The Holy Spirit in the Epistle of Jude
The Holy Spirit is essential for believers to contend earnestly for the faith and to live a life of separation from the world.
Arno Clemens Gaebelein preaches on the book of Jude, which prophetically reveals the final conditions of the professing church on earth, warning of the impending apostasy from the once-delivered faith. Believers are urged by the Spirit of God to earnestly contend for this faith, as seen in Jude's emphasis on the importance of having the Spirit of God. The passage in Jude 19 describes those who separate themselves from the true church due to their unbelief, lacking the Holy Spirit, highlighting the danger of being 'soulical' and religious without true spiritual rebirth. Jude 20 emphasizes the significance of praying in the Holy Spirit, underlining the necessity of spiritual communion in prayer post-Pentecost.
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THIS little epistle has been put into the very last place in the canon of the New Testament, because it reveals prophetically the final conditions which will prevail in the professing church on earth. The end will be apostasy from the faith delivered once and for all to the saints. Believers are therefore called upon by the Spirit of God to contend earnestly for that faith. Twice Jude mentions the Spirit of God.
Jude 19
Verse 19. "These be they who separate themselves, soulical, having not the Spirit." Here is a picture of the Modernist. He separates himself from the true church by his infidelity and denials of the doctrine of Christ. But the trouble with the modernist is that he has not the Spirit. He may be an educated man, a moral man and very "soulical" and religious, as any natural man may be, but he has not the Spirit of God, and that is why he is a modernist. He has not the Holy Spirit because he never was born again.
Jude 20
Verse 20. "Praying in the Holy Spirit." Again we attention to the fact that there is no exhortation or command after Pentecost to pray for the gift of the Spirit.
Sermon Outline
- The Purpose of Jude's Epistle
- The Characteristics of the Modernist
- The Importance of the Holy Spirit
- Praying in the Holy Spirit
- No Command to Pray for the Gift of the Spirit
Key Quotes
“Believers are therefore called upon by the Spirit of God to contend earnestly for that faith.” — Arno Clemens Gaebelein
“He has not the Holy Spirit because he never was born again.” — Arno Clemens Gaebelein
“Praying in the Holy Spirit.” — Arno Clemens Gaebelein
Application Points
- Believers must contend earnestly for the faith to resist apostasy in the church.
- A life without the Holy Spirit is characterized by separation from the true church and a lack of spiritual vitality.
- Praying in the Holy Spirit is a vital aspect of a believer's life, but it is not a command to be prayed for after Pentecost.