Jude 1:21 kjv

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jude 1:21 nkjv

keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jude 1:21 niv

keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Jude 1:21 esv

keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Jude 1:21 nlt

and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love.

Jude 1 verses

Jude 1 21 Meaning

Jude 1:21 provides a tripartite exhortation to believers, urging them to maintain their spiritual standing, focusing on God's foundational love while actively awaiting the culmination of salvation through Christ's mercy, which leads to eternal life. It highlights both divine preservation and human responsibility, anchored in hope.

Jude 1 21 Context

Jude's short epistle is a passionate warning against false teachers who had infiltrated the early Christian communities. These ungodly individuals, described as perverting grace into sensuality and denying Christ's Lordship (Jude 4), threatened the integrity of the faith and the moral purity of believers. Throughout the letter, Jude contends for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) by illustrating the judgment awaiting such impious men through various Old Testament and intertestamental examples (Jude 5-16).

Verse 21 falls within Jude's concluding exhortations to believers (Jude 17-23). After detailing the nature and fate of the deceivers, Jude shifts focus to empowering the faithful. He instructs them to build themselves up in their most holy faith (Jude 20), pray in the Holy Spirit, and, critically, to "keep themselves in the love of God." This verse provides the foundation and motivation for perseverance amidst the spiritual struggle, offering both a divine promise and a human responsibility. It counters the lawlessness of the false teachers by emphasizing adherence to divine love and active, hopeful waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ's ultimate merciful provision of eternal life.

Jude 1 21 Word analysis

• keep yourselves: Greek τηρεῖτε ἑαυτοὺς (tēreite heautous). Tēreite is an imperative verb, commanding believers to actively "guard," "preserve," or "maintain" their spiritual position. It denotes continuous effort to remain within a specific state or boundary. This active responsibility of the believer, however, is not a means to earn salvation but a faithful response to and cooperation with God's work, acknowledging His divine power that also keeps them. It is a necessary discipline to contend against spiritual and doctrinal decay, reflecting the polemic against the false teachers who lived as if no personal discipline or preservation was needed because of supposed "grace."
• in the love of God: Greek ἐν ἀγάπῃ Θεοῦ (en agapē Theou). Agapē refers to God's self-sacrificial, benevolent love. The phrase of God (Theou) is typically understood as an objective genitive: "God's love for us." This emphasizes resting and remaining within the sphere and security of God's abiding, protecting, and empowering love. It implies that believers are to be recipients of and responders to this divine affection, not to stray from it into sin. It counters the licentiousness promoted by the false teachers by re-centering believers on the true nature of divine love which, while freely given, is also holy and prompts obedience (e.g., John 15:9-10).
• looking for: Greek προσδεχόμενοι (prosdechomenoi). This present participle suggests a continuous, active state of "eagerly awaiting," "expecting," or even "welcoming." It is not a passive wait but an earnest anticipation of something certain and desired. This term imbues the verse with a strong eschatological hope, grounding the present discipline in a future reality. This focus on future hope provides the enduring motivation to keep oneself pure despite present challenges and false teachings.
• the mercy: Greek ἔλεος (eleos). Refers to divine compassion, pity, and active goodness shown to those in need, particularly concerning forgiveness and deliverance. It underscores that the final attainment of eternal life is not a matter of human merit or works, but of God's sovereign, undeserved grace extended through Christ. It's the counterpoint to the judgment against the ungodly, assuring believers of God's saving kindness.
• of our Lord Jesus Christ: Greek κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Kyriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou). This title highlights Jesus' supreme authority ("Lord"), His identity ("Jesus"), and His Messiahship ("Christ"). It signifies that all saving mercy flows through Him, affirming His central role as mediator of eternal life and ultimate judge. This directly counters the false teachers whom Jude accused of denying "our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ" (Jude 4).
• unto eternal life: Greek εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον (eis zōēn aiōnion). Eis denotes direction "into" or purpose "leading to." Aiōnios implies both unending duration and a qualitative dimension—life that is characteristic of God, true life. It's not merely a lengthy existence but a spiritual quality of being, communion with God, that begins now and culminates in the future. This ultimate hope assures believers of their secure destiny despite any current persecution or doctrinal assault.

Jude 1 21 Bonus section

The active voice of "keep yourselves" (τηρεῖτε) implies personal discipline, yet it operates synergistically with God's divine power (e.g., Jude 1:24, "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling"). Believers are called to strive, but in dependence on God's ability to preserve. This reflects a significant biblical paradox of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. The "love of God" (ἀγάπῃ Θεοῦ) in this context specifically counters the Gnostic tendencies or similar proto-antinomian beliefs circulating then, which divorced salvation from ethical living. By reminding believers to "keep yourselves in the love of God," Jude re-establishes that true divine love promotes holiness and obedience, not sensuality or moral decay. The active waiting for "mercy" (ἔλεος) implies that despite present salvation and grace, there is a future dimension of God's favor and kindness that believers will experience at Christ's coming, a full deliverance from sin's consequences and into glorified fellowship.

Jude 1 21 Commentary

Jude 1:21 is a powerful call to steadfast perseverance for believers living in a challenging spiritual climate, characterized by deceit and apostasy. It provides a three-fold prescription for remaining firm in the faith. Firstly, believers are exhorted to "keep yourselves in the love of God." This isn't about meriting God's love, but about remaining consciously and obediently within its sphere and protective embrace. It emphasizes a dynamic interaction where God's initiated and constant love empowers us to stay true to Him by maintaining spiritual and moral integrity, contrasting sharply with the unrestrained living of false teachers who twisted grace into license.

Secondly, this perseverance is coupled with an active and expectant hope: "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ." This highlights an eschatological perspective; the present spiritual struggle is viewed through the lens of Christ's eventual return and the full realization of His compassionate salvific work. This mercy is not only for forgiveness of sins but also for perseverance, empowerment, and ultimate vindication at His coming. This future hope serves as a vital anchor, stabilizing the believer's walk amidst current temptations and uncertainties, fostering endurance.

Finally, the verse articulates the ultimate goal of this faith-filled living and active hope: "unto eternal life." This denotes the destiny and blessed culmination of their salvation—a life qualitatively linked to God and unending in duration. This eternal life is completely dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ's mercy and is the promised inheritance for those who faithfully remain in God's love and await Christ's appearing. It underscores that the entirety of a believer's walk, from its foundation in God's love to its hopeful future, is ultimately rooted in God's merciful provision through Jesus Christ, ensuring ultimate victory over the forces of darkness and deception.

Practical Examples:

• A Christian consistently engaging with Scripture and prayer (keeping themselves in God's love) when feeling tempted to doubt or give in to worldly pressures.
• Facing adversity with patience, knowing that the "mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ" will bring final deliverance and perfect peace.
• Making choices aligned with biblical values in daily life, motivated by the hope of "eternal life" rather than fleeting worldly gains.