v. 5a – Now I want to remind you, although you once fully
knew it, that Jesus, who saved…

Devotional:

Jude is talking to people who have renounced their faith and traded truth for a lie. They have abandoned the testimony of the apostles and are making up a new religion which has nothing to do with the truth of Jesus Christ. It is a belief system blending Christianity with cultural preferences. In the days ahead, I will
talk more about this apostasy and the judgment which awaits those who ascribe to it, but today I want to focus on the phrase, “I want to remind you” from Jude.

I lose my car keys all the time. You would think that after years of misplacing them I would figure out a better system of keeping up with them, but here we are a few decades into losing them and it still happens on a regular basis. I tend to lose my way too during difficult seasons of life in my walk with Jesus. I’m not saying I get rid of my faith or that my faith can ever leave me, I just lose it as my primary focus because I get distracted by other things which take its place.

Just like my keys aren’t truly lost, I just left them somewhere where they are waiting to be found, faith is never truly lost because we didn’t give it to ourselves but we can certainly misplace its priority in our lives. And it’s easy to do. We get busy, we get lonely, we get fixated on our current circumstances so our faith walk with God becomes an add-on to our lives instead of the reason and purpose for which we live our lives.

When I lose my keys I always try to remember where I was the last time I saw them. In the same way, I often need to slow down and remember my salvation through the gospel and remind myself of the miracles I have seen God do in my life and in the lives of those around me.

Let me remind you today Jesus Christ, who is the second person of the Holy Trinity, was clothed in glory, honor, and righteousness as the King of heaven, and He left His throne to come into this world as a baby boy born to a virgin Jewish girl named Mary. His birth was the fulfillment of dozens of prophecies that foretold a Messiah would one day come to earth to save God’s people from their sins. Jesus’ birth was the landed invasion of the kingdom of God. This baby boy grew up to be a man who never sinned in action or in intention walking perfectly according to God’s standard of living known as the law. As a 30-year-old man, He made Himself and the true kingdom of God known to the world through teachings, miracles, and ministry among the nation of Israel. After 3 years of ministry, He was betrayed so all the prophecies of His coming could be fulfilled and He was murdered brutally on a Roman cross.

God’s law (or standard of living) requires perfection and anywhere perfection was not achieved it required that a blood sacrifice be made so those sins could be forgiven. Jesus’ perfect blood was shed so our sins could be forgiven. He died so we don’t have to.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

This act of forgiveness was made possible through the death of Jesus, and life eternal is made possible because He didn’t stay dead. Three days after he was murdered, He rose from the dead and was alive again; He is alive again. This glorious resurrection is the source of eternal life for all who believe in Him, which is to say anyone who believes by faith that Jesus is who He says He is and did what the Bible says He has done can live at peace with God for all eternity.

Jesus died for you. Jesus died instead of you. Jesus died because of you, and me, and all sinners who cannot live up to God’s standards of perfection – which is everyone. We don’t deserve this gift; we don’t deserve Him taking our place; we don’t deserve God’s love toward us demonstrated on that cross, but while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). He did it even though we don’t deserve it. That’s grace and that’s the truth for which we live.

Maybe today the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ finds you in a place where you need a reminder. Maybe you need to be reminded your life is not your own but you have been bought at a price and your life is now hidden with God in Christ Jesus. Faith in Jesus is not something we add to our lives so we get
to go to heaven, it is the source from which we live and is what brings heaven to us.

REFLECTION:
Have you abandoned the testimony of the apostles in any area of your life? Take a minute to confess the truth you’ve exchanged for lies. How have you seen God’s grace at work in the last few weeks?