Chapter Eleven - Verses 24-25
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
The climax of Jude’s call to contend for the faith (verse 3) resulted in seven “action items” that every Christian should seriously consider incorporating into their lives (verses 20-23). Jude now concludes the epistle by reminding his readers that their efforts are not in vain, that the God they serve is not only big enough to provide what they need, He is also capable and powerful enough to actually do them. So what is a good way to express that thought? How do you capture the essence of God? What words can you use to convey that message?
In the subject of theology, the study of God, there is a tool known as a systematic breakdown of theology or just simply, “Systematic Theology.” This is where man attempts to breakdown and slice away each facet of God, then analyze and organize them to present the concept of theology in a way that man can hopefully understand. Some of the breakdown categories include Paterology (study of God the Father), Christology (the study of God the Son), Pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit), Ecclesiology (the study of the church), Eschatology (the study of end times) and the list goes on. Since man cannot always agree on how to interpret the Word of God (our primary source of information about God) combined with the fact that man simply does not have the capacity or ability to fully understand God (although mankind keeps trying), we see that not all systematic theologies match, nor are they complete, so any attempt to be exhaustive in capturing the full essence of God, is seemingly impossible.
In Christendom the term, ‘doxology’ is used to summarize the essence of God. Unfortunately, the term has been redefined by various Christian groups, denominations and to some extent even by other religions. The word combines the Greek word, ‘doxa’ to the word ‘ology’ (referring to a study or a branch of knowledge). The word ‘doxa’ can be found in the New Testament 166 times and is most often translated as ‘glory’. Perhaps to most people’s surprise, the word actually refers to someone thinking about something (the process of recognizing who or what it is and then rendering an opinion). In simple terms, a doxology is a study of what you think, in this case, about God (and you thought a systematic breakdown of theology would be exhaustive, this would be endless!) Perhaps the best way to embrace the concept of a doxology is to think that it is a way to acknowledge God’s actions (such as His never-changing love for us, His delight in keeping His promises, etc.) as well as recognize His power, authority, strength, majesty and beauty, all in one word (or statement of praise). God has blessed us with so much, offering a doxology to Him is a way for us to bless Him in response, giving glory to Him.
Most of the epistle writers use a doxology in conclusion to remind their readers that not only do they serve a real God but also that He (God) can and will do as He said He would. There is indeed power available! Jude now closes his epistle in like manner. The first element is recognition, if we needed something we would never go to someone that could not supply our need. Jude’s doxology is addressed to, “Him who is able.” Paul used similar statements in closing the Book of Romans (see Romans 16:25-27) and at the conclusion of his “brief dissertation” that essentially defines Christianity in the Book of Ephesians (see Ephesians 3:20-21). Jude continues, by saying, “to keep us from stumbling.” The word here translated as ‘keep’ is not the same Greek word we have encountered five other times in this epistle, this word implies being ‘guarded’ or “guarded from” something. Guarded or kept from stumbling from what? We read in the Bible that we are being kept from apostasy (falling from our beliefs, see 2 Thessalonians 2:3) and kept from falling away from God and into the hands of our enemy, the devil (see John 6:35-37; 10:25-30; 17:9-15).
Jude then notes that Jesus will present (a term that is usually used when someone is to stand before a judge) us blameless (without blemish, as He was without blemish, see Exodus 12:1-6 and Hebrews 9:11-14). This is the primary story of salvation, Jesus will present us blameless, without sin, before God the Father. How is that possible? Certainly not from anything we have done or can do! Jesus was able to live a sinless life, suffer, die and rise again in order to offer salvation to you and to me. Jude adds that He will present us in the presence of His glory (God the Father) with great joy! Yes, sin is a serious matter, truly nothing to laugh at, however get this picture right, when you are before God the Father, Jesus will be there standing with you before His Father, smiling! Joyfully proclaiming you as one of His own, granting you access to heaven. God did it for you! No need to be somber, He loves you, the least you can do is smile back!
By proclaiming God to be the only God and recognizing Jesus as our Savior, Jude begins to give glory, a favorable opinion of God, with a brief list of words that summarizes Jesus’ divine attributes. The definition of these words begin to ‘overlap’ each other as they are often considered synonyms of each other, however we can see some distinction. The first word is translated ‘majesty’ (Greek word ‘megalosyne’) referring to something great, strong and important followed by ‘dominion’ (Greek word ‘kratos’) meaning mighty, great and powerful (most often a reference to power under control, a significant force that is available but currently not being exercised or as power under constraint). The third and final word is ‘authority’ (Greek word ‘exousia’) referring to having the jurisdiction or power to do something, also implying ability, power and strength (this should remind us that Jesus has been given all authority, see Matthew 28:18).
The Hebrew word for ‘glory’ is ‘kabod’ and while it does not convey the concept of rendering an opinion of something or someone, it does point to some of these same attributes, including honor, power, might and wealth. In the Old Testament God’s glory can often be seen as a testimony (for example a cloud and fire, see Exodus 13:21-22 and smoke, see Exodus 19:18 and Isaiah 6:4-7) and sometimes it is the only visible evidence of God the Father that humans can see without dying (read Exodus 33:17-23).
Using the phrases, “before all time” (eternal past), “and now” (the present), “and forever” (eternal future), Jude explains that the glory of God has always been and always will be (read Revelation 1:8; Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12) and that of course includes Jesus as He too has always existed and always will exist (read Hebrews 13:8 and John 1:18).
The Greek word ‘amēn’ is a transliteration of the Hebrew word ‘aman’ meaning in both languages an expression that conveys absolute trust and truth. Sometimes translated as ‘truly’ or ‘verily’ which you probably remember that Jesus, on a number of occasions, would repeat to emphasize a statement’s truth. When used at the end of a sentence or statement it implies that the statement is indeed true and therefore it will happen as stated. Another way of translating this would be, “so it is” or “so be it,” demonstrating that one can have absolute confidence that the statement is true and will indeed be fulfilled.
This doxology is a fitting conclusion to not only this epistle, but also to all of other books in the Bible, providing a bridge to the Book of Revelation.
Since we belong to Jesus, His glory should be shining through us, giving visible evidence of our changed hearts. If you don’t know how to do that, perhaps the seven action items Jude lists for us (see Chapter Ten) would be a good place to start. God bless and never take your eyes off of Him. The adventure is always ahead of us. Onward, soldiers!