8 Feb 2013
Jude 1:1
Jude 1:1: “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:”
Just as a side-note: this book is specifically written to believers, not unbelievers. It is written specifically “to them that are sanctified by God the Father”. The Bible does have a lot of things to say to the lost, but there is also much in the New Testament that is directed specifically to the Church. (It’s just something to keep in mind, since context is crucial to understanding a passage.)
Also, notice that Jude takes a swipe at salvation-by-works. Who sanctifies us? God does. Who preserves us? Jesus does. Who calls us? God does. In other words, God is the one who removes the sin from our lives; God is the one who forgives us; God is the one who transforms us into godly people; God is the one who preserves our salvation and makes sure that we get safely home. This is another reason why we cannot lose our salvation: God is the one who is preserving it, and He cannot fail. He will make sure that we don’t get lost. Our salvation is His doing, not ours.