Sanctified by God the Father, and Preserved in Jesus Christ, and Called (Jude 1:1)

2023-10-06

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called (Jude 1:1)

In Christ, the matter of sanctification and preservation and calling are all settled matters by the Father. The Father wrought these three things in Jesus Christ. In other words, if you are a Christian, you are sanctified and preserved and called. These are perfectly completed in our position in Christ in heaven. The Spirit was also involved; salvation is a trinitarian work: “...but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

It is the work of the Spirit, and by knowledge of and trusting in the Word, that these things are worked out in our experience in time and space. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13). In the High Priestly prayer, our Lord said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Knowing the truth of what Jesus did by hearing His Word sanctifies our day-to-day experience.

Believe the truth of what Christ already accomplished for us. Faith in the accomplished work of Christ makes the difference in our experience. It is a historical fact: If God sanctified us, namely, He set us apart to Himself, we also must know that He has accomplished it. We must believe it and accept it. This is true of every Christian, including you and me. As we believe it, we become increasingly sanctified in our experience.

Likewise, He preserved us and called us. It is completed already. We must also know these historical facts and believe them.

Our old man is dead and gone and out of the way. We need to discover all that we have in Jesus Christ. God accomplished our sanctification, preservation, and calling. To experience the benefit of these facts, we must believe this account He has given us.