In the New Testament of the Holy Bible, we are instructed to “contend for the faith.” Specifically, in the Epistle of Jude it says the following:
“Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.”
Jude 1:3
But what exactly does it mean to “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints”? Well, the answer is two-fold: 1) We are called to vie for and campaign for the true gospel of Jesus Christ against any kind of false gospel that is competing for our hearts and souls, and 2) We are encouraged to actively engage in practices that strengthen our Christian Faith.
Just as it was at the time of Jude and the Apostles, we have to contend for our Christian Faith (received from our Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles) amid the false claims of various pseudo-gospels. While Jude specifically addresses those who have turned the gospel of Christ into a “licentious” philosophy (an anything-goes philosophy), we today also contend with this same thing in addition to contending with other things.
In our world today, we “contend for the faith” against things like the Prosperity Gospel, which teaches that we can be blessed with material wealth if we have enough faith or the right kind of faith. We also contend with Radical Secularism, which seeks to strictly relegate faith to a mere freedom of private worship rather than a true freedom of religious expression within both our private and public lives. Furthermore, we contend against Radical Relativism, a doctrine stating that truth, knowledge, ethics and morality are completely relative to culture and are not absolute.
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to resist going astray into these various theological and philosophical distortions of the grace and truth of God. However, we cannot fulfill this calling without the power of God in our lives to strengthen us. So, this is where we are encouraged to actively engage in practices that empower our faith and spirituality. And these practices include worship, Holy Communion, fellowship, charitable service, prayer, and devotional reading, but primary among these practices is BIBLE READING.
Privately reading the Holy Scriptures as an individual and collectively reading them within a Bible study group are essential practices for maintaining a strong Christian belief and hope. There is power in the Word (see Hebrews 4:11-16). Of course, regular Bible study does not make us perfect people, but it does strengthen us with a hope, peace and joy that transcend all human understanding.
So, what are we feeding our souls throughout the week? Are we reading the Scriptures to build us up in Christ and to help us “contend for the faith” amid all the competing claims of the various pseudo-gospels of the world?
“But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”
Jude 1:20-21
Almighty God, strengthen us with the power of your Word through the Holy Spirit so that Christ may live in our hearts through faith. Amen.
Thanks be to God! Pastor Tim