Gluten Free & God Seeking: How To Build Up Your Faith According to Jude 20-21

Sunday, March 29, 2015

How To Build Up Your Faith According to Jude 20-21

The subject of Jude is contending for the faith. I learned from my reading of chapter 1 of the Life-Study of Jude that this book was written during a time of apostasy. Heretical teachings were infiltrating the churches and Peter, John and Jude combated them. After wading through lots of admonitions and warnings, I reached message 3 which shared Jude's word on how the believers can safeguard themselves from heresy:

Spokane River - Riverfront Park

But you beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 20-21

In this chapter Witness Lee gives his classic illustration of faith that I've heard many times. Whenever we read or listen to God's word, a spiritual scene flashes before our heart. He shares that the Spirit who always works together with the word causes a "click" to go off within us and that scene is impressed into our spirit and becomes our subjective faith. He explains on pages 19-21 that our faith actually has both an objective and subjective side. The truth contained in God's word is the objective faith, but when it enters into us, it becomes subjective to us when it becomes our personal believing.

In other words, faith implies both what we believe in and also our believing. This is the most holy faith....Jude is speaking to the believers corporately when he charges them to build up themselves in their most holy faith...If we do not build up ourselves in the faith and if we do not pray in the Holy Spirit, it will be easy for us to depart from the love of God....Building up ourselves is related to the holy Word, and praying is related to the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if we have the word applied to us and the spirit working within us, we shall be kept in the enjoyment of God's love, as we await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Jude. Anaheim:Living Stream Ministry, 1983, Print)

It matters that we read the Bible! The Word not only gives us spiritual nourishment, but it becomes a foundation of truth that we can build on throughout our spiritual life. This will equip us for those times when we also need to contend for the faith!