The foundational theme of this wonderful epistle, as found in verse 21, is an exhortation to keep ourselves in the love of God. Underline this phrase because it is the hinge upon which the Book of Jude swings. Jude’s heart is, ‘Yes, there are heretics and deceivers, but you, beloved, keep yourselves in the love of God.’

Keeping yourself in the love of God does not mean earning God’s love by being a ‘good little boy or girl’. God’s love is unconditional — so much so that in Romans 5:8, Paul declares that God demonstrated His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. When did God demonstrate His love for you and me? Not when we were trying to be good Christians, but when we were pagans, heathens, and rebels. When you couldn’t have cared less about Him, God looked at you and said, ‘I love you deeply.’

Never buy into the thinking that you earn God’s love by being good. Many Christians look at God as being like Santa: He’s making a list, checking it twice, and He’s gonna find out who’s naughty and who’s nice. If you’ve been good, you’ll get gifts; if not, you’ll be lucky to get a lump of coal.

But nothing could be further from the nature of our Father. Making a list? Checking it twice? Paul says that the list of our failings was blotted out by the blood of Christ (Colossians 2:14). The list of my sins was pinned to the Cross of Calvary and cleansed so thoroughly by the blood of the Lamb that the writing became completely illegible. God’s love for us is not based upon anything we do or don’t do - His love is unconditional.

What, then, does it mean to keep yourself in the love of God? It simply means to keep yourself in the place where you can receive His blessings. In other words, God is constantly showering us with blessings, love, and grace. He’s not saying, ‘Hmm, you’ve been bad today, so I’m turning off the spigot.’ No, God’s blessings are always coming down (Lamentations 3:23).

‘Then why am I not being blessed?’ you ask. The answer is easy: you’re not under the spout where the blessings come out. You have wandered away. God didn’t close the spigot — because even when we are faithless, He is faithful still (2 Timothy 2:13). God doesn’t monitor the flow of blessings depending on how we’re doing. No, the spigot is on full blast all the time. Therefore, the only thing we have to do is to make sure we’re in the place where we enjoy God’s blessings — that we’re standing under the spout where the blessings come out.