"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ" (NRSV)
Just in this small introduction we learn four things about our standing in the Lord, four characteristics that we become when we are grafted into the family of God:
• We become servants of Jesus Christ
• We are called
• We are loved by God the Father
• We are kept for Jesus Christ
What are all those things and how do they affect who we are?
Servants of Jesus Christ
During the First Century (and before) there were basically three ways one could become a slave or bondman/bondmaid: (1) One could become a slave during a battle, being on the losing side, and then being captured by the victors. (2) One could be sold into slavery by someone else (Think about Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers). (3) One could sell themselves into slavery as a result of a debt. The Greek word doulos literally means "one who gives himself up to the will of another" (Vine’s).
In one sense, as sinners, we have a debt, the debt of sin. When we give ourselves up to the will of the Holy Spirit, we are placing ourselves in His care as His slaves as a means to begin to pay the debt, a debt which, of course, we can never repay!
In another sense, Paul, in Romans 6:6, stated that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to the Lord. Those who aren’t saved are slaves to sin. Think of it! They have given themselves up to the will of sin and must follow that master. We who are saved—who are part of the family of God—have willingly given ourselves up to the will of the Lord.
I think for me, and perhaps for many of us, the problem comes that we believe there is a third option—giving ourselves up to our own will. According to Romans, there are only two choices, submitting to the will of sin or submitting to the will of God. There is no third, or no neutral, other choice. As Christians, our responsibility—and our free choice—is to give ourselves up to God’s will, to listen to His voice through His word and through the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
The question becomes, can I truly call myself a servant of Jesus Christ? Are my actions, my choices, my directions in life wholly determined by His will . . . or by my own? My own will comes from a sinful nature, that old person who was surrendered wholly to sin. As someone who has been saved by the power of the cross, I need to give myself up to the will of the Father. And how easy that really should be! God is loving, kind, generous, forgiving, and patient! He only wants the best for me all the time. I need to fully surrender to His will and to discover then what He has planned for me.
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes." (Jeremiah 29:11-14a NLT)
We Are Called
According to Strong’s (G2822), kletos means to be divinely selected and appointed. Calling, then, is a two-pronged identity. First, we are selected by God. That doesn’t mean that God selected some and not others. No, we know that it is God’s will that all would be saved.
"The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:9 NRSV)
We are all selected to receive salvation, but only some respond. Billheimer is convinced that one of the reasons that only some respond is a lack of prayer on the part of the Church:
"Without violating the free moral responsibility of any individual, the Church, by means of persistent, believing intercession, may so release the Spirit of God upon a soul that he will find it easier to yield to the Spirit’s tender wooing and be saved than to continue in his rebellion.
"God will not go over the Church’s head to do things in spite of her, because this would abort His plan to bring her to full maturity in the Son. He will therefore do nothing without her. To this John Wesley agreed when he said, ‘God does nothing but in answer to prayer.’" (Paul Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, p. 17).
Thus, we are all called in the sense that we are all selected. God has chosen to give the life of His precious Son in order to save His own creation, mankind. The fact that all are selected doesn’t make salvation any less wonderful. Think about those you love who are not yet saved. Don’t you wish for them to know the Lord Jesus as you do? You wouldn’t want God to have not selected them, those you love?
But there is being selected and accepting the selection. I could go on a job interview and be selected for that position. But if I don’t show up for work, then the selection becomes null and void. If I refuse to submit myself to the will of God, the fact that He has selected me comes to naught. The loved ones you want saved, God has selected them. We need to be in continuing, fervent prayer for their salvation.
Because of kletos, we are also appointed. As a part of the universal Church, we each have a specific place and purpose. And those purposes may even change throughout the seasons of our lives. As we grow and mature in the Lord, as our circumstances change, God moves us into different situations. Our job isn’t to cling to the past or long for the future, but rather do what He has put our hands to do today. Our purpose is to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit in each interaction that we have during this day, to focus on the people that He so loves and to be His hand to them.
We Are Loved
Being loved by God is such a basic Christian belief that I think we often just run over it without basking in the idea that God, the Creator of the universe, the One who made all, controls all, determines all loves me! It doesn’t matter what my circumstances or what my problems. It doesn’t matter that I have sins and habits that still plague me. God loves ME! And He loves YOU! He loves us. John 3:16 begins: "God so loved the world that He gave . . ." He gave His Son. And He continues to give . . . His provision, His protection, His direction . . . His love!
All of us want to be loved. We crave the attention and affection that comes from someone loving us. And yet every earthly relationship will fail us. We will fail others. But God’s love cannot fail, will not stop. Our desire to be loved has been answered through His love. We need only recognize it, embrace it, bask in it. The Father loves us! There is nothing else so precious, nothing else so necessary.
We Are Kept
This is an interesting word, tereo. It means, in this context, keeping the eye upon. God is keeping His eye on us. He is watching us, but not only watching. As He watches, He takes care of us. There isn’t one thing in our lives that He isn’t aware of. There isn’t one need that He hasn’t already met. There isn’t one problem that He isn’t already solving.
If you think about that, there is great freedom in living, understanding what God is already doing in our lives. We are free not to worry about the future, not to bemoan the past! God is taking care of it all (and much more adroitly than we ever could). We are free to live today in the fruit of the Spirit and not concern ourselves with how things seem to be turning out. The Father—OUR Father—is in control and is going to take care of everything! Even when we sleep, even when we fail to think of Him, even in the most dire circumstances, He is keeping His eye upon us, making provisions at every step.
We are His slaves, willingly surrendered to His will, and in becoming this, we are called and appointed, we are kept, and we are loved. Is there anything else? Not for me!
© 2014 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved.
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