man's doctrine and manner of life may be gauged by the character of his

praises.  The doxology of Romans 16 or that of Ephesians 3, are examples of

this.  We should, therefore, find much to help us by considering the doxology

of Jude as an integral part of his testimony:

'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, to the

only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,

both now and ever.  Amen' (24,25).

The first note of praise in this doxology is directed to the power of

God, 'To Him that is able': dunamai is related to dunamis, 'power'.  Peter

speaks of the redeemed as 'Kept by the power of God' (1 Pet. 1:5) and in the

parallel doxology of Romans 16:25, instead of translating dunamai as in Jude

24, the A.V. reads, 'Now to Him that is of power'.  The doxology in Ephesians

3 opens with the words, 'Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly

above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us'

(Eph. 3:20), both words (dunamai and dunamis) are employed here.

'Power' must be coupled with 'wisdom'.  There are those who possess

sufficient power to carry out certain tasks, but lack the wisdom necessary to

achieve their desired ends.  Others have knowledge but no ability to do what

they conceive.  Christ 'The Power' of God, and 'The Wisdom' of God, is the

pledge of true success.

The doxologies in Romans 16:27 and 1 Timothy 1:17 conclude with a

reference 'to the only wise God'; and so does Jude in verse 25.  Some MSS.,

however, omit 'wise' in 1 Timothy and Jude, and these omissions are endorsed

by the R.V.  If the R.V. presents the original text, then the ascription of

praise is, 'To the only God' as distinct from all other helps and aids.  The

doxology of Jude, however, does not merely praise God for His power; it is

that power which 'keeps from falling' that calls forth this note of praise.

We have already seen that the word translated 'keep' in Jude 21, is the same

that is translated 'preserved' in the first verse, and one expects to find

tereo again in this great doxology, but such is not the case.  Our assurance

is fortified by the word phulasso, 'to guard'.  This word is used by Paul in

writing to the Thessalonians, after having spoken of 'unreasonable and wicked

men', he said,

'But the Lord is faithful, Who shall stablish you, and keep you from

evil' (2 Thess. 3:3).

At the end of his course, though betrayed and forsaken, Paul rejoiced

in the fact that the Lord was 'able to keep that which had been committed' (2

Tim. 1:12), and in 2 Peter, which is so closely allied to the Epistle of

Jude, the word is translated 'save' (2 Pet. 2:5).  The context of this

reference is to 'the angels that sinned' and to false prophets and false

teachers who privily bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord that bought

them, and consequently provides a similar atmosphere to that of Jude itself

(2 Pet. 2:1 -4; Jude 4 and 6):

'And spared not the old world, but saved (phulasso) Noah the eighth

person' (2 Pet. 2:5).

There are other instances in 1 and 2 Peter and in Jude which show

contrasting usage of the word tereo, 'to preserve' or 'to keep'.  In 1 Peter

1:4, it is used of the believer and of the inheritance that is 'reserved' in