Tuesday, July 28 — Mercy for the Ones Who Doubt
Jude 20-25
Somebody in your life is hanging on by a thread right now — not walking away from faith exactly, just not sure they believe it anymore. Jude has instructions for exactly that person, and for you.
Jude 20-25 — KJV 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 24 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, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Jude 20-25 — WEB 20 But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 On some have compassion, making a distinction, 23 and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh. 24 Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy, 25 to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
Explanation
Jude is a short letter, easy to skip past, written to a church wrestling with false teachers pulling people away from the faith. But it closes with something tender and practical: instructions for how to treat people at different stages of doubt and drift. Some just need compassion — a patient hand, no lecture. Others need something more urgent, described almost like a rescue, pulling a person back from real danger, while still being careful not to get burned or stained in the process. Jude isn't asking the church to pick a side between truth and mercy. He's asking for both, applied wisely, person by person.
Verse 22 is the hinge of the whole passage: have compassion on those who are doubting. Not contempt. Not distance. Compassion. That word alone reframes how we're supposed to see the doubters in our lives — not as problems to fix or people to avoid, but as people who need exactly the kind of patience Jude is describing.
This sets up Sunday's lesson before we've even met Thomas. Before we get to a man who said "I will not believe" out loud, Jude teaches us how to respond when someone we love says the same thing. Doubt isn't always rebellion. Sometimes it's exhaustion, grief, unanswered prayer, or a faith that got smaller than the pain it was supposed to carry. Jude's answer isn't shame. It's mercy — the same mercy Jesus will show Thomas by the end of this week.
Think of the person in your family, your job, your group chat who's gone quiet about faith, or openly said they're not sure anymore. Jude doesn't tell you to argue them back into belief. He tells you to build yourself up, stay rooted in God's love, and then reach toward them with compassion — patient with some, more urgent with others, but never with contempt. That's a hard needle to thread, and it's exactly the one we're asked to thread this week. It means staying close enough to notice when someone's faith is slipping, and humble enough to remember that you've had your own seasons of doubt, too — seasons where somebody else's patience was the only thing that kept you in the room.
Thought for the Day Doubters need mercy, not shame — build them up in love.
Reflection Question Who in your life is quietly doubting right now, and what would it look like to reach toward them with compassion instead of correction?
Prayer God, keep us rooted in Your love so we have something steady to stand on. Give us eyes to see the doubters around us with compassion instead of judgment. Where someone needs a gentler hand, help us be patient. Where someone needs a more urgent rescue, give us courage without contempt. We trust You to keep us, and them, from falling. Amen.
Closing Line This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: Thomas, The Honest Doubter.