NT Promise 141: Sanctified, Preserved, Called

Jude 1:1 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.

The greeting of Jude in his letter contains contains a promise of what God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have done in us, and continue to do. Luther echoes these words in the Catechism: The Holy Spirit ”calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.” This is also the work if the Father and the Son. It takes the work of all three persons of the Trinity to save us and keep us in the faith.

The Father promises to sanctify us, that is, make us holy. We are sanctified in two ways: first, we are declared to be holy and righteous (justified by faith), and second, we gradually live our lives better as we walk closer to the holiness we have been given. Being sanctified is becoming what we are.

Jesus preserves us in Him. He promises to keep us in the one true faith until we enter the Eternal Kingdom. I may be confidant that if I die today I will go to heaven, but what about years from now? We have a promise: He preserves.

The Lord calls us by the Gospel to believe the Gospel, and so be saved and have life. The call of God upon our life is a strong prompting and urging of the Spirit upon our spirit to accept the Gospel as true and personal. This ”calling” does not come to us just once, but God’s mercy calls us every day when we get into the Word and respond in prayer.

Thank God for His sanctification, preservation, and prayer.