Contending for the Faith

Reid Ferguson

Oct 10, 2024

Jude 3-4

Note first: Jude knows how to address priorities.

One of the destructive traits of our age, is the endless hype that surrounds communication – especially in the media.

Everything is a crisis. Every election, the most important in history. No one can just be excited about something, they have to be SUPER EXCITED! Every supplement is THE most essential to life. Every cause has us on the brink of extinction. Every everything is “the best in the history of the world!”

In the face of a truly serious issue in the Church, one that Jude interrupts his planned course to address, there is no panic, no absolute dire predictions. Yes this is serious. Yes this needs addressed. But this is Christ’s Church, Christ’s people, and even the very gates of Hell, death itself nor all the demon hordes together can prevail against it. So let’s not lose our heads.

So it is Jude apparently wanted to write somewhat generically about Christianity and the Christian life for his fellow Believers, but responds to the exigency of the day: Contending for the Faith. A faith that had already been delivered, and which by his assessment will admit of no additions, subtractions or innovations. “The Faith” was already a settled thing at this early point in history. This did not mean there would not be increased clarification in areas over time, but it did mean the essentials were already the essentials and that was a settled matter even by then.

Note secondly: Jude finds contending for the faith of more importance than contending for other, what even may be genuinely pressing and legitimate things.

Are we to assume there were no other issues his readers were facing? At what time in history has this ever been true? But there is no mention here of cultural, social, political, economic or others, which every Christian faces in each generation. But for Jude, if the basic faith is lost, everything else is moot.

If we were to believe the hype around us today IN the Church, we would be certain that politics, the sexual revolution, the economy and government overreach are our biggest concerns. When Jude wrote this letter, (probably in the mid-60’s AD) Nero was on the Roman throne. In 60, the great tragedy at Pompeii had just occured. In 64, the great fire in Rome, blamed on the Christians. Starting in 66, the first of the Jewish-Roman wars began which would find Jerusalem decimated in 70.

But the biggest concern on Jude’s mind – by The Spirit? The need to contend for The Faith, that was once for all time delivered unto the saints. Protecting and keeping The Faith. All other societal and global issues aside – this was to take precedence.

Note third: There were 3 chief things which challenged the faith “once for all delivered” in Jude’s mind.

a. The influence of ungodly men in the Church. And we must note these were IN the Church as professing Believers.

b. The perversion of grace into license to sin.

c. Failure to live with Christ as the authentic, rightful and absolute master of the Christian’s life. Not seeing ourselves as Christ’s slaves, set for His purposes and agenda. But being self-directed.

It is ever and always a danger that people will creep into the Church bringing with them some supposed completion to or advancement of the Gospel and the Christian life and experience, beyond what is recorded to be received in God’s Word. This is a perennial danger that needs to be resisted every time it rears its ugly head. This is a much needed battle Believers must enter into. This, is not a place for compromise. This is not to be tolerated. How we respond to it, as Jude will outline later – is just as important as that we respond. But we dare not ignore it.

What we know for sure from verse 4 is that God certainly will not ignore it. And He is not shy to tell us of their demise. Nor is this anything new. God has always had this end in view for those who would follow the recorded pattern: Religious but unregenerate purveyors of sinful behavior justified under a perverted notion of grace, and serving themselves to the de-throning of Christ.

Note lastly: Jude is not about “restoring” the Church to some imagined golden-age state. This is always part of the bedrock of every cult and false movement. Instead, Jude is calling us simply to defend and stand by what has already (and always) been committed into the Church’s hands. The sound truth of the Word and the Spirit of holiness. The church never needs to be reinvented.

Praise God! His Church WILL survive. He is still the Great Shepherd. This device of Satan will not prevail. And as His blood-bought ones, we have a job to do in contending for The Faith which was delivered to us from ancient times – and needs no modification.

The need to be born again.

The glory of true grace, grating us freedom FROM sin, not TO sin.

The most fundamental of all truths to the Believer – Jesus is Lord.

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Visit Reid Ferguson's Blog at ResponsiveReiding.com