything, yet they abound in everything. (14) They are dishonored, yet they are glorified in their dishonor; they are slandered, yet they are vindicated. (15) They are cursed, yet they bless; they are insulted, yet they offer respect. (16) When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when they are punished, they rejoice as though brought to life. (17) By the Jews they are assaulted as foreigners, and by the Greeks they are persecuted, yet those who hate them are unable to give a reason for their hostility.” [4]
The broad terms of identifying the followers of Christ as Christians have not changed in the ensuing millennia. In many respects, we who are twice born are indistinguishable from those of this world. We eat the same foods, work at the same trades and professions, dress in a manner that does not differ from the world, except we value modesty. It is in our character and in our relationships that we are distinguished from the inhabitants of the world. We reveal a courtesy that is not always evident in the world, and a generosity that flows from a heart that has been transformed. We are always conscious of how our conduct reflects on who we are. Therefore, we would do nothing to dishonour our Father. But what does the Word have to say of us who are Christians?
CHRISTIANS ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE BELOVED IN GOD THE FATHER. In the Greek text, the first term Jude employs is that those to whom he wrote are “beloved in God the Father.” Some later manuscripts employed a word which both looks and sounds very similar in the Greek language, which would demand that we translate the phrase as “sanctified in God the Father.” This accounts for the reading found in older versions of our Bible. The reason our translation begins with the fact that those to whom the letter is addressed are those “called” probably has to do with the fact that the translators want us to be certain that this epistle is specifically addressed to Christians. There is nothing wrong with this particular order; it is certainly permissible, and may even give some insight. But we will deal with that matter in a while. For the moment, what is important is that we see that those addressed are recipients of God's love.
There is something further in this text which does not immediately meet the eye in our translation. One contemporary translation treats this designation in the following manner: “wrapped in the love of God the Father.” [5] It is a beautiful treatment revealing the thrust of the underlying Greek text. That verb translated “beloved” in our text is in the perfect tense. As you have heard me state in previous studies, when the perfect tense is used, the force of the verb is that of an ongoing action. The virtually automatic understanding of those first readers would be that not only has God loved them in the past, but that He continues to love them now, and He does so perfectly. In other words, Jude is writing to people who can speak of an ongoing experience of love with God. What is a Christian? A Christian is one who is now loved by God the Father; and thus, a Christian is one who is “wrapped in the love of God the Father.”
While it is true that “God so loved the world that He gave…” [see JOHN 3:16], in a more restrictive sense still Christians are the particular objects of God's love. To the disciples, and hence to all who would follow in the Faith, Jesus declared, “The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God” [JOHN 16:27]. This is a strong statement which must surely comfort us who have believed. Though we responded to the love God has for us, having responded we discover that we are loved precisely because we have responded! And this is but an iteration of the words of our Lord found elsewhere in the Gospel of John.
Perhaps you will recall Jesus promising His followers, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him…” Again, Jesus has assured us who know Him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” [JOHN 14:21, 23].
What Jesus promised anticipates a request He made of the Father when He prayed, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” [JOHN 17:20-23]. The surest evidence that God loves me is that I love God—and that is not a mere emotional sensation, but a deep commitment to serve Him.
One morning this week past I was pondering the issue of God’s love. As I reflected on the concept of God’s love, the thought loomed large in my mind, “We love because he first loved us” [1 JOHN 4:19]. According to the revelation provided in this verse, I would not know love except for the fact that God loved me first. Only as I experience God’s love can I know what it is to be loved. More than that, I would never have known how to love except that I had first experienced the love of God. But now, having loved Him because He first loved me, to my joy I discover that “The Father himself loves [us], because [we] have loved [Christ] and have believed that [He] came from God” [JOHN 16:27]. In other words, my capacity to love is derived from the love which God first showered on me, but having loved Him whom the Father sent, God's love is enhanced! Such knowledge is beyond comprehension; I am compelled to revel in the love of God, rejoicing that He loves me. What a marvelous God we serve!
