. . .keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 21 NKJV).
“I'm a lover, not a fighter.” Not according to Jude. Christians are both lovers and fighters. We fight error and love the truth. Builders are also lovers. The love is not some warm fuzzy feeling we manufacture from within, but rather it is the love of God found in the person of Jesus. The love of God flows from God.
Paul talks about the relationship between love and building in Ephesians 4:15-16, “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” In 1 Corinthians 8:1, Paul wrote, “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8:1 NKJV). Edifies, means to build up.
How do we do it? How do we “keep ourselves in the love of God'? Jesus said, “Abide in my love” (John15:9). To abide carries the idea of living in a permanent or fixed location. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love” (John 15:10). Staying close to Jesus' Word, keeps you close to Jesus' will. Jude is saying, “Stay close to Jesus. Stay close to His Word and will, and you will stay close to His love.”
Looking for the Mercy of Our Lord Jesus Christ
The word, “mercy” in Jude 21 means compassion or tender mercy. We believe and remind ourselves that Jesus is filled with compassion and tender mercy towards us. The prophet Jeremiah wrote that God’s mercies are new every morning (Lam.3:22-23). The ultimate expression and benefit of that mercy is that we have eternal life. We wait on and look forward to His tender mercies. When we meditate and explore the tender mercies of Jesus we are less likely to be led astray by the false promises of false teachers.
But there is something more. We keep ourselves in the love of God by looking for the coming of Jesus Christ. If you are expecting Jesus at any moment, it effects your priorities, changes your perspective and alters your emotions. Stay in the Word, pray in the Spirit, and keep looking for Jesus' coming. That is the nuts and bolts of the Christian life.
© 2007 by Gino Geraci