The culture of the kingdom of God is a culture of strength, specifically God’s strength; and that strength being manifested in the church. So we join together in the faith, not to flaunt our individual strengths, but to build up and strengthen the weak. We lift up the arms that hang down and the feeble knees. We make straight paths, comforting the feeble-minded and warning those who are unruly. Otherwise that which is already lame can easily become dislocated.

The life of holiness that God has given us is not a matter of “do not handle, do not touch, do not taste.” The walk of love that Jesus stepped out for us has nothing to do with the appearance of will-worship in asceticism, or the legalistic strain-the-gnat-and-swallow-the-camel righteousness of the Pharisees; yet it exceeds both. The righteousness of the law is and must be truly fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Jude outlines our posture as those who have compassion on people, making a difference. He also exhorts us to discern when we are actually pulling people out of the fire, so that we may save them with fear, vigilant that we escape and stay completely free of the corruption that is in the world through lust. John speaks of God giving us life for those who sin not unto death, but he also warns that there is a sin unto death. The culture of the kingdom of God is not one of judgment, but of extremely valuable sanctity; an uncompromised mercy that triumphs over judgment.