CHRISTIANS ARE THOSE KEPT FOR JESUS CHRIST. There is an interesting aside here worthy of your noting in the margin of your own Bible. The ESV, which I prefer for the pulpit reads that the letter is addressed to “those … kept for Jesus Christ.” This is quite a literal translation of what Jude has written. While it is certainly legitimate for the Christian to refer to his security in Christ the Lord, and while it is certainly proper to speak of being kept by Christ, Jude’s focus is on the fact that we are reserved for Jesus Christ. The importance of this seemingly minor point will become clearer as we continue in our study. For the moment, let’s focus our attention on this aspect of being “kept.”
When we see that word “kept,” it should convey to our mind an image of security. We who are saved are maintained in a secure position in Christ. The word Jude uses speaks of watchful care or close attention. But the word would be a neutral verb were it removed from its context. The word is used to describe Peter's incarceration, for example, “Peter was kept in prison … sentries before the door were guarding the prison” [ACTS 12:5-6].
The same word is used of when we are told of Paul’s imprisonment. We are informed, “Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea…” [ACTS 25:4]. Later, in the same chapter, Festus explains the Apostle’s incarceration, stating, “When Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar” [ACTS 25:21]. From these examples, we see that the word could quite reasonably refer to enforced detainment.
But in a more friendly sense, the verb speaks of preservation from harm. Among the comforting verses which ought to be brought to mind are the opening verses of Peter’s First Missive and a latter verse in the First Letter of the Apostle of Love. Opening his first missive, Peter has written, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” [1 PETER 1:3-4]. As redeemed followers of the Christ, we are assured that the inheritance which we are promised is kept in Heaven. And our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading! What God has promised us as His people can never be “destroyed, corrupted, or changed” [ISV].
The passage in John’s First Letter to which I referred, reads, “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him” [1 JOHN 5:18]. God “protects” the twice-born child. We can’t imagine better protection than that! This is an iteration of Jesus’ testimony to religious scholars who wanted to denigrate His power to keep His people safe. Recall that the Master testified, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” [JOHN 10:27-30].
To enforce the verb employed, Jude uses the perfect tense in this instance as well. In other words, not only are those to whom he writes—Christians—kept, but they are continually kept safe from harm. Do you remember the model prayer our Lord gave to His disciples, the prayer that is recited in churches throughout the world to this day?
“Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,
may your kingdom come,
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation.”
And then we have that concluding request, which is so easy to say, but so difficult to comprehend:
“but deliver us from the evil one.”
[MATTHEW 6:9b 13 NET BIBLE 2nd]
That final request is nothing less that a plea for our God to remember the safe keeping of His own—safe keeping which He has promised. And Jude informs us that it is the very fact that we are kept safe which distinguishes us as Christians! Child of God, one of the surest marks that you are a Christian is God’s preserving power that now keeps you safe.
As we pray, we ask, not so much that we might never experience trial or hardship, but that we might not succumb to evil. Though we do not seek the pressures of life for ourselves, by the same token we realize that those pressures are used by God to produce a faith which shall not leave us ashamed. God works through the pressures we experience to accomplish His will in our lives. I find it to be a great encouragement to know that God is always working to fulfil His will for my life, even when it seems as if my world is crashing down around me. God has promised His presence. “[God] has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” [HEBREWS 13:5b]. And as a follower of the Risen Lord of Glory I have the promise of the Saviour Who has assured me as His child, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” [MATTHEW 28:20]. And the assurance is given to each one who is born from above and into the Kingdom of God. Amen.
Perhaps you will recall the progress revealed when the Apostle Paul writes, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” [ROMANS 5:1-5].
We are not promised freedom from persecution or pressure, but we are promised deliverance from evil. That is the hope we who are saved must seize upon. We shall be delivered into the presence of Christ the Lord without stain or blemish, free from everything, free from anything that could possibly contaminate our perfection in Him. Therefore, we are kept for Him.
Now follow the divine logic we have received. We are ever watched by our Father, being kept for the purpose of being delivered unharmed to His Son Jesus Christ. My mind turns automatically to the myriads of verses which speak of the loving care of God. In a time of despair, the Psalmist would pray:
“I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
“Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who surround me.”
[PSALM 17:6-9]
And here we discover that that prayer is heard for every believer, and answer is already given. God has promised His keeping power is at work for each Christian.
