Contend for the Faith

Jude 3-4

Jude, the brother of James and the half-brother of Jesus was going to write a letter to fellow followers of Christ about the blessing of being in Christ, and having fellowship with the Father, but that was not the message the Holy Spirit wanted Jude to pen.  In verse three Jude is telling us to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.  First, lets clear up that the person Jude, as well as the apostle Paul, often referred to followers of Christ as saints, not based on performance but on relationship with Jesus Christ by grace through faith, and Ephesians 2:8-9, makes it clear that it is not by what we did or do for God, but what He has done by shedding His blood to cover our sin. 

Now, you and I may not use the word contend in our daily conversation, but it is something we do almost continually as Christians.  We contend, or struggle with the culture; we all have to deal with sin in our own life and in our society. This contention has not gone unnoticed in the church, for many have “placed a line in the sand” when it comes to a denomination going away from the teaching of Scripture and allowing the world’s ideals to lead them into a form of Godlessness. 

This same thing is what Jude is stating in verse four; “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”  God calls us sheep for good reason, we are easily conned; Jude did not say they showed up at the local church saying I will not be under the authority of man or God, but that they crept, are they snuck into your local church without fanfare, and they look good, they smelled good, and they may be your lawyer, banker, or doctor, or the mayor of your city, but they are deceivers.  They are not going to expose themselves by coming out against the things of God, but they are going to become teachers and may be on the staff of your church, and they are going to promote these kind of thoughts: that man is not sinful, good works to others will change the way God looks at a person.  Buell H. Kazee in his introduction to “Faith is the Victory” wrote: “There are only two philosophies of salvation in the world: salvation by works, and salvation by grace.” He also states, a false teacher will always distort these teachings.  “God alone is holy; second, man is sinful, depraved, and lost; and third, Jesus is the only Savior.”  Kazee’s book on (Faith is the Victory) is a must read for any and all and let me leave you with this last quote from the introduction: “Man, left to himself, will always have a god; and that god will always be like himself.”

The world has so invaded the church that many pastors have found it is not good for attendance to stand on the teaching of Scripture, so they no longer preach against the killing of the unborn, they no longer take a public stance against divorce, or for marriage being as God stated; between a man and a woman, and they do not teach that homosexual behavior is a godless act, in fact, many only teach what they refer to as a positive message.  But it is a message void of God’s warning, and He alone is holy and man is at best depraved and lost without the redeeming act of Jesus Christ.  This is the message of Jude to those who are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice