Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
This passage of scripture states unequivocally that God is able to keep each Christian from falling into sin, and when this statement is understood properly, it sheds great light on the reasons why Christians sometimes fall. The "fall" here spoken of does not only refer to those thoughts and actions, with which we struggle from day to day, although these also need to be kept in check and uprooted by the grace of God. It primarily refers to those major stumbles which cause permanent or long-lasting damage to ourselves, to others, and to the cause of Christ. For example when David fell into the sin with Bathsheba, which culminated in the death of her husband, the Lord then stated that serious damage was done, not only to David's reputation, but also to Bathsheba, the general populace, and worst yet, the enemies of righteousness, who now had opportunity to scoff at the very thought of righteousness, since a righteous man was caught in the depths of sexual immorality, fraud, malice and murder. Let's read:
2nd Samuel 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
The great question now to be addressed is what triggered such a great fall, in the life of one who was so close to Christ? And the other question it raises has to do with our own souls, for if it could happen to someone such as David, we in our day and in our own experience should definitely take notice. The passage for today says that God is able to keep us from falling, but we must be willing to be kept, and being willing to be fortified by His grace and power should always lead us to take proactive steps so that God's keeping power can be exercised in our behalf daily.
In order for sin and temptation to exert maximum power against Christians, satan must first succeed in separating us from the source of our strength, and He often does this in subtle ways which seem to be harmless. We refer to these efforts as being "Good temptations", such as putting the duties and responsibilities of life in first place on the list of our priorities, and God in second place. These duties are often in and of themselves good things, like preparing for work, getting our education, and tidying up our homes and washing our clothes. All of these things are very good and necessary, but like Christ said to Martha, there is a better and more important part, that of seeking Christ and His righteousness first, after which every other important aspect of daily living will fall into its rightful place.
David had relaxed his pursuit of God through prayer and the study of His word, which gives to the Christian an active reference point whenever sudden temptations arise during the day. In other words, when we seek God daily for strength, He imparts to us the living word through the indwelling of the Holy spirit, so that if a temptation comes to us unawares, the word of God also appears next to it as an "Anti-virus", and thus the temptation loses its sting in the face of the word of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence the reason why the bulk of the devil's efforts are targeted at the daily devotions and surrender of the Christian to Christ, for if he can succeed in separating us from Christ, we are sure to fall sooner or later.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reminds us of our need and sacred obligation to seek God first, through prayer and a study of His word, for the Bible states that this is the one and only way that we can be kept from falling into the depths of sin. Let's read:
Psalms 119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
If as Christians we were to take this counsel seriously by implementing it in our daily experience, we will find that the sins which so easily beset us will lose their sting and appeal, and our hearts will be drawn into closer harmony and fellowship with God. May this be the tenor of our experience, both now and forever. God bless!