How will God keep his church? As the church keeps itself—we must remain in God’s love by building, praying, and waiting—and we must look after others by showing mercy as we reach out to them.

Now both of these tasks are difficult and hard work. They require wisdom, willpower, and energy. And if we are honest, those are things with which we struggle. We make bad decisions, we struggle to say no to sin, and we are exhausted by our day to day work so that prayer and Bible reading are quick to fall by the wayside. Therefore to end his letter Jude gives us a final encouragement (Jude 1:24–25). God our Saviour is going to help us. God our Saviour is going to keep us. Our future is ultimately dependent upon God doing what we cannot do.

As we see the impact of false teaching throughout our world we can be quick to despair. Why is it that the number of true churches are so few and far between? Why are so many of our Christian friends taken in with the promises of health and wealth, chasing after visions and dreams? Why do church leaders constantly bow to the pressures of culture and society? Why is there so much confusion about what the Bible says? Why do I still struggle with the same sins day by day? How can I be sure that I will not fall away and blow it all?

To these questions and more Jude wants us to know that God will keep his people. Even if a church should be torn apart by immorality, God knows who are his, he will use his power to sustain those who put their trust in him. He will present his people blameless before him—all sin removed and guilt atoned for. He has rescued a people for himself and by his Spirit he will keep his church to the very end. After all, he is the king of the universe. To him belongs all glory, majesty, dominion, and authority. He is the only God, our Saviour. His plans will never fail.

And so as we contend for the faith and seek to remain in God’s love we must remember that God himself is concerned for his gospel. He has not shown us grace and called us out of darkness only to leave us by ourselves. We have been saved from wrath for life in his kingdom. He wants to keep us to the end, he wants us to dwell in his presence for all eternity.

Let us therefore be confident of God’s help as we build, pray, wait, and show mercy. Confident that in Jesus Christ the only God is our Saviour. Confident that God’s Spirit will work powerfully in us as we use his means of grace. Confident that Christ will return in glory to lead us into eternal life. Confident that God will keep us from falling and that it is worth contending for the gospel even if it might cost me in this life.