Presented Faultless

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…”

– Jude 24

If the Lord possesses the power to save us, He also has the power to keep us. To proclaim anything else is to say that God’s grace has limits. Yet how is that possible when the Bible says that His grace is manifold, sufficient for His children, and abounds? Grace operates where there is a failure. Otherwise, it is not grace at all. It is by grace we have been saved, and it is by grace that we are kept.

Jude’s benediction provides born-again believers with affirming truths. God is able to save and ever make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). He can firmly establish us (Romans 16:25). And here, we are told that He can keep us. And if there is anything we know about the Lord our God, He is faithful. He keeps His Word.

God is for us. He desires to “present us faultless and bring us into perfection.” And the exceeding joy being spoken of here is twofold. The genuine believer is overjoyed in knowing he will one day stand in the Lord’s presence due to justification. At the same time, God is overjoyed to bring His children to perfection in glory. Because those He has sanctified, He has also glorified. God is faithful. If He said it, He will do it (Philippians 1:6)!

“Brethren, if we are to stand perfect, at last, and be without fault before the Throne of God, we must begin by letting Him keep us from stumbling here…He is able to keep us from stumbling, and if you trust Him, the ability will become actuality, and you will be kept from falling.”

– Alexander Maclaren