Earnestly contend for the faith.

Jude exhorts us, lovingly appeals to us, encourages us, begs us even, to earnestly contend for the faith. What does this mean and why is it so important?

Contend earnestly means to struggle for, agonize over, or defend. It’s similar to phrases we use in sports when a competitor gives all he or she has, such as a wrestler contending while on the mat, exerting maximum, intense effort. In the Christian walk, contending earnestly denotes hard, diligent work throughout our lives. It is, or should be, a continuous effort. We should never stop contending for our faith. Why? Because our faith is the most valuable thing we have, and it is worthy of being protected.

So how do we contend earnestly for the faith? First of all, we must know the truth. We cannot contend for just anything we think we know. We first must be solidly ground in the truth found in His Word. This requires much studying and prayer. But simple knowledge alone isn’t enough. We must continually grow in Christ, ever drawing closer to Him, allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us.

We also contend:

• by witnessing to others and sharing what God has done in our lives

• by supporting our pastors and missionaries, helping them to further achieve God’s will in their ministries

• by standing up for and spreading the truth, and not listening to or supporting false teachers

• by living in ways that please God and giving Him credit for all He’s done

• by fulfilling whatever role God has given us, to the best of our abilities. A Sunday school teacher at a tiny church with only one student is just as important in God’s kingdom work as a missionary converting thousands of people across the world.

In writing about how we contend, Matthew Henry says, “As the apostles did; by suffering patiently and courageously for it, not by making others suffer if they will not presently embrace every notion that we are pleased (proved or unproved) to call faith, or fundamental.” We must not be dogmatic on our personal preferences, demanding that others worship exactly how we do, witness how we do, listen to our kind of music, or fulfill the calling God has given just to us. If we disagree on things that don’t affect the gospel of salvation, we must agree to disagree and not allow it to hinder our walk or our close relationship with fellow believers.

For what does Jude say we are earnestly contending? For the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. This faith is more than our personal belief in Christ. It is “the essential truths of the gospel that all true Christians hold in common,” (David Guzik). These truths are found in the Bible. They were once delivered and never will be again. If someone has a “new gospel”, that is not from God. He gave us our truths once, and His Word was finalized, never to be added to or changed. We already have His truths. There is no other alternative gospel.

And this gospel is for all, for everyone who will receive it. We must believe in the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints, not whatever we feel is right, whatever we think, or whatever we believe in our hearts. If we choose anything different than what God stated in his Word, we are believing in a different, incorrect faith than what Jude is speaking of here.

The Saints Jude writes of are all Christians. God gave the one true gospel to all of us, not one or two select groups. Let's share it freely with everyone.