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Verse

Jude 1:20

ESV But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
NIV But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
NASB But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
CSB But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
NLT But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,
KJV But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
NKJV But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

What does Jude 1:20 mean?

Again, Jude expresses his love for his readers by calling them his dear friends: "beloved." His advice on the best way to stay strong in the struggle against apostates is to advance in the faith. By this, he specifically means the teachings that the apostles delivered to believers. Prior verses referred to words from men like Peter (Jude 1:18; 2 Peter 3:3), and other New Testament Scriptures emphasize the importance of letting God's Word guide our faith (1 Corinthians 4:6).

Today, this strategy has not changed. For the modern believer, defense against false teaching starts with growing in the knowledge and application of Scripture. In writing to Timothy, Paul insists that God gave the Scriptures to make us wise unto salvation and spiritually mature (2 Timothy 3:15–17). But prayer, inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, should also accompany one's loyalty to God's Word. Jude's exhortations in this verse echo the Apostle Paul's instructions to the Ephesian believers: to use the sword of the Spirit, God's Word, in fighting evil forces, and to pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17–18).
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