Jude verse 3“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
Let us focus on what is meant by the common salvation as mentioned in Jude 3.
What is salvation and why is it referred to as common? Salvation is for everyone because Jesus died for everyone. The common plan of salvation began when God made the covenant with Abraham. When Jesus met the woman at the well at Samaria and they were discussing salvation and worship He told her that salvation is of the Jews. This does not mean that God was only concerned about the redemption of the Jews. He loves everyone equally but He had made a covenant with Abraham because He wanted a people who would live holy and be an example to the world.
Jesus is from the lineage of Abraham. It is not that Abraham obtained special privileges; Abraham was faithful and obedient to God. We obtain salvation through obedience and faith in Jesus Christ and through His mercies we are saved from the guilt and penalty of sin. Ephesians 2:8 tells us, ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.’
The idea of salvation implies deliverance, safety, preservation, soundness, redemption and healing. Salvation includes justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, glorification, imputation, forgiveness and sanctification. Thus, it is that Brother Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greeks.”
Salvation through Jesus Christ saves you from the clutches of the evil one, thus it is that Satan does not have dominion over you. Before you had accepted Christ, you were slated to die both physically and spiritually. Romans 3:23 & 24 remind us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that we are justified freely through the redemption of Jesus’ blood. Have you stopped to ask yourself what would be the state of the world’s inhabitants if Christ had not died for us and offered us the opportunity to repent of our wickedness and return to God?
The love of Christ is awesome and sufficient to answer to your needs. If you are paying scant regards to the love of God and the plan of salvation, Romans 6:23 reminds you that, “the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Every true worshipper of God is committed to God. The pleasures of this world do not hold any form of attraction to the True Worshipper. It is impossible to serve two masters at the same time. While this is true, observation will reveal that worldly customs in many forms have become dominant in places of worship. This tells us that people are moving away from true worship and are now worshipping other gods except the God of heaven. That is why Jesus said, “not everyone that says Lord, Lord shall enter.”
Today Christendom is in trouble because many are only expressing a form of godliness. How can you differentiate between the true believer and the false worshippers? The true believer is the one who is living as a real Child of God and is in agreement with what Paul wrote to the brethren at Galatia.
Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” If you are a believer can you truthfully say that you are crucified with Christ? Bear in mind that you cannot reach a conclusion unless you understand what it means to be
crucified in Christ.
Examine yourself inwardly; are your thoughts Christlike? Would Jesus agree with the way in which you think? Look at your outward appearance. Have you changed your appearance or your sexual orientation? How about your dressing? Does your dressing show the difference between godliness and ungodliness? Or do you believe that how you dress as a Child of God does not matter? There are many who say that it is the heart that matters; do you know that everything that you do comes from your heart; therefore, if your heart is not right your dressing, speech, behaviour, manner of worship and everything else that affect your
salvation cannot be godly.
There are many who believe that salvation comes by works inclusive of doing penance or afflicting oneself even to the point of suffering crucifixion. This is not a requirement from God and separate and apart from adorning yourself or behaving in a godly manner. Remember that salvation is a free gift; your work as in your physical work of your goodness cannot lead you into salvation.
The divine order is first you obtain salvation then your spiritual change is manifested through your works. You must first recognize that you are a sinner who needs to be saved by grace. The believer is saved by conforming totally to Christ. Therefore, I implore those who have not yet accepted Christ to submit to the authority of the Lord. Those who have forged a relationship are being warned to walk in holiness before God. Remember that God is to be held in reverence and no hypocrite shall stand before Him. If you are insincere, you will be rewarded for your evil. You might fool man but you cannot fool God. Romans 13:11 warns us, “And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now, is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Jesus Christ is coming soon all the signs are foretelling His appearance. Are you ready to welcome Him?
Writer: A. E. Fisher
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