In a little noticed, obscure corner of the New Testament is a tiny little letter we call the book of Jude. It’s tucked, appropriately, right before Revelation. A mere 25 verses long, Jude packs an important and timely message. Penned by Jesus’ half-brother, it speaks to us as 21st century Christians in a way unlike any other part of the Bible. It reminds us of two important things in a time when, quite honestly, it seems that the world has lost its mind with many Christians going along for the ride.
These two reminders come in verse 3: “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” The picture we get is of a pastor, the shepherd of a flock, who wants to write a positive, affirming letter celebrating their common salvation. But he is “compelled” out of concern and fear for the safety of these early Christians to write a much different letter—an ominous letter of warning pleading with them “to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (or God’s Holy people).” Evidently, they were in danger of falling prey to presumed Christian teachers who were “perverting the grace of God into a license for immorality.” Not only that but they were denying Jesus Christ as the only Lord of all.
So Jude must speak truth that probably wasn’t received well in his time and certainly isn’t received well in our culture. But he reminds them of two things: FIRST, there does exist a “Faith” or a body of set beliefs, Truth, that originates from God Who communicates it to us through the person of Jesus Christ, the Bible, and the apostolic teaching. This Faith is not simply something we believe. It also speaks definitively to how we live our lives. It shapes and informs everything about us as human beings created by God in His image.
But SECONDLY, Jude reminds them that this faith has been “once for all entrusted to us.” This means that this Faith (what we believe and how that belief informs how we live) has not changed and isn’t open to revision based on popular opinion, shifting cultural sand, or the theological fashion of the day. This Faith is not just contained in the “red letters” of Jesus’ words but, also, in the revelation of the rest of the Old and New Testaments. There is a “Faith” that has been reliably passed down and entrusted to us and it does not change. The issue which seems most on Jude’s mind involves sexual immorality and a desire to follow one’s own ungodly desires. Yet, there many ways we sin and stray from living out this Faith. In both things we do and things we don’t do.
The difficult thing is this: How do we maintain and live out an unchanging Faith in a world and society where change is unavoidable and is happening whether we approve or not? How do we “contend” for this Faith and still remain relevant as salt and light. Jude uses this word “contend.” It comes from the Greek word from which we get our word “agony.” In other words, contending for this Faith will bring with it difficulty, effort, and even agony. It is hard now, and will become increasingly difficult in the future, to contend for the Christian Faith. And as a pastor, like Jude, I can tell you that this is an extremely hard time to be a pastor who must speak unchanging Truth in our culture. It can be agonizing at times because not only are there people flat out denying the Faith and the Truth of Scripture regarding not only sexuality (as in Jude) but a whole host of other issues. But there are also Christians for whom this Faith is mired in politics, nationalism, race, socio economic status, patriarchy, and a whole host of other things.
In a world broken by sin, deceived by Satan, blinded by the gods of our culture, and heading towards the final Judgement we cannot be fuzzy or muddle headed about what the Faith is and what it isn’t. And we cannot conflate it with other things no matter how dear those things might be to us. Some aspects of how we go about living out this Faith may need to be changed or adapted as we seek to become all things to all people so that some might be saved. But the actual Faith, the biblical Faith and all that it clearly teaches, is not up for revision, addition, alteration, or the like.
But the GOOD NEWS of this is that this FAITH is absolutely worth contending for and even at times agonizing over. And so Jude concludes his passionate letter with these words:
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Chris Higgins 