Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

"Keep Yourselves in the Love of God"

(Jude) 

“Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:2-3).

Jude started his epistle with these scriptures. He stated that he had intended to write about “common salvation,” but instead felt a strong need to write and exhort us to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” This faith being the same faith that Jesus Christ and His apostles taught, and the same faith that we now can find at the true church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So, how can we multiply mercy, peace, and love and contend for our faith? In 2 Peter we read “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2). Our mercy, peace, and love can increase as we get to know the Lord, and our Savior. As we create a relationship with them, we follow the word of God, and we are blessed for it. As we can see Jude found it important to tell us to seek to be blessed with these things, but he also found it vital to encourage us to “contend for the faith” that Christ taught, and that we can now find at the LDS church. We can appropriately “contend for [this] faith,” by going to church, keeping the commandments, living righteously, being good examples, and persevering till the end.

Like the times of old, no matter what we will continue to face false teachers who are seeking to destroy our faith and testimony. We are warned to not heed to their false doctrines, or else we will fall, which can cause us our eternal damnation. Jude urges us to avoid the evils that often come from false teachers. He tells us to remember the “words which were spoken” by the apostles of Jesus Christ (Jude 1:17). He counsels us to build ourselves sure foundations through faith, prayer, and the Holy Ghost (Jude 1:20). Lastly he advised to “keep [ourselves] in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:21).  

What a great counsel from Jude. No wonder he decided to prioritize this principle because being a prophet of God, he knew the trials that church members back then, and church members today would be facing. It is crucial for us to follow his counsel and the counsel of our prophets today, and that we stay close to God, so that we may prosper, and one-day return to live with Him.

Beware of false teachers...

Teaching

(2 Peter 2) 

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many”

 (Matthew 24:11).

Peter warned us of false prophets and false teachers who lie and try to destroy our faith and testimony. He describes false teachers as being those who:

• “bring in damnable heresies” (verse 1)
• “deny the Lord” (verse 1)
• “get people to “follow their [wicked] ways” (verse 2)
• are insincere and use “covetousness” to have us falter (verse 3)
• are “presumptuous” (verse 10)
• “are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (verse 10)
• also “speak evil of things that they [don’t] understand” (verse 12)
• make a sport from “deceiving” us while they “feast” with us (verse13)
• commit “adultery” (verse 14)
• can’t stop sinning (verse 14)
• Beguile “unstable souls” (verse 14)
• forsake the “right way” and go “astray” (verse 15)
• “are wells without water” and “clouds that are carried with a tempest” (verse 17)
• speak vain words (verse 18)
• “allure through the lusts of the flesh” (verse 18)
•  promise liberty, but yet “they themselves are servants of corruption” (verse 19)

As we read this list it clearly helps us recognize false teachers today. Unfortunately, we see a lot of these characteristics surrounding us today. We see those atheists who don’t believe in the existence of God, and mock us for believing. They try to put doubt in our minds by asking for proof or evidence of God’s existence. We also see those people who have lost touch of truthfulness and have gone astray. Sadly, these people are the ones who reject righteousness and attempt to encourage us to do the same. There are those people who also can’t commit to following God, because they “can’t stop sinning.” They claim it is easier, and they live happier lives because they are “free.” Although these people portray to live “care free” lives, they are really “servants of corruption.” We need to be careful of false teachers, because as we see they are everywhere. They are within our friends, families, acquaintances, and community. They teach false doctrines, as if they were true. We are warned of the “promises of liberty,” and freedom that they so claim; yet truthfully they are chains of bondage that take away our true freedom and agency.

We need to be careful of the crafty deceits of Satan and his false teachers. Peter teaches us that “if after [we] have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” and we later become “entangled” and “overcome” again, then it will be worst for us. “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” (2 Peter 2:20-21). A similar warning is given in Doctrine and Covenants 82: 3, “for of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.” That “greater light” is the knowledge of the Lord and the gospel.

Unfortunately, I was one of those people who became “entangled” and “overcome” again. I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when I was eight years old. Although, not considered a convert because of my age during baptism, my family and I were a convert family. During my teen years my family and I stopped attending church. We let so much of the “outside world” to influence us, and we separated ourselves from the church. After seven years of inactivity in the church I decided to return again. A series of events took place that soften my heart, and pushed me to return to the church. Thank God for second chances, and for the opportunity He gives us to repent. My husband is a convert and we have been active in the church for five years now. I know that the scriptures above are pretty harsh to read, but they demonstrate the seriousness of returning to the “pollutions of the world.” Heavenly Father loves us, and He wants us to return to live with Him. If we are sincere and strongly desire to have a relationship with Him, and desire to live the gospel, we need to repent, and the Lord will forgive us. He will give us that second chance to prove ourselves worthy to live with Him one day. I know that I will be careful of those false teachers around me, and I will hold on to the word of God forever.