Call, Kept And Faithful
Reflections from the Book of Jude
Scripture Reading: Jude 1
Jude begins by reminding believers who they are, and he ends by reminding them who God is. Between these two truths lies the challenge to remain faithful.
The letter opens with these reassuring words:
"To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ." (Jude 1)
It closes with one of the most beautiful doxologies in Scripture:
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy..." (Jude 24)
Those two verses are like bookends holding the entire letter together. Before Jude speaks about false teachers or calls believers to contend for the faith, he reminds them of their identity. They are called by God, loved by the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ. The Christian life begins not with what we do for God, but with what God has already done for us.
Called by God
Every believer's journey begins with God's initiative.
Jude reminds his readers that they have been called. This is far more than simply hearing the Gospel. It is God's gracious invitation into a relationship with Himself through Jesus Christ. We did not discover God on our own; He sought us long before we sought Him.
Throughout Scripture, we see God calling ordinary people for His purposes.
He called Abraham to leave his homeland without knowing where he was going.
He called Moses, despite his many excuses.
He called David, the youngest shepherd boy, to become king.
He called the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave their nets and become fishers of men.
In every case, God's call came before the person's sense of readiness.
The same is true for us. God does not call us because we are already qualified. He calls us according to His grace and then patiently shapes us for the work He has prepared.
Kept by God
If Jude begins with God's calling, he immediately follows with God's keeping.
Believers are "loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ."
What wonderful assurance!
Life is full of uncertainties. We experience temptations, disappointments, suffering, and seasons when our faith feels weak. Yet Jude reminds us that our security ultimately rests not in our ability to hold on to God but in His ability to hold on to us.
This truth appears again at the very end of the letter.
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling..."
Jude deliberately begins and ends with God's keeping power.
This does not mean believers become passive. Rather, it gives us confidence to persevere. We continue walking faithfully because we know the God who called us is also faithfully preserving us.
Like a loving shepherd who watches over his flock, God never abandons those who belong to Him.
Entrusted with the Faith
It is only after reminding believers who they are that Jude explains why he is writing.
He had originally planned to write about the joy of "our common salvation." Instead, he found it necessary to urge believers to "contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's holy people."
The word contend means to strive earnestly for something of great value. Jude is not encouraging believers to become argumentative or combative. Rather, he calls them to cherish, protect, and remain faithful to the Gospel God has entrusted to them.
Notice that believers are called to contend for the faith, not with people.
There is an important difference.
Our battle is never against people. Our responsibility is to remain faithful to the truth while extending Christ's love and mercy to those around us.
The Gospel is not ours to alter.
Neither is it ours to modernise or reshape according to changing cultural values.
It has already been "once for all" entrusted to God's people.
Every generation receives this precious treasure from those who have gone before and is responsible for passing it on faithfully to the next generation.
In that sense, we are not owners of the Gospel.
We are its stewards.
Throughout history, faithful men and women have guarded this treasure.
Joseph chose obedience over compromise because he feared God more than temptation.
Daniel continued praying when obedience placed his life at risk.
Peter and John declared before the religious leaders, "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."
Their courage came not from confidence in themselves but from confidence in the truth they knew.
Remaining Faithful
How then are believers to remain faithful?
Jude gives four practical instructions.
"Build yourselves up in your most holy faith."
Faith grows as we read God's Word, meditate upon it, and allow it to shape our lives.
"Pray in the Holy Spirit."
Prayer keeps us dependent upon God rather than relying upon our own wisdom and strength.
"Keep yourselves in God's love."
Jude is not suggesting we earn God's love. Rather, we intentionally remain close to Him through daily fellowship, obedience, and trust.
"Wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The Christian life is lived with hope. We look beyond today's circumstances to the day when Christ will return and complete the work He has begun in us.
These are not merely activities.
They are habits that strengthen believers to remain steadfast in every generation.
Truth with Mercy
One of the most beautiful aspects of Jude's letter is its balance.
Immediately after urging believers to contend for the faith, Jude says,
"Be merciful to those who doubt."
Not everyone who struggles with questions is rejecting the truth.
Some are confused.
Some have been influenced by wrong teaching.
Some are spiritually weak and need patient encouragement.
Truth and mercy must always walk together.
Jesus was full of both grace and truth, and His followers are called to reflect His character.
Standing firmly for truth should never produce harshness or pride.
Instead, it should produce humility, compassion, and a deeper dependence upon God.
The God Who Keeps
Jude concludes by lifting our eyes away from ourselves and back to God.
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
What a wonderful way to end.
The Christian life does not depend solely on our determination to remain faithful.
It depends first upon God's faithfulness to keep us.
Because He has called us...
Because He loves us...
Because He keeps us...
...we can faithfully guard the truth He has entrusted to us.
That is the enduring message of Jude.
In a world where truth is constantly questioned and compromise often seems easier than conviction, Jude reminds us that we belong to a faithful God. He has called us by His grace, keeps us by His power, and entrusts us with His unchanging Gospel.
May we therefore remain faithful—not out of fear, but out of love for the One who first called us, continues to keep us, and will one day present us faultless before His glorious presence with exceeding joy.
What a wonderful way to end.
As I reflected on Jude's letter, I realised it follows a beautiful progression—one that is not only the structure of this short epistle but also the pattern of the Christian life.
First, God calls us. This is our identity. Before we ever sought Him, He sought us. We belong to Him because of His grace, not because of our merit.
Second, God keeps us. This is our security. The God who called us does not abandon us halfway through the journey. He is able to keep us from stumbling and will one day present us faultless before His glorious presence with great joy.
Third, God entrusts us with the faith. This is our responsibility. The Gospel is a sacred trust. We are not free to alter it or reshape it according to the spirit of the age. We are called to know it, live it, guard it, and faithfully pass it on to those who come after us.
Finally, we are called to remain faithful. This is our response. We remain faithful not to earn God's love or secure His acceptance, but because we have already been called, loved, and kept by Him. Our obedience is a grateful response to His grace.
That is the enduring message of Jude.
In a world where truth is constantly questioned and compromise often seems easier than conviction, Jude reminds us that our confidence is not found in ourselves but in God. He calls us by His grace. He keeps us by His power. He entrusts us with His unchanging truth. And because He is faithful, we can remain faithful.
Perhaps that is Jude's greatest encouragement.
The Christian life does not begin with our commitment to God; it begins with God's commitment to us. Everything else flows from that. We are called by His grace, kept by His power, entrusted with His truth, and invited to respond with lives of faithful obedience until the day we stand before Him with exceeding joy.
By Jennifer Tan
National Board President
Aglow International Singapore
Acknowledgement
This article was inspired by Rev. James Jagheet Singh's sermon, "Contend for the Faith," based on the Book of Jude. While drawing from the same Scripture, these reflections approach Jude through a different lens—highlighting God's calling, His keeping power, the stewardship of the faith entrusted to every believer, and our response of faithful obedience. For ease of reference and to encourage personal reading, the relevant Scripture passages have been included throughout the article, and a copy is inserted below. The biblical reflections have been prayerfully developed and expanded with the assistance of AI.