PRESERVED IN JESUS CHRIST 

"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). Jude revealed that he was a brother to James, and most Bible scholars agree that they were each half-brother to Jesus. However, Jude did not acknowledge his fleshly relationship with Jesus. He instead declared himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. He then wrote that his Epistle was to those who had been sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. The Greek word he used translated 'preserved' is also translated 57 times as 'keep' and 8 times as 'reserve'.

In the most previous devotionals, I have addressed the first 4 of the 5 points of Calvinism that is expressed by the acronym TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, and Irresistible grace. In this devotional, I want to address the P which they identify as 'Perseverance of the saints'. Another description often used to express this belief is 'once saved, always saved'. I wholeheartedly agree that when a person is saved, they will always be saved because God has predestinated them to go to Heaven! However, I do not use the word 'persevere' because it seems to imply that the individual must do something to stay saved. As in our verse, the word 'preserved' declares that the eternal security of the believer is provided in God's great salvation. There are many precious verses revealing that those who God saved by His power will also be kept by His power, such as 1 Peter 1:5, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Limited space will only allow me to reference a few other verses.

Jesus had a beautiful way of describing how he keeps us preserved in John 10:27-29, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." You will notice that Jesus said He gives His sheep eternal life. Therefore, the new life He gives has no ending! He further said that He holds them in His hand and the Father holds them in His hand also. Imagine being held in Jesus' hand with the hand of the Father held tightly around the hand of Jesus and both hands wrapped up with seals by the Holy Spirit. You cannot be more preserved and secure than that!

Romans 8 is a chapter that is rich in revealing the blessings and the results that come to all who receive the salvation Jesus provides. It has a powerful way of promising the security that is given to each believer. The chapter starts off in verse 1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Those in Christ Jesus will never face condemnation because their salvation did not depend on anything the flesh did but was completely the work of the Holy Spirit! Good works have no part in bringing salvation so bad works will have no effect in removing salvation! This chapter of Romans ends with some of the most beautiful words found in Scripture, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (verses 35-39). How comforting to know that Jesus has us and there is no power that can take us from Him! He also promised not to cast us out Himslf. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). There's just no way to lose salvation!

The book of Hebrews declares that Jesus would have to return and die for a person again if it was possible for him to become lost again. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame" (6:4-6). Jesus died for each of us one time so that we would only need to be saved one time! "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18). What a tremendous truth we have that Jesus had to die only once because once was enough! "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). Once for all sins, once for all sinners, and once for all time!

There are many records in Scripture of people committing grave sins after being saved, but there is not one account of anyone being saved the second time! Jesus told Nicodemus, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). Aren't you grateful that Jesus did not say, "Ye must be born again, and maybe  again, and maybe again"? Solomon knew the saved are preserved by the power of God when he wrote, "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

You do not have to persevere! You are preserved in Jesus Christ! There is a another great reason why you are preserved! Before Jesus died to save you, He asked the Father to keep you saved! "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are". (John 17:11).