What does it mean to contend for our faith?  As a believer advancing into my sixth decade of living in America, I am appalled at the seeming total freefall away from biblical moral values I see in our culture. Recently, noted transgender, Caitlyn Jenner, announced intentions to run for governor of California—and as a Republican, no less. The national narrative is that we are all supposed to cheer the bravery and nobility of it! And sadly, Christians across the nation are buying wholesale into not just LGBTQ+ agendas, but into all sorts of progressive thinking that is directly counter to God’s Word.

Jenner is merely symbolic of what appears a tsunami of insanity. Because God’s church will march on, many of the faithful are still yet able to see the truth and reject lies—but I sense we are all a bit in shock. Our faith in what is true and right and good is being assaulted every minute of every day now. What was a trickle of evil has become a malevolent torrent, and we are provoked.

The Apostle Paul described this very feeling of provocation in Acts 17:16 “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” Being provoked is uncomfortable, if not debilitating, at times.

 So, beyond the provocation, the heartsickness, and the righteous indignation; after the moments of anxiety when we ponder “what next?”; in our stronger hours, when the will to fight rises in us, what exactly are we supposed to do? What action choices are realistically available to consummate bible believers in USA 2021?

Of course, we can vote our conscience, we can write to our elected officials, we can support specific candidates, or even run for political office ourselves. But, if you are like me, you see these opportunities to influence as both meager and increasingly ineffectual. So, is there more? Does Scripture have any more specific help for us?

I found excellent counsel in the New Testament Book of Jude. In this very short Epistle, Jude exhorts believers to “contend for the faith” in its opening thought:

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”(Jude 1:3)

Jude then offers the “why” behind the command to contend:

“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.” (Jude 1:4)

These words ring relevant to my provoked feelings today, so I want to share with you what I discovered when I went deeper into the text. And with thanks to Thomas Nelson, who wrote the introduction to Jude in the NASB MacArthur Study Bible (Nelson, Thomas. The NASB, MacArthur Study Bible, eBook (pp. 9710-9713). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.), I found the following:

The exact audience of believers with whom Jude corresponded is unknown. Still, they seem to be Jewish, considering Jude’s Old Testament illustrations used in the twenty-four verses that make up the entire epistle. The inspired author undoubtedly wrote to a region recently plagued by false teachers. Although Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, had earlier rejected Jesus as Messiah (John 7:1–9), he, along with other half-brothers of our Lord, was converted after Christ’s resurrection (Acts 1:14).

Jude lived at a time when Christianity was under severe political attack from Rome and aggressive spiritual infiltration from gnostic-like apostates and libertines who, as Nelson phrased it, “sowed abundant seed for a gigantic harvest of doctrinal error.” Thus, Jude called the church to fight, amid intense spiritual warfare, for the truth. Sound familiar?

We can see that the war for the truth is always fought on two fronts, both then and today. There is a war of ideas with the unbelieving world external to the church, and there is a war against apostasy within the believing church. As we ponder what to do in our recurring sense of provocation, Jude specifically takes on the second front of the fight—apostasy—because, in the end, it is the internal threats that are most dangerous to church health.

Jude is the only New Testament book devoted exclusively to confronting “apostasy,” meaning defection from the true, biblical faith (vv. 3, 17). Apostates are described elsewhere in the New Testament in 2 Thess 2:10; Heb 10:29; 2 Pet 2:1–22;  and 1 John 2:18–23; but it was Jude who focused explicitly on apostates and wrote to contend for the faith against these defectors. So, how were they to do that? What specifically did he call the believers to do?

Jude first called for discernment on the part of the church, followed by a rigorous and reasoned verbal defense of biblical truth. In this two-step approach, he followed the earlier examples of:

                1) Christ (Matt 7:15ff.; 16:6–12; 24:11ff; Rev 2; 3);

                2) Paul (Acts 20:29, 30; 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:1–5; 4:3, 4);

                3) Peter (2 Pet 2:1, 2; 3:3, 4); and

                4) John (1 John 4:1–6; 2 John 6–11).

Jude is also replete with historical illustrations of discerning and then defending from the OT which include:

                1) the Exodus (v. 5);

                2) Satan’s rebellion (v. 6);

                3) Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7);

                4) Moses’ death (v. 9);

                5) Cain (v. 11);

                6) Balaam (v. 11);

                7) Korah (v. 11);

                8) Enoch (vv. 14, 15); and

                9) Adam (v. 14).

 

Jude next vividly described the apostates in terms of their lacking character and unconscionable activities (vv. 4, 8, 10, 16, 18, 19). Additionally, he borrowed from nature to illustrate the futility of their teaching (vv. 12, 13).

While Jude never commented on the specific content of their false teaching, he focused on demonstrating that the degenerate personal lives and fruitless ministries of the teachers as the test to discern their betrayal—their attempts to teach error as though it were truth. This emphasis on character repeats the constant theme regarding false teachers—their personal corruption. As Nelson again well said it: “While their teaching is clever, subtle, deceptive, enticing, and delivered in myriads of forms, the common way to recognize them is to look behind their false spiritual fronts and see their wicked lives” (2 Peter 2:10, 12, 18, 19).

So how does this apply to you and me? Jude characterized the Christian’s response to false teachers/teaching as a duty. We cannot refuse to step up to the task. Passivity is not an option. Next, Believers are exhorted to heed the instruction of the Word (17–19) by first remembering the predictions of the apostles—”in the last time there will be scoffers” (18)—and next, by seeking sound doctrine and Spirit-inspired truth: “but you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God” (20, 21).

This means we must study and know God’s Word! How can a person refute lies if he does not fully comprehend God’s truth? We must be in church. We must put ourselves under sound biblical preaching and teaching. We must seek unity in fellowship with one another. We must humble ourselves to loved-inspired accountability within the body of Christ and in submission to biblically called and qualified elders. Finally, staying in the love of God also meant Jude’s readers were to be merciful towards those impacted by false teaching: “Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire” ( 22, 23). Such mercy we must remember to do in our wartime dynamic today as well.

In sum, Jude not only called believers to contend for their faith, but he also taught them how to fight for their precious faith. Discern first, then defend as God providentially tees up opportunities to speak the truth in love. Both steps require commitment and courage. Both steps also require patience and perseverance, especially when it seems the cause of truth is a losing one. Are you up to the task?