Jude 21 speaks of “awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is significant that Jude speaks of mercy and not of grace. Peter emphasizes grace, but Jude emphasizes mercy. In verse 2 of this Epistle Jude says, “Mercy to you and peace and love be multiplied.” Mercy reaches further than grace does. Mercy is for persons who are in a miserable and pitiful situation and condition. When the prodigal son came to his father in Luke 15, he was altogether in a miserable and pitiful condition. Whatever the Father did for this pitiful, prodigal son was a mercy to him. While we are praying in the Spirit and keeping ourselves in the love of God, we should await further mercy from the Lord. The word awaiting implies trusting. While we await and look for the mercy of our Lord, we are also trusting in His mercy.
Jude 20 and 21 charge the believers not only to build themselves up in the holy faith but also to live in the Triune God. The entire blessed Trinity is employed and enjoyed by the believers in their praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping themselves in the love of God, and awaiting the mercy of our Lord unto eternal life. In these verses we have the Spirit, God the Father, and the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to pray in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God, and await the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, in these verses we definitely have the Triune God.
In the Christian life the believers possess the Divine Trinity and should live in and with the Divine Trinity. The Father is in the believers (Eph. 4:6), the Son lives in the believers (Gal. 2:20), and the Spirit abides in the believers (John 14:17). In 2 Corinthians 13:14 Paul says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ [the Son], and the love of God [the Father], and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Then Jude tells us that we should be those who, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God [the Father], awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ [the Son] (vv. 20-21).
The revelation of the Divine Trinity in 2 Corinthians 13:14 and Jude 20 and 21 match each other. In both portions there is the love of God (the Father). The mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Son) in Jude matches the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Son) in 2 Corinthians. In the Lord Jesus there is grace, and when grace is extended to us and reaches us, it is mercy. Finally, praying in the Holy Spirit in Jude matches the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians. Praying is a kind of fellowship.
To enjoy the Divine Trinity, we need to pray. To pray is to enter into the current of the Divine Trinity, to enter into the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Through this fellowship, we reach the source of the love of God. Then in the love of God, we await and look for the mercy of our Lord, that we may not only enjoy eternal life in this age but also inherit it for eternity (Matt. 19:29). In the opening of his Epistle, Jude mentions mercy (v. 2). Mercy is mentioned instead of grace due to the church’s degradation and apostasy. In the degraded situation of the churches, God’s mercy is needed. When the churches are in degradation, what they need is the Lord’s far-reaching mercy. We all need the Lord’s mercy. This mercy is a bridge to the grace of Christ. We need to pray in the Holy Spirit that we may touch the source, the love of God, in which we await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the enjoyment of the Triune God.
Jude concludes verse 21 with the words unto eternal life. Here the word unto means issuing in or resulting in. The enjoyment and inheritance of eternal life, the life of God, is the goal of our spiritual seeking. Because we aim at this goal, we desire to be kept in the love of God and await the mercy of our Lord.
Jude is not saying that we do not yet have eternal life. Neither is he saying that if we keep praying in the Holy Spirit and remain in the love of God, awaiting the mercy of the Lord, then we will eventually have eternal life. Rather, Jude is saying that praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of the Father, and waiting for the mercy of the Lord issue in the present enjoyment of eternal life. We already have eternal life in us. However, unless we pray in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of the Father, and wait for the mercy of the Lord, we will not enjoy this eternal life. But when we do all these things, the eternal life within us becomes our enjoyment.
Although we have eternal life, our measure of this life may be somewhat limited. But if we pray in the Spirit, keep ourselves in the Father’s love, and wait for the Son’s mercy, the eternal life in us will grow in measure. Therefore, unto eternal life means not only unto the enjoyment of eternal life but also unto the growth, the increase of the measure, of eternal life. To experience this is to live in the Triune God.
In verses 22 and 23 Jude continues, “On some have mercy, on those who are wavering; save them by snatching them out of the fire.” Jude’s word concerning snatching the wavering ones out of the fire is a metaphor probably adopted from Zechariah 3:2. The fire here is the fire of God’s holiness for His judgment (Matt. 3:10, 12; 5:22). According to this word, we should seek to save others and snatch them out of the fire.
Jude 24 says, “To Him who is able to guard you from stumbling and to set you before His glory without blemish in exultation.” Verse 24 is one of the precious and exceedingly great promises (2 Pet. 1:4). God is able to guard us from stumbling and to set us before His glory without blemish in exultation through the Christ whom we enjoy.
Jude indicates clearly that although he has charged the believers to endeavor in the things mentioned in verses 20 through 23, nevertheless only God our Savior is able to guard them from stumbling and to set them before His glory without blemish in exultation. Glory here is the glory of the great God and our Savior, Christ Jesus, which will be manifested at His appearing (Titus 2:13; 1 Pet. 4:13) and in which He will come (Luke 9:26). The preposition in here means in the element of, and the word exultation signifies the exuberance of triumphant joy (Alford).
Jude 25 concludes, “To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, might, and authority before all time and now and unto all eternity. Amen.” The only God is our Savior, and the man Jesus Christ is our Lord. To such a Savior, through such a Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority throughout all ages. Glory is the expression in splendor; majesty, the greatness in honor; might, the strength in power; and authority, the power in ruling. In Jude’s words this is “before all time and now and unto all eternity.” Before all time refers to eternity past; now, to the present age; and unto all eternity, to eternity future. Therefore, it is from eternity past, through time, unto eternity future.
In Jude there is the matter of building up ourselves upon the most holy faith (v. 20). Here the faith is the impartation of Christ into us. To be built up in this faith is to be built up in the dispensing of the divine life. Then we can pray in the Holy Spirit and keep ourselves in the love of God as we await the mercy of our Lord (vv. 20b-21). In the holy faith we have the Trinity for our enjoyment. This enjoyment of the Trinity is for us to partake of the dispensing of the divine life. Eventually this is unto eternal life and will set us before His glory without blemish in exultation (v. 24). This indicates clearly that to experience the Trinity is to enjoy the dispensing of life, which is unto eternal life and the divine glory. We need to pray in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God, and wait for the mercy of Jesus Christ so that we may have the enjoyment and increase of eternal life forever and be set before God’s glory.