Christians are kept for Jesus Christ; we are reserved for His holy purpose. Whatever else that revelation may mean, it assuredly looks forward to His return and our reign with Him. According to the Word we who follow the Risen Saviour are now saved. What else can it mean when we read, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” [EPHESIANS 2:8]. And were that somehow insufficient to allay whatever fears we may harbour, we also have the Lord’s promise, “[God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” [TITUS 3:5].
Wonderful as that promise is, we are also told that we are being saved. Perhaps you have read and marvelled at the words written to the Christians in Corinth. The Spirit of God prompted the Apostle to inform them, and thus inform us, “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” [1 CORINTHIANS 1:18]. In a second letter to that church Paul would again write, “We are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” [2 CORINTHIANS 2:15].
We are saved, and we are being saved; but our salvation will be complete at His return. This is what is meant when we read, “Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” [HEBREWS 9:28]. Salvation at last will be complete at the return of Christ our Lord, according to the beloved Apostle, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” [1 JOHN 3:2]. This is the blessed hope of the believer, founded on nothing less than God's own word. Amen.
Child of God, let me encourage you to look forward to a future time promised for every child of God. Our imperishable, unspoiled, unfading inheritance is reserved in heaven. Peter has testified “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” [1 PETER 1:3-4]. Great as that is, Peter goes beyond when he writes in the next verse that, “by God’s power [we] are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” [1 PETER 1:5].
We who are saved are guarded, watched over by God the Father Himself until our Lord Jesus Christ comes for us. When He returns as He has promised our salvation shall then be complete, fulfilling the intent of the ancient apostolic prayer delivered when Paul seeks the blameless preservation of Christian's. The Apostle prays, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” [1 THESSALONIANS 5:23].
And this prayer is assured of being answered because we who are redeemed are “by God’s power … being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” [1 PETER 1:5]. Belonging to Christ the Risen Lord, we who are redeemed are kept safe for Him, just as our own inheritance is reserved in the security vaults of heaven itself. We are kept for Jesus Christ, and He who keeps us is “able to keep [us] from stumbling and to present [us] blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” [JUDE 24].
CHRISTIANS ARE THOSE WHO ARE CALLED. Loved by God and kept safe for Jesus Christ, do you wonder that Christians are “those who are called.” Recall the numerous studies of that misunderstood and misrepresented doctrine of God’s calling which have been presented from this pulpit in the many weeks past. Christians may, upon looking back, discover that they were called to salvation. The idea expresses the divine initiative to which every man is responsible to respond. The verbal adjective “called” is almost used as a title for redeemed souls in the New Testament. The term frequently appears as a technical term identifying Christians. The reason behind that use is that the concept of God’s call was a vivid personal experience to each Christian. We who are saved know that as a result of God’s divine call we have passed from sin and death into the redeemed life which Christ gives to His people. The term “called” refers to God’s call to all people through the Gospel message and the response of we who have believed to the divine initiative.
The author of our call is God, and the nature of our call is holiness. As he opens his first Letter to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul writes, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” [1 CORINTHIANS 1:2]. As followers of the Risen Lord of Glory, we are “called to be saints,” called to be holy and set apart for God’s holy purpose.
As he opens his first missive, Peter reminds his readers that God has called His saints to be holy. Peter writes, “As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” [1 PETER 1:15-16].
The call to holiness is a call resulting in the working out in life and character of that which God desires for us. Surely, that is what we see when the Apostle to the Gentiles writes, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” [PHILIPPIANS 2:12-13].
Even more pointed is the admonition penned by the Apostle to the Jews when he writes, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall” [2 PETER 1:10].
This calling we received originated in the secret purposes of God Himself, and is thus great enough to embrace Heaven itself and every aspect of our life. This becomes apparent when the Apostle writes, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” [ROMANS 8:28]. God’s eternal purpose is for us who are called to share in His glory, just as we witness when an unknown writer states, “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession” [HEBREWS 3:1]. God’s purpose is being revealed in us who are redeemed, and we share in a heavenly calling. Dear saints of God, there is nothing about us or about our destiny that is irrelevant to the call of God. For this reason, God’s call forms the fitting climax to this description of a Christian and his privileged position. God loves the follower of Christ. God keeps him. God calls him. The attributes are chosen deliberately and with utmost care. God’s action demands faithful response from those who have received such grace.
