Rev. Don Campbell
God Keeps Those Who Keep Themselves
One of the most-quoted phantom verses of the Bible is “God helps those who help themselves.” I don’t want to create another phantom verse: “God keeps those who keep themselves,” but the truth is taught, in of all places, The Epistle of Jude, which most people associate with apostasy.
Jude addresses his epistle “To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ” (v.1, ESV). He uses the same word again: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (vv.20-21, ESV).
Those who keep themselves in the love of God are kept in Christ, so what does it mean to keep oneself in the love of God? Tomorrow, the apostle of love, John, will answer this question.
