Contend for the Faith

 The Book of Jude tells us to "contend for the faith". What does that mean? The dictionary defines "contend" as: 

• 1) To argue or state earnestly, 
• 2) Struggle,
•  3) Compete with others in a struggle to achieve (something).

It makes one wonder how they might "contend for the faith". First, it needs to be said that we are not to pick and choose what we wish to believe in God's Word. Only reading and believing the "positive" parts of the Word leaves a lot out.

In New Testament times, Christianity was competing with Gnosticism. The Gnostics saw Jesus as merely a spiritual being and not a physical being. They felt that the physical part of life was evil and only the spiritual mattered. This was convenient in that it meant that they could literally do whatever they wished with their physical bodies as long as their spiritual body was on the right path. 

Paul was thinking about the Gnostics when he admonished the believers to make sure that anyone who taught them needed to believe that Jesus is God and that He was raised bodily from the dead. Consider that since we are saved by faith, if Satan can destroy the faith, he has destroyed salvation.

The Book of Jude addresses the fact that false teachers in the church are to be condemned and removed. He wanted to expose the false teachers that had infiltrated the church and to encourage Christians to stand firm and fight for the truth. Jude thought more than just being aware of false teachers and their teachings, believers were to stand against those working against the faith. How?

• Remember the teaching of the apostles.
• Build each other up in the faith.
• Pray in the Holy Spirit.
• Keep themselves in the love of God.

"Christianity was never intended to be the follow-the-leader-blindly cult" (Dave Hunt) It is important for us to do as the Bereans and to search Scripture to ensure we are not being led astray. We need to stand against error and to not allow the Gospel to be homogenized with our culture. Gnosticism did not fade away. It is alive and well today, just difficult to see unless you are looking for it.

We should be asking the questions, what can make a church vulnerable to false teachings today? Have we been "sucked in" because we don't know the Word as well as we should?  

According to a poll:

• Only 36% of those who attend church weekly believe Jesus is the only way to heaven.
• 57% believe other religions can lead to eternal life.
• Only 22% believe the Bible to be God-inspired.
• Over 82% of American Christians only read their Bibles on Sundays while in church.

Christians Don’t Read Their Bible | The Ponce Foundation