December 7-December 13

Contending For Our Faith
Jayson Vincent
St. Louis, Missouri

Our book of consideration at this time is Jude, a short book towards the end of our Bible, that great collection of books saved for us that allows us to know our God more and more and more. The author is Jude, and he refers to himself as a bond-servant of Jesus Christ. His immediate acknowledgement is that his life is not his, but rather he submits his life as a slave to the One who came to live, to love, to suffer, and to die for Him. It is in this devotion of submission and service that we find Jude living out an example of a great friend, and of a great brother and sister in Christ. We find him in thought about others who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ, as he is writing to them about the salvation that they share (v.3). While writing to them, Jude says that he felt it necessary to appeal to them to earnestly contend for their faith (v.3). It is Jude’s desire that they are shown great mercy by God, and that God blesses them with more and more peace, and with abounding love (v.2).

Jude has learned that certain individuals and groups of people have crept in among the children of God will ill intentions, and that they’ve done so unnoticed (v.4). He lets them know that the very fact that these people would come to deceive and to harm the faith and the lives of God’s people is something that has been known from a long, long time ago (v.4), and something that has been spoken of even recently by the apostles (v.17). He states that these people turn God’s grace into licentiousness, and that they deny Jesus Christ.

Jude proceeds to use a great strategy in order to help the children of God to escape the deception and harm caused by these ungodly penetrators, he calls them to “be reminded” (v.5). Let’s give proper credit to God for this example of strategy, as the one who created Jude and who is orchestrating His work through his devoted life. Jude proceeds to remind them of the fact that many people (and angels also) have found themselves in the favor of God and in the presence of God’s miraculous works and indescribable presence, only to still fall away at a later time (v.5+). Others have found themselves committing continous evil in God’s sight, and their corresponding punishment has been shown as an example (Sodom & Gomorrah in this case) of how God hates ungodliness, and how He will indeed one day punish those who will not turn from it. He reminds them of the conduct of esteemed angels, like Michael (v.9), who I have called esteemed because of his recorded obedience in my reading of the Scripture, and he brings to light some of the actions that these ungodly, deceiving, false-teaching men have conducted in order to show how out of place their conduct (v.4, v.10) truly is.

Jude closes his letter by teaching his beloved in Christ how to “contend for their faith” in the midst of their present adversity, and I believe that there is understanding for us to learn from here, also.

As he shows them how to contend for their faith (v.20+ follows here), he asks them to do the following:
- Keep building yourselves up on your faith
- Keep praying in the Spirit
- Keep yourselves in God’s love (to my understanding this means keep believing in what Christ has done for you, keep considering both this and all of God’s love, keep reminding yourself of these, keep looking forward to Christ’s return, and keep longing for God’s presence in this life)
- Wait anxiously for His return
- Help one another out during this battle (and a difficult contention this is…)
o Some will require mercy, as they struggle with doubting
o You’ll be able to snatch some out of the fire
o You’ll need to have mercy on some, and keep fear in front of you so that you may properly see and hate the effects of sin on both yourselves and your brothers & sisters.

Jude closes his letter with what I think is the greatest encouragement. He encourages them to trust and focus on Him who is able to keep them united to Him, ready to stand blameless in His presence, and able to stand with great joy upon His return (paraphrased v.24). And may that be the case with each of us, my beloved.
I sincerely believe that through meditation upon Jude’s counsel of “contending for our faith,” we can truly increase our discernment, protecting ourselves from false teaching, and directing our minds to focus upon the love and hope in Jesus Christ. In our world, discernment is needed in order to keep us in His love, as we also deal with that same devil (that same roaring lion) who existed with causes to destroy and deceive in the presence of these children of God. I also believe that there is great fruit to be reaped from us taking the time to “remember,” and to “remind” ourselves of what God has done. Let’s have some joy and depth with this and remember the details along with the stories that we’ve heard many times. Let’s rejoice with Him in what He has done. Lastly, it is with great joy that we can relax in His ability to bring us home. Even amidst our strivings for understanding and obedience, and amidst our struggles and frustrations as we live in this world attacked by a common enemy and limited by common flesh, He is with us now and is able to bring us home. He is able to bring us home, He is able to bring us Home, He is able to bring us home! May that echo in your heart, and in mine, amen.

[Jayson Vincent is a member of the McKnight Road Church of Christ in Saint Louis, Missouri. Jayson is a Modeling & Simulation Software Engineer at The Boeing Company and is working on his MBA at Webster University. Jayson is involved in the teaching ministry at McKnight Road Church of Christ, and is part of a wonderful core group of young professionals that meet for dinner & bible study on Sunday evenings.]