“Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called [this is the effectual call], beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith [faith refers to the system of truth] which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1-3 NASB). To whom is God’s truth given? The truth was delivered to the saints of God.

There is nothing superfluous in the sphere of truth. Truth is (1) God’s gift, (2) once-for-all given, and (3) given to saints. Saints are to contend for the truth. Giving up any aspect of truth makes a saint guilty of a breach of allegiance to Christ. Giving up any part of Scripture to please oneself, or in order to keep the company of its opposers, results in giving up other parts of truth.

1. The Bible is the one and only standard (II Tim. 3:16, 17).
2. It is essential to our maturity (II Pet. 1:16-21).
3. It is not continuing to be written (Jude 3).

Some make “tradition” equal to Scripture. Others make “experience” equal to the Bible. There are also some who equate “tongues,” “word of knowledge,” or a “vision” to Scripture. All these things are purely subjective. However, to the saints, God-breathed Scripture is absolute.

In this day of blasphemy, lukewarmness, compromise, and indifference, we are seeing how few want the completed revelation of truth. It has been proved to me in a period of 64 years that Scripture is “sheep” food. The Scriptures were delivered to God’s people, not to goats. This is a tremendous responsibility for God’s people.

The elect having been permanently loved and kept in the eternal covenant of grace (Heb. 13:20, 21) were not affected by their fall in Adam or their state of unregeneracy. Thus, having been permanently loved and kept by the sovereign God, all the elect are assured of being effectually called at God’s appointed time. Even though the elect fell in their “human head”—Adam, in time—they did not fall out of their “covenant of grace Head”—Jesus Christ—in eternity. Salvation originated in the mind of God and is carried out by the will of God.

Copyright ã   2004

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