EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” The stately term “beloved” is of frequent employment within Holy Writ. It establishes a beautiful bond of friendship, fellowship and comradeship between writer and readers. Jude was not lukewarm or haphazard in his work for the Lord. He was diligent as a disciple; he exercised himself to the performance of the needed task with becoming promptness. With diligence he had laid plans to write the brethren relative to the common salvation. It is common from the standpoint of being available to Jew and Gentile, bond and free, rich and poor, male and female, wise and ignorant. To Titus, Paul speaks of the common faith (Tit. 1:4). Jude may already have begun his composition dealing with the common salvation. Yet an urgent matter arose that necessitated a literary change of his plans. Hearing of the false teachers that had arisen and were seeking to lead his very readers astray Jude found it necessary to change the content of his inspired document to them. Stern necessity demanded that he write an exhortation designed particularly to encourage their earnest contention for the faith. To do this earnestly called for fervency and diligence on their part. To contend called for a fight, a struggle and a wrestling, all figurative of course, in their heroic efforts to defend the truth and to keep the doctrine of Christ unmixed from any and all shades of error. Jude is not speaking of physical force such as Moslems use or that warring nations do in carnal conflicts. He is speaking of a moral, persuasive force. This must be our stance and posture in preaching, teaching, writing and debating.

The faith is the gospel or the system of saving truth. There is the one faith (Eph. 4:5). There are not many faiths with each one an acceptable approach to God -- almost the whole religious world to the contrary notwithstanding. This faith or gospel has been delivered once and for all to the saints of God. The ASV make it crystal clear that it has been “once for all delivered.” Bengel well says, “No other faith will be given.” (Quoted by Vincent in his Word Studies). Such a decisive declaration but means that there is no place in God’s system for latter day revelations. Saints of God had a completed Bible before the end of the first century. Relative to the fullness and perfection of that revelation there is to be no future addition, subtraction, emendation, substitution, alteration or modification. This is a lesson the whole religious world needs desperately to learn and to learn well!

Robert Taylor, Jr.