Keith Sharp
We live in an “I’m OK, you’re OK” age. The only thing that is intolerable is intolerance. Of course we should be tolerant of racial, ethnic, and political differences. We must never be so arrogant as to demand that our opinions alone are right. We should never try to enforce our views on others by physical might or political power. But does this mean we should accept all religions as equally valid?
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude verse 3).
What is our responsibility to the faith?
Definition
To answer this, we must first determine what “the faith” is. The faith is what Paul preached (Galatians 1:23). But Paul preached the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-9). Thus, the faith is the gospel. It is the word of God which produces faith in our hearts and is the object of our faith (Romans 10:8, 17). This gospel is the “sound doctrine” which the apostles preached (1 Timothy 1:8-11). It is the doctrine of Christ (2 John verse 9), that which the Lord Jesus Christ teaches (1 Timothy 6:3-5).
Characteristics
The faith has four characteristics stated in Jude verse three which are the basis for our
responsibilities to it.
It is “the faith,” not a faith. Thus, it is unