Rick Livermore Bible Study: December 2018

Discontinued Rick Livermore Bible Study

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Word study from Jude 1:20-21 about How the saints are to build themselves up on their most holy faith

Ifyou need an encouraging word today, how about these paragraphs from

Wuest Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, dealing with Jude:

(Jude 1:20-21) Again, Jude contrasts the saints to whom he is writing with the false teachers, in the words, "But as for you, (in contradistinction to these false teachers), divinely-loved ones." "Building up" is epoikodomeō, "to build upon, build up," to finish the structure of which the foundation has already been laid, metaphorically, "to give constant increase in Christian knowledge and in a life conformed thereto" (Thayer). The papyri afford the following example, "build on it (a sound foundation) your firmness and unshaken resolve" (Moulton and Milligan). "Faith" does not refer to faith as exercised by the saint, for it is described as "most holy," but to the Christian faith, Christianity. The saints are exhorted to build up their Christian lives on the foundation of all that God has done for them in salvation, such as making them a partaker of the divine nature and giving them the indwelling Holy Spirit, together with the Word of God. Mayor says: "The faith here is called 'most holy' because it comes to us from God, and reveals God to us, and because it is by its means that man is made righteous, and enabled to overcome the world."

The words, "praying in the Holy Ghost" show how the saints are to build themselves up on their most holy faith. That is, prayer is the vital factor in the Christian life which activates all the other departments of the Christian experience. "Ghost" is the translation of pneuma, the word in other places rendered "Spirit." "Ghost" is obsolete English as used here for the word "spirit." "In the Holy Ghost" is locative of sphere. That is, all true prayer is exercised in the sphere of the Holy Spirit, motivated and empowered by Him. That means that if the saint expects to really pray, he must be Spirit-filled or Spirit-controlled. The fullness of the Holy Spirit is the prerequisite to effectual praying. The Spirit, when yielded, to, leads us in our petitions and generates within us the faith necessary to acceptable and answered prayer. The expression "praying in the Holy Ghost" is also instrumental of means. We pray by means of the Holy Spirit, in dependence upon Him.

Jude exhorts the saints, "Keep yourselves in the love of God." They are to do this by means of the two things just mentioned, building themselves up in their Christian lives and by praying in the Holy Spirit. "Keep" is tēreō, "to attend to carefully, take care of, guard." The word is expressive of watchful care and is suggestive of present possession (Thayer). "In the love of God" is locative of sphere. The exhortation is to the saints, to keep themselves within the sphere of the love of God. That is, they are to see to it that they stay within the circle of His love. Alford says: "within that region of peculiar love wherewith God regards all who are built up on the faith and sustained by prayer." This is the love that God is, and the love with which He loves the saints. The saints are exhorted to so build themselves up on their Christian foundation and so pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, that they as a result keep themselves in the place where God is able to shower all of His love upon them. In other words, they are to so live that they will keep themselves in the place of blessing. There is no hint here that God will stop loving them, but that they by sin in their lives would make it impossible for God to give them blessings in the fullest sense.

"Looking" is prosdechomai, "to receive to one's self, to admit, give access to, to expect, wait for." The meaning of this word seems to point to that part of eternal life which will be given the saint at the Rapture, namely, the glorification of his physical body. The reader will not fail to observe the studied reference of Jude to the Three Persons of the God-head in these two verses.

Translation: But, as for you, divinely-loved ones, building yourselves up constantly in the sphere of and by means of your most holy Faith, and as constantly praying in the sphere of and by means ofthe Holy Spirit, with watchful care keep yourselves within the sphere of God's love, expectantly looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ resulting in life eternal.----Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament [1]

Jude 1:20

Building up (epoikodomountes). Present active participle ofepoikodomeō, old compound with metaphor of a house (oikos), common in Paul (1 Cor. 3:9-17; Col. 2:7; Ephes. 2:20).

On your most holy faith (tēi hagiōtatēi humōn pistei). For the spiritual temple see also 1 Peter 2:3-5. See pistis (faith) in this sense (cf.Hebrews 11:1) in 2 Peter 1:5 with the list of graces added. A true superlative here hagiōtatēi, not elative.

Praying in the Holy Spirit (en pneumati hagiōi proseuchomenoi). This is the way to build themselves up on their faith.--Archibald Thomas Robertson, A.M., D.D., LL.D., Litt. D., Word Pictures in the New Testament [2]

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Col. 2:7; 1 Thess. 5:11

[Rom. 8:26]

Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; 2 Pet. 3:12

BibleNKJV.Jud20-21[3]

Appendix / Bibliography

[1]Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament – Volume 2, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1973), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 255-256.

[2]Archibald Thomas Robertson, A.M., D.D., LL.D., Litt. D., Word Pictures in the New Testament, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1930), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Jude 1:20".