Contending for the Faith
Contending for the Faith
Jude 1—4
“Beloved, While I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Today, we live in the age of information. The answer to many questions and information on any topic is literally at our fingertips. However, the information age has also led to the proliferation of misinformation. Today, we can find all types of distorted teaching on any topic we choose. If you want to prove that sasquatch exists, there are “scientific” articles on the internet that provide the evidence. The same is true regarding the Bible. Some teachers present biblical arguments supporting the error we want to believe. Without discernment, we can easily fall victim to their arguments. Even though we have more access to the Bible than any other generation, we also see the presence of false teaching distorting the message of the Bible. Therefore, it is not surprising that God would warn of the dangers of False teachers. Jesus warned that false teachers would arise, distorting the gospel and misleading many (Matthew 24:5-14). Therefore, God gives multiple warnings that we must be vigilant against the infiltration of false teaching into the church.
Jude writes to exhort believers to “contend earnestly for the faith” (vs. 3). The word “contend” has the idea of carrying on a conflict, debate, or a legal suit. Jude is making the point that upholding the truth of the Bible is a serious struggle that demands our full attention. Instead of following the teaching of people who desire to change, alter, or ignore the teaching of the Bible as archaic and distorted, we are to stand firm in our affirmation of the truth of the Bible.
Jude points out the unchanging nature of scripture when he states, “Which was once for all handed down to all the saints.” The phrase indicates that there is no new revelation that can change the essence of this faith and that this faith has been communicated to them through the scriptures. Therefore, anyone who comes saying that they have new revelation from God or who claims that they have new insight into God’s will that would nullify the teaching of the Bible given through the inspired prophets for all the church for all the ages is a false teacher to be rejected.
In verse 4, Jude warns of these individuals who will creep into the church. They are characterized as ungodly persons who seek to use God’s grace into a license of sin and deny the authority and person of Christ. We see these false teachers present in the church today. They claim that we must demythologize the Bible and reinterpret it for today’s enlightened morality. In other words, we must remove the mystical elements of the Bible, such as the miracles, the virgin birth, and the resurrection of Christ, etc., to discover spiritual truth.
Furthermore, we must remove the cultural biases of those writers who were distorted because of the culture of that period. They teach that no absolute truth governs all people of all cultures of all generations. Instead, the Bible must be reinterpreted according to the new morality. In doing so, they desire to justify their moral corruption. However, rather than bringing us the truth, they are bringing upon themselves the condemnation of God.
We must evaluate every person who instructs us regarding life and morality and ask, “Are they upholding the teaching of the Bible, or are they seeking to change the Bible to justify their own actions and sin? We must stand firm in the teaching of the Bible and uphold it without compromise. This means we must also be students of the Bible. We must know the bible and go to the Bible for our instructions in life, morality, and our understanding of God. Anyone who suggests otherwise or points us to a different source of truth is a false teacher.
Jude 1—4
“Beloved, While I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Today, we live in the age of information. The answer to many questions and information on any topic is literally at our fingertips. However, the information age has also led to the proliferation of misinformation. Today, we can find all types of distorted teaching on any topic we choose. If you want to prove that sasquatch exists, there are “scientific” articles on the internet that provide the evidence. The same is true regarding the Bible. Some teachers present biblical arguments supporting the error we want to believe. Without discernment, we can easily fall victim to their arguments. Even though we have more access to the Bible than any other generation, we also see the presence of false teaching distorting the message of the Bible. Therefore, it is not surprising that God would warn of the dangers of False teachers. Jesus warned that false teachers would arise, distorting the gospel and misleading many (Matthew 24:5-14). Therefore, God gives multiple warnings that we must be vigilant against the infiltration of false teaching into the church.
Jude writes to exhort believers to “contend earnestly for the faith” (vs. 3). The word “contend” has the idea of carrying on a conflict, debate, or a legal suit. Jude is making the point that upholding the truth of the Bible is a serious struggle that demands our full attention. Instead of following the teaching of people who desire to change, alter, or ignore the teaching of the Bible as archaic and distorted, we are to stand firm in our affirmation of the truth of the Bible.
Jude points out the unchanging nature of scripture when he states, “Which was once for all handed down to all the saints.” The phrase indicates that there is no new revelation that can change the essence of this faith and that this faith has been communicated to them through the scriptures. Therefore, anyone who comes saying that they have new revelation from God or who claims that they have new insight into God’s will that would nullify the teaching of the Bible given through the inspired prophets for all the church for all the ages is a false teacher to be rejected.
In verse 4, Jude warns of these individuals who will creep into the church. They are characterized as ungodly persons who seek to use God’s grace into a license of sin and deny the authority and person of Christ. We see these false teachers present in the church today. They claim that we must demythologize the Bible and reinterpret it for today’s enlightened morality. In other words, we must remove the mystical elements of the Bible, such as the miracles, the virgin birth, and the resurrection of Christ, etc., to discover spiritual truth.
Furthermore, we must remove the cultural biases of those writers who were distorted because of the culture of that period. They teach that no absolute truth governs all people of all cultures of all generations. Instead, the Bible must be reinterpreted according to the new morality. In doing so, they desire to justify their moral corruption. However, rather than bringing us the truth, they are bringing upon themselves the condemnation of God.
We must evaluate every person who instructs us regarding life and morality and ask, “Are they upholding the teaching of the Bible, or are they seeking to change the Bible to justify their own actions and sin? We must stand firm in the teaching of the Bible and uphold it without compromise. This means we must also be students of the Bible. We must know the bible and go to the Bible for our instructions in life, morality, and our understanding of God. Anyone who suggests otherwise or points us to a different source of truth is a false teacher.
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