What is the meaning of Jude 1:17? But you Jude turns from describing infiltrators (v. 4, 16) to address faithful readers directly. The phrase marks a decisive contrast: • While the ungodly “follow after their own lusts,” you are called to follow Christ (Jude 1:19–20). • Paul makes the same shift in 2 Timothy 3:14, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned”. The Spirit, speaking through Jude, places responsibility on believers to stand firm whatever others do. beloved The reminder of love both comforts and motivates: • You are loved by God (1 John 3:1) and by the writer who contends for your welfare. • Romans 1:7 calls believers “loved by God and called to be saints”. Because you are cherished, you are not abandoned in the face of deception; God’s covenant love secures and empowers you. remember Jude issues an imperative to keep truth in active memory: • Spiritual stability depends on recalling sound doctrine (1 Corinthians 15:1–2). • Peter echoes this charge: “to recall the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior through your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2). Regular, deliberate remembrance guards the heart against novelty that contradicts the gospel. what was foretold The apostles had warned that counterfeit teachers would arise: • Paul said, “After my departure, savage wolves will come in among you” (Acts 20:29). • The Spirit “explicitly states that in later times some will abandon the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1). Since the trouble was predicted, its appearance should confirm Scripture rather than shake confidence. Fulfilled warnings authenticate God’s Word and prepare believers to respond with discernment. by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ Authority rests not in private opinion but in the inspired testimony of those commissioned by Jesus: • The church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). • Jesus “had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen” (Acts 1:2). Holding to apostolic teaching unites believers across generations and insulates them from every new wind of doctrine. summary Jude 1:17 calls Christians to stand apart from error, cherished by God, continually recalling the apostolic warnings that false teachers would come. Because the apostles speak with Christ’s own authority, remembering their words fortifies us to remain faithful, confident that Scripture’s forecasts prove its reliability and our Lord’s sovereign care. |
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