Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, I. THE PRINCIPLES WHICH ARE HERE SUGGESTED TO US AS CONSTITUTING TRUE RELIGION. 1. True-religion is here represented as a building, the foundation of which is laid in the faith of Christ. "Building up yourselves on your most holy faith." Whether it relate to personal or to social religion, this must be the foundation of the fabric, or the whole will fall. (1) One lays the foundation of his religion in what he calls reason; but which in fact is his own reasoning. The same inspired writer who in one sentence commends "understanding," in the next warns us against "leaning to our own understanding" (Proverbs 3:4, 5). To strengthen ourselves and one another in this way is to build up ourselves on our own conceits. (2) Another founds his religion on his good deeds. Good deeds undoubtedly form a part of the building, but the foundation is not the place for them. They are not the cause but the effects of faith. (3) A third builds his religion on impressions. It is not from the death of Christ for sinners, or any other gospel truth, that he derives his comfort; but from an impulse on his mind that his sins are forgiven, and that he is a favourite of God, which is certainly nowhere revealed in the Scriptures. We may build ourselves up in this way, but the building will fall. (4) A fourth founds his religion on faith, but it is not a "holy faith," either in respect of its nature or its effects. It is dead, being alone, or without fruit. The faith on which the first Christians built up themselves included repentance for sin. 2. That religion which has its foundation in the faith of Christ will increase by "praying in the Holy Ghost." We must not live in the neglect of prayer. 3. We are given to understand that by means of building on our most holy faith, and praying in the Holy Ghost, we "keep ourselves in the love of God." The love of God is here to be understood, not of His love to us, but of ours to Him. 4. We are taught, that when we have done all, in looking for eternal life, we must keep our eye singly and solely on "the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ." II. THE PROSPECTS WHICH THESE PRINCIPLES FURNISH AS TO A BLESSED HEREAFTER. "Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." 1. The first exercise of mercy which the Scriptures direct us to look for on our leaving the body is, an immediate reception into the presence of Christ, and the society of the spirits of just men made perfect. 2. I do not know whether I ought not to reckon under this particular the glorious progress of Christ's kingdom in this world. Why should we suspect whether our brethren who rest from their labours be from hence interested in this object? If there be joy in heaven among the angels over one sinner that repenteth, why not among the glorified saints. 3. Another stream of mercy for which we are directed to look, will attend the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consist in the dead being raised and the living changed. By looking for this part of the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be reconciled to death even before we meet it. 4. But there is another stream of mercy beyond this, to which we are directed to look, and which pertains to the last judgment. (A. Fuller.) Parallel Verses KJV: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,WEB: But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. |
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