Contending for the Faith

Contending For The Faith

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto

the saints. Jude 3

Introduction

As Jude is stirred by the Spirit of God to write to the saints, he is led to send a strong warning of the coming ‘apostasy’. His whole epistle, then, becomes a condemnation of and defense against the ‘apostasy’ to be expected in the `last days’. This is consistent with Paul’s letter to Timothy (chapter 3, verse 1) `This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come’. He also goes on to warn Timothy of the coming ‘apostasy’. The word apostasy means to `depart from the truth one has received’. His personal desire was to write of the ‘common salvation’ shared by all true believers, but God interposed his will upon the will of the prophet. In this study, we will concentrate on the text before us. Jude’s exhortation mentions:

RESPONSIBILITY

Our text begins by laying the responsibility for defending ‘the faith’ squarely upon the saints. Notice the:

1. DUTY – He begins by saying ‘that ye should’. This ‘ye‘ refers back to the ‘beloved‘ in the beginning of the verse. Whether we wish to be involved or not, our new birth places us squarely in the middle of a battlefield, opposed by strong and determined enemies. It is our duty to serve our Lord in this great conflict!

2. DEFINITION – The command to `earnestly contend’ means to ‘struggle desperately’. We are to take up arms, and throw ourselves unreservedly into the battle. An old hymn of the faith (Give Of Your Best To The Master) says ‘Give of your best to the Master, Give of the strength of your youth; Clad in salvation’s full armor, Join in the battle for truth’.

REVELATION

What are we to `earnestly contend’ for? Jude calls it ‘the faith’. This expression is not speaking of ‘believing God’, but has a much broader definition. Consider the:

1. IDENTIFICATION – When the word faith has the article ‘the’ attached to it, it is speaking of the fundamental doctrines we believe as christians. Obviously there are many minor issues over which true and honest believers may disagree agreeably; but there are some basic doctrines over which there can be no questions or debate. These are the doctrines that have been embraced by the true church since its beginning. It is not our purpose here to define each of these, but we will offer a few examples of doctrines over which there can be no question ie.

a. The deity of Christ.

b. The virgin birth of Christ.

c. The death of Christ on the cross.

d. The bodily resurrection of Christ.

e. The return of Christ to the earth to claim his own, and then to possess his earthly kingdom.

f. Salvation by grace through faith, and not of works.

2. IMPORTANCE – Now, you may read this list and say, ‘Well, he left out some important ones!’ No, I simply am giving a few examples. Such vital Bible doctrines are the foundation of our faith as christians, and cannot be compromised! There is a growing movement today among the churches to de-emphasize our doctrinal differences with others in the name of `love’, and ‘reaching the lost’. Once such a course has begun, where will it stop? We must not soften our stand on these and other important doctrines!

REASON

The reason for the exhortation in this verse is that ‘the faith‘ is under attack from many directions today, as it was in the early days of the church. Notice that:

1. Satan is DISTORTING it – Satan is working to resist the truth, so it cannot do its work in evangelizing sinners. Notice in 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul writes `In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, which is the image of God, should shine unto them’. In Matthew 13, Satan is pictured as a bird stealing the seed planted by the sower. In addition, he also wishes to confuse the saints about the truth, so they will not be able to effectively serve God. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul warns Timothy that some within the church will be influenced to turn away from the truth at the suggestion of the devil ‘and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables’.

2. False Teachers are DENYING it – Peter says it best in 2 Peter 2:1, when he writes `But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring

in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction’. This principle is also emphasized in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 `For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness’. False teachers, then, will deceptively try to tear down the most holy faith `once delivered to the saints’.

3. False Brethren are DESERTING it – In 2 Peter 2:2, we see that when the false teachers, apostates, come among us, that `many shall follow their pernicious ways; by way of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of’. In 1 John 2:19, we read `They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they may be made manifest that they were not all of us’.

4. World is DISCREDITING it – The evil world system in which we live hates the truth, and does all in its power to discredit it and cause men to doubt it. There is an open season on Biblical truth today! People make fun of the Bible and its fundamental doctrines, and use every media outlet available to cast doubt on and belittle those who believe it.

5. Modernist scholars are DISSECTING it – Using the excuse of intellectual curiosity, these scholars have translated and re-translated the scriptures, making many doubt there really is a correct copy of the word of God available. They are all different, and things that are different are not the same!

RISK

We are commanded to enter into conflict with these who would tear down the Bible and the revelation it contains remembering all the while that we `wrestle not with flesh and blood’, but rather with the powers of darkness! When we do so, we must realize that there are risks we must be willing to accept. We risk:

1. OPPOSITION – Satan, society, sinners and self will resist our efforts to ‘contend‘. We must be prepared to `endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ’. Remember, we do not stand alone in this conflict, in fact the `battle is the Lord’s’. We must say as the Psalmist, ‘we are on the LORD’s side’!

2. OFFENDING – Often our ‘contending’ will be misunderstood by family and friends, and even other christians. You will be accused of being ‘without love’, and ‘judgmental’. The religious crowd will isolate and persecute you. We must be, as christian soldiers, willing to endure in the face of such risks, and `contend’ until Jesus returns.

Bro. Ken Jacques, Covington, GA.