Jude 1:20 Commentary and Bible Study

These exhortations fit together, giving us a scheme of godliness. The first pillar for a faithful Christian life, a life not full of stumblings, is to build up your faith. The verb used in the Greek is particularly a term which is used for house building. So there is an illustration in the background here. From the day you are converted to the day you are called home, you are building a house of faith. It is a project; it is how Jude wants us to see the Christian life. We immediately ask the question, ‘What does faith here refer to?’ Broadly speaking in the New Testament faith may refer to the trust or conviction you have, to trust God – how much trust do you have, how much conviction concerning the power and the love of God? Or the term can be deployed as a noun – the faith, meaning the body of doctrine. I believe the faith, the Christian faith, all the doctrines of the faith. So, which is referred to here? Your knowledge of the doctrines, the faith, or your faculty for faith, your trust, the amount of your conviction? The answer is both – faith in all respects. You might think of a building project in terms of its design and appearance, or in terms of the materials used. I like to see the plan, the number of rooms, what it is going to look like, the shape of this house and its facilities, and I would also like to know what materials it is going to be composed of. So you are building the house of your doctrinal understanding, your understanding of the ways of God and the doctrines of the faith, and at the same time you are building up your own capacity to believe and to trust, your convictions that these things are so as you prove them in your life day by day. But then there is a second pillar here – ‘Praying in the Holy Ghost.’ It is an unusual phrase, only found here in the Bible. We read in Romans 8:26 that the Spirit translates our prayers into the very language of Heaven and perfects them. Are we praying prayers that the Holy Spirit can beautify and improve for us? It means your prayers will major on things which are for the glory of Christ. We can pray for things for ourselves, for a measure of health and strength, but mainly we are to be praying for things that ultimately will bring glory to Christ. Then it will be a prayer that follows earnest confession of sin. Without this we are surely less likely to be heard because it is the prayer of a righteous man that avails much. Also it is prayer which is full of trust and patience because we are so many times commanded to pray with faith. We are to pray with praise and with love for God. You cannot skip this. The Scripture teaches that prayer should be accompanied by some self-denial which is precious in the sight of God. True prayer is yielded for how can you pray for your family member or your neighbour or your work colleague without you being ready to say, ‘Here am I, Lord, send me, enable me to be the channel, the spokesperson, the one who witnesses.’ And prayer must be humble too.