Jude was the half-brother of Jesus. Yet, he did not claim this, only stating he “was a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James” in the opening of his letter. I have come to understand one important distinction of Jude’s faith: His Christology.

Christology is a branch of theological study which focus on the person, nature and role of Christ.

Christology answers questions like: Who is Jesus? Is Jesus God? Did Jesus claim to be God? How can Jesus be both fully God and fully man? Why is the virgin birth important? and, What does it mean the Jesus was the Son of God? Was he created?

Now, Jude doesn’t answer all of these questions in this letter, but he implies his understanding of who Jesus was throughout the text. Here’s a few obvious Christological claims:

Jude calls Jesus our only Master and Lord (v.4), pre existent (v.5), returning (v. 14), judging (v. 15), author of salvation (v. 21), and lastly the only God and Savior, and Christ (v. 25).

He understood these to be far greater than any familiar relation.

A correct Christology is important, because many of the world religions, cults and cultures have a misunderstanding of who Jesus was. The title Christ must also be clarified, as it is not a name but rather a title derived from the greek christos which is translated from the hebrew messiah and carries with it the idea of being the anointed or chosen one. He was called Jesus Christ, as He was understood to have fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies for the promised messiah (over 300 prophecies!)

I love the following quote from CS Lewis:

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.

He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

A proper view of Christ is not only imperative for good theological understanding or religious study, but for a flourishing life.

In counseling, and particularly secular counseling their is a tendency to become hyper curative or therapeutic. Or more plainly, the goal is to cure the disease or illness or condition, or delay progression when a cure in unavailable. Practically, when an individual seeks help with intense feelings of sadness, a depressed mood or loss of pleasure, they are diagnosed with depression, which the APA defines as “a common and serious medical illness”. The individual is then prescribed SSRIs, which are antidepressant medications often used as the first means of helping.

You might ask yourself what any of this has to do with a proper Christology. I turn to Psalm 34:18 which reads “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Anyone who has experienced crippling depression would agree, they feel brokenhearted and crushed to their core.

This verse serves to remind us that the person of Christ, our Lord, is intimately near and saves whom He loves. We are not alone nor are we unworthy of saving… although we may feel and wrongfully believe those two things are true. And please understand me, I am not saying to the depressed, “cheer up, Jesus loves you… now get on with it!” No, I am saying that both the counselor, and counselee should be rooted and faith affirmed in the person of Christ. That their entire counseling relationship and engagement should be firmly planted on the biblical truth of who Jesus is, and what He has promised to do.

Therefore, when we engage those who need our help we should seek to concurrently and compassionately fix their eyes upon truth! In this sense, my goal is to not cure them of their depression, but like Christ, care for them in their depression. Of course, as many biblical counselors would agree, this “caring” becomes the critical piece of what ultimately God uses to facilitate the curative process!

Jude highlights a few details about Christ in his doxology, with the following:

to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen. (Jude 25, NET)

I have already discussed the attributes of Christ, His glory, majesty, power and authority. During Christs earthly ministry these attributes were plainly seen.

Jude saw power as Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. Jude witnessed Jesus authority as He rebuked demons and freed the demonized. He no doubt was shocked by the glory and majesty in the upper room, as Thomas examined His wounds after the resurrection.

But if we are honest, these shrouded events are probably not even scratching the surface. It wasn’t the works of Christ, or His death that made Him glorified, majestic or powerful. He didn’t defeat satan on the cross to obtain superior authority. No, as the writer of Hebrews 13:8 states:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!

He has always, has and always will have all glory, all majesty, all power and all authority.

He alone is completely unchanging and is definitively immutable. This is the rock on which our faith, and all christian doctrine stands.

So as Spurgeon spoke (commenting on Hebrews 13:8):

First, then, if he be the same to-day as yesterday, my soul, set not thine affections upon these changing things, but set thine heart upon him. O my heart, build not thine house upon the sandy pillars of a world that soon must pass away, but build thy hopes upon this rock, which, when the rain descends, and floods shall come, shall stand immovably secure. O my soul, I charge thee, lay up thy treasure in this secure granary. O my heart, I bid thee now put thy treasure where thou canst never lose it. Put it in Christ; put all thine affections in his person, all thy hope in his glory, all thy trust in his efficacious blood, all thy joy in his presence, and then thou wilt have put thyself and put thine all where thou canst never lose anything, because it is secure. Remember, O my heart, that the time is coming when all things must fade, and when thou must part with all. Death’s gloomy night must soon put out thy sunshine; the dark flood must soon roll between thee and all thou hast. Then put thine heart with him who will never leave thee; trust thyself with him who will go with thee through the black and surging current of death’s stream, and who will walk with thee up the steep hills of heaven and make thee sit together with him in heavenly places for ever. Go, tell thy secrets to that friend that sticketh closer than a brother. My heart, I charge thee, trust all thy concerns with him who never can be taken from thee, who will never leave thee, and who will never let thee leave him, even “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.”

A Sermon (No. 170) Delivered on Sabbath Morning, January 3, 1858, by the REV. C.H. SPURGEON at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.

And so it goes, any momentary affliction or blessing that we may perceive is in someway outside of Christ we are mistaken. We must remember, and rightfully so, that our very existence changes in days, hours and minutes, breaths and heartbeats, by each sunrise and setting. But God is always the same despite any of it.

So counselor, do you offer this hope? Counselee, do you hold unto the same? Yes, your current “changing” is real. Whatever is happening in or around you is incredibly impactful and has great potentiality in your life. Yes your depression, anger, marriage, new child, death, career, relationship …. your [insert current situation here]… is ever before you, but don’t ever forget who is before everything!

His name is Jesus. He is near, and saves.

Peace be with you.