To fully explore the ramifications of this call which each Christian has received would exhaust our time, and still be incomplete. We know that we are called by God and according to His purpose [see ROMANS 8:28]. The Apostle assures us that we are called to be saints, just as he opens the Letter to Roman Christians, “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints” [ROMANS 1:7a], which is the same greeting employed when writing the saints in Corinth [see 1 CORINTHIANS 1:2]. Because we are called to be saints, it should be evident that we are responsible before God and the world to reveal this calling through living holy lives.
And we know that we are called to service, both to God and to His people. God’s call to serve Him through serving others is incumbent upon each Christian. We who follow Christ are called to fellowship with the Risen Lord and to fellowship with the members of His Body, especially those fellow Christians that regularly gather to worship where His Spirit has placed us. Of these truths we are confident.
There is a final matter flowing out of this issue of how we may describe a Christian. Because a Christian is called by God that he might be reserved for the purpose of glorifying Christ the Lord even while that Christian is enjoying the love of God, the immediate heritage of the Christian is “mercy, peace, and love.” And these precious and divine commodities are multiplied to the Christian. As he opens this brief missive, Jude employs the optative mood indicating that this is his prayer expressing what he seeks for his readers. Nevertheless, we are not in error if we understand that our position before the Living God insures an abundance of these precious commodities in our lives as followers of the Son of God. This is a prayer assured of being answered for each believer. Loved by God, the Christian has already received mercy and is assured of yet more mercy as the need arises. Securely in God's keeping, the child of God enjoys peace with God, a peace which cannot be unsettled. And loving God who first loved him, the believer experiences ever greater love.
Gentle listener, by these criteria, are you a Christian? Do you now know the love of God? Do you know you are accepted by God as one on whom He has shed His love? Are you kept for Jesus Christ? And do you know that security which is only found in being reserved for His purpose? Have you submitted to the call of God? And is mercy, peace, and love your heritage? If your answer to any of these queries is in the negative, then the message must surely point out to you the peril of your position. There is no reason any of us should be excluded from this love of God.
My prayer is that each individual hearing this message today will conclude the message in the certainty that they are a Christian. And what shall one do in order to be a Christian? No clearer answer to that question may be given than that which is provided by Paul in his letter to the Roman Christians. In that delightful letter, the Apostle has written, “If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved” [ROMANS 10:9-10 ISV].
So very often I hear excuses for why a person will not believe this gracious invitation. One common excuse is that it seems too complex. God anticipated that excuse, responding by graciously inviting the hesitant person, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13].
And how should one call on the Name of the Lord? Believing that in His death He took all your guilt upon Himself so that you no longer need bear the guilt of sin or the condemnation of failure to be godly, believing that in rising from the dead He has made you righteous in the sight of the Father, believing that He will receive you into His Family, receive the Son of God as Master over your life.
This is the promise of God: “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” [JOHN 1:12-13].
Indeed, the promise is for you, if you will accept it. Even today, at this moment, your sin and the guilt that has dragged you down, can be forever removed. And your freedom is assured in Christ as Lord. The Apostle to the Gentiles, writing to the Christians in Corinth, pleaded in 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1-2, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,
‘In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
If somehow you have never received Christ as Master over your life, I invite you to believe Him, being born into the family of God and experiencing all that God is pledged to give to each Christian—love, security, and confidence, together with the mercy and peace that is the heritage of each follower of Christ the Risen Lord of Glory. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] E.g. Tacitus, Tacitus: The Histories and The Annals: English Translation, ed. G. P. Goold, trans. Clifford H. Moore and John Jackson, vol. 4, The Loeb Classical Library (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA; William Heinemann Ltd, London 1925–1937) 283–285
[3] Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology: Second Edition (Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI 2001), 234–235
[4] Michael William Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, Updated ed. (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI 1999) 541
[5] NET BIBLE 2nd
