Pondering the letter of Jude

This is one little Epistle that I think often gets overlooked.  I was reading the introductory material because I don't know much about the letter.  Apparently it was disputed as to whether or not it was really God-inspired for two reasons: Jude echoes much of what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2, and twice he quotes Apocryphal literature, which Lutherans don't believe was God-inspired (I can't say for other denominations).  Anyway, it was finally accepted into the Biblical canon and does have a lot of good to say.  Most of the 25-verse book warns about false teachers and compares them with evil people from Old Testament times.  But toward the end Jude encourages his readers,

"But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them, to others show mercy, mixed with fear" (20-23).

It is God who will build us up and keep us and have mercy on us as we look forward to when Christ comes again.  The last sentence describes what we should be doing until then: be merciful to those who doubt (have been influenced by false teachers, those who would try to sway them from their faith); snatch others from the fire (rescue them from being destroyed by Satan, who would try to take away their faith); to others show mercy, mixed with fear (be kind and merciful to those who are not of the faith, but be wary around them in order to not be influenced by them).

Finally, in concluding the book, Jude turns his focus completely to God, who after all is still in control despite the work of Satan and false teachers and those who preach lies.  Jude writes,

"To him who is able
to keep you from falling
and to present you before his glorious presence
without fault and with great joy--
to the only God our Savior
be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen."

(I divided up the lines myself; this feels like it could be a psalm so I made it look like one.  Didn't change the text at all!)

God keeps us from falling, from stumbling in our faith.  God will present us, without fault and with great joy, before his own glorious presence!  This verse is such a comfort to me.  It's all Gospel; it takes the work and the burden completely off us and puts it all on God.  It's not about what we do!  It's about HIM, and him alone!  Not only will God keep us strong in our faith in him until the last day, but he will prepare us to stand before him, without fault.  I take that to be a reference to how he has taken all of our sins away and no longer counts them against us.  When we stand before his judgment seat on that last day, he will look at us and see not our sinful selves but the perfect righteousness of his Son who died to wash away our sin.

To that great God be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!

Amen.