Beware!

Decades ago, when my wife and I were hiking around the Grand Canyon, we spotted one of the most arresting trail signs imaginable. It was a homemade sign with a spear-like stick poking all the way through the calf-muscle of a hiker. Blood was pouring down the leg. The sign simply said, "Stay on path." And the point was well-taken.

This warning sign is like the little letter of Jude. The few columns of text are packed with powerful warnings against departing from the path of godliness. It is meant to startle us, like that warning sign—or as Calvin says, a trumpet blast. Jude means to "terrify the godly" so that we will do whatever we can to keep the faith. Jude says, "Contend for the faith" (3), or "agonize for the faith" (YLT). God wants us to beware of falling away.

But the letter has another theme that we will explore next time. He not only says, "Beware!" He also says, "Be Well!" (Jude 1–3; 17–25). The surest way to stay on the path is to beware of the dangers and entrust yourself to God's promise to keep you well.