Read Jude 1:24-25.

In his closing benediction, Jude wrote, “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling” (v. 24). Not only is saving faith a gift from God, but the Lord also sustains our faith, no matter what. It’s not up to us to keep ourselves saved—it is God who keeps us from falling.

Before I learned this important Truth, my Christian life was a rollercoaster. One day, I’d be up, filled with joy and thanksgiving, and the next I would be down, doing my feeble best to perform and earn God’s favor. But when I sat under faithful Bible teachers who opened my eyes to this amazing reality, I was liberated from fear and drudgery. Praise be to God!

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will keep you under His protective covering until He takes you home to present you to the Father without fault or stain (see Ephesians 5:25-27, Jude 1:24). To understand the full weight of this promise, we must consider the Jewish wedding traditions that undergird this language.

In Jude’s day, the betrothal process began with the parents of the bride and the groom agreeing to the match. The groom would then go to the bride’s father and offer a sacrificial gift to seal the betrothal.

Friend, we are the bride of Christ, and the Son, our Bridegroom, came from heaven to earth and offered the heftiest of sacrificial dowries—Himself, pouring out His own precious blood—as a propitiation for sin. He paid the price so that we could be with Him forever.

Then, the bridegroom would return home to prepare a place for his bride, building an addition to his father’s house. In the same way, Jesus returned to the Father to prepare a place for you and me (see John 14:3).

Finally, the bridegroom returns to his beloved, and on the way, the entire village shouts, “He is coming!” For two thousand years, faithful preachers have been shouting, “Jesus is coming!” And now, we are closer than ever.

When Jesus does return, He will present us to the Father without blemish or spot, and He will say, “This is My bride, My beloved. These are the redeemed—for whom I died and rose again.”

Keep your eyes focused on this beautiful, wonderful future. As you do, you will be empowered to stand firm in this dark season of apostasy. Jesus is holding you up; He will keep you from falling.

Prayer: Father, help me to rest in the Truth that You will never let me go. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“[T]o the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude 1:25).

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