Anchored in Love, Active in Mercy
Scripture: Jude 1:17–23 (NLT)
17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.
20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
Jude opens this passage with a warning his readers had already heard. In the last times, scoffers will come. People whose purpose is to satisfy their own ungodly desires, and who create division wherever they go. This is not a new development in our age. It is the age-old pattern of those who follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. Jude’s instruction to his readers is not panic or outrage. Jude’s instruction to his readers is not panic or outrage. It is a steady, Spirit-filled resolve. Build each other up in your most holy faith. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Keep yourselves safe in God’s love. The antidote to a divisive world is a deeply rooted community of people who know who they are and whose they are.
But Jude does not let us stay inward. Having established the foundation, he immediately turns us outward. Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. These are not passive suggestions. They are urgent commands. The image of snatching someone from flames is not gentle. It is the picture of someone who sees danger clearly and moves toward it rather than away from it. This is not a timid faith that keeps its distance from messy people and complicated situations. It is a faith that has received mercy and therefore cannot help but extend it.
“Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin.”¹ — Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
Bonhoeffer understood what Jude is describing. True compassion is not always soft. Sometimes it is direct, uncomfortable, and costly. It means telling someone the truth they need to hear rather than the comfort they are asking for. It means engaging with the person caught in sin rather than stepping back to protect our own reputation for niceness. Jude adds one important qualifier: do so with great caution, hating the sin that contaminates their lives. The goal is never to be harsh. The goal is to love the person enough to be honest, and to hate what is destroying them more than we fear the awkwardness of saying so.
This is Kingdom living. Anchored in God’s love, empowered by His Spirit, and actively extending His mercy to the people around us. In an age of division and scoffing, a community of people who are both deeply rooted and boldly compassionate becomes one of the most powerful witnesses the world can see.
Reflection:
- What signs of spiritual deception or division do you notice in the world today, and how does Jude’s warning help you stay grounded?
- What does it look like for you to build others up and pray in the power of the Holy Spirit?
- Who in your life is struggling, doubting, or caught in sin, and how might God be calling you to respond with mercy and courage?
Prayer:
Ask God to help you stay anchored in His love and filled with His Spirit. Pray for eyes to see those who are hurting or wandering, and for the wisdom and courage to respond with both compassion and honesty. Thank Him for rescuing you and ask Him to use you to help rescue others.
Footnote:
¹ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, trans. John W. Doberstein (New York: Harper & Row, 1954).