The Keeping Power of God

The Keeping Power of God
Jude 1:24-25

Some of us know of this doxology by heart and it has, indeed, blessed the church for centuries.

The early verses of the book of Jude are about the ‘robbing power’ of Satan but now we focus on the ‘keeping power’ of God. (*Perseverance of the saints, John 10:28, Philippinians 1:6)

Without God’s keeping power, we will all apostasize. Consider Satan’s power and how we will fare against him without God’s sustaining providence.

Now, the ultimate point of the text is worship, doxology and God’s glory, an explosion of praise for what God has done and promised.

This shouldn’t lead us to a place of conceit or complacency but of worship.

*If one is truly saved, by God’s grace and power, you will persevere to the end. No true believer will fall away.

But some people pervert this doctrine to justify antinomianism. So the real questions are below:

1. Kept from what?
It is not that heaven is kept open for us (regardless of our actions) but the promise is to keep us from ‘stumbling’ (apostasy).
God’s keeping power causes us to be warned of the danger that can wreak havoc to our souls and enables us to move away from it.
Those who fall away never really had it. (Matthew 7:21-23)

2. Kept by whom?
It’s God the Father who will keep us. This is the work of the Father in our salvation.
The Father is just as invested in our salvation and perseverance as the Son and the Spirit. The love of the Father puts Jesus there as our Mediator, as the Atonement for our sins. It is the love of the Father that He sent the Holy Spirit to be our seal.

3. Kept for what?
– For our good
“With great joy”- in this life, we don’t really know what great joy is. In heaven, we will be blameless, sinless. The will be no more veil hindering us from seeing God’s glory. That is joy, perfect joy!
– For His glory