“Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.”
Jude 1:3 NLT
The only thing that Jude wants to focus on is the dire need for salvation amongst those that surround him. Yet, he recognizes the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in writing this letter. Many Christians evangelize the non-believing world without providing an understanding of what they are doing. The Christian vow is not merely mental assent. It is a holistic life decision with drastic consequences and an invitation for an upheaval of one’s established way of living. When someone is called to salvation, they are called out of something toxic and into something healthy. The surgery required is immense and handled by the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but the aftercare is longer and equally intense. Many evangelists have a great call but a terrible aftercare. Because of this, many called will succumb to the toxicity again. Jude’s letter is a gift to the church for this reason. It addresses the pastorally relevant topic of aftercare and lifestyle change. It admonishes believers to contend for the care of each other beyond the surgery of salvation, it highlights dangerous and harmful things to avoid and it prescribes ways and behaviors that will ensure success for those who struggle with recovery and change.
This post first appeared at JoshMcGary.com
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