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Beloved, although I
was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it
necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for
all delivered to the saints. .
THE STUDY:
Jude felt he had
to write and urge his readers to contend for the faith that was once for all
entrusted to the saints. Jude does not use an imperative but the present
participle urge (parakalōn) which has the effect of a command. Jude calls his
audience to contend for the faith.
Contend
(epagōnizesthai) is a compound verb
borrowed from the realm of athletics. The verb urges the readers to “agonize,”
as in “an athletic contest.” They are “to ‘fight, struggle, strive’ ” against
their opponents. They are not only to passively resist the false teaching but
also to actively and energetically fight for the Christian faith. They are to
contend (strive) until they win.
Faith
is typically used in the NT to denote the act of believing. Jude uses faith differently, to refer to the
content of what is believed, not the act of believing. Thus, faith refers to a body of teachings
about God, Christ, and the Christian lifestyle. Jude’s concern for faith is focused upon the ethical
implications of the gospel. For Jude, the fight for the Christian faith is a
battle not only for doctrinal orthodoxy but also for the moral lifestyle
consistent with the faith. It’s not just what you know it’s how you live it as
well.
The teachings of the Christian
faith were once for all entrusted to the
saints. Saints (hagiois: holy
ones) often refers to Christian believers (e.g., Acts 9:13) Here it refers to
“those who have been called” (Jude 1). It does not refer to Christian leaders,
but to all people of God.
The faith was entrusted to the
saints. delivered (paradotheisēi:
handed on) is a technical term for passing along of authorized tradition. Since
false teaching threatened the church, Jude reminds and assures his audience
that the message of salvation passed down to them is genuine and once for all.[1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY
WITH ….
- We can walk away with the understanding that we are to contend for the faith. Just as athletes strive for victory we should do the same when it comes to our teachings of Christ.
CONCLUSION:
I was
considered someone who was, to some degree, a competitive person. When I played
a sport, I played to win! I have carried this mentality over into my Christian
walk. I am playing to win! I strive to not only finish this race called life
but I want to finish well.
In races, athletes are not rewarded right below the stadium, but called
up to the stage for reward. In our earthly race, we are rarely rewarded
on earth, but will be later!
Remember that our reward is not
here on earth but at a later time in Heaven. Let us long for that day when Christ
says to us, “Well done!”
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2
Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible
Commentary (266–267). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
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