Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Jude 21 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 21. 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The sentence's central command is to keep themselves in God's love while waiting for Christ's mercy.
Read It With
- Jude 20–21
Read Jude 20–21 as a complete section. Building, praying, keeping, and waiting form one plural sentence centered on the command to keep yourselves in God's love.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The sentence reaches its main command: keep yourselves in God's love while waiting for Jesus Christ's mercy.
Read Jude 1:20–21 together
Why these verses belong together: Building, praying, keeping, and waiting form one plural sentence centered on keeping yourselves in God's love.
Verse 20. 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Verse 21. 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Follow the Context
- The beloved build themselves up together on or by their most holy faith.
- They pray in the Holy Spirit, contrasting with people who do not have the Spirit.
- They keep themselves in God's love.
- They wait expectantly for Jesus Christ's mercy leading to eternal life.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Keeping yourselves in God's love does not mean earning God's love or saving yourselves apart from the keeping grace that frames the letter.
What Remains True
Active perseverance remains inside divine love and hope for Jesus Christ's mercy unto eternal life.
How It Can Shape Life
- Practice faithful habits without turning them into self-salvation or losing dependence on Christ's mercy.
Teach It Back
Explain Jude 21's specific contribution to Jude 20–21: The sentence's central command is to keep themselves in God's love while waiting for Christ's mercy. Include the surrounding movement, one uncertainty or limit where relevant, and what the verse does not permit readers to conclude.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Jude 20–21 — Keep Yourselves in God's LoveSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
'God's love' can emphasize God's love for believers, believers' love for God, or the sphere of relationship; no one English paraphrase exhausts it.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The exact displayed KJV wording and immediate English context for Jude 20–21.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Jude 1, verses within Jude 20–21; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording, clause relationships, and visible variation markers checked for the passage.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Jude.txt, verses within Jude 20–21.
Open the Jude Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Jude with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax questions, and textual variants checked for this passage.
Exact location: NET Bible, Jude 1, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Jude 20–21.
Open source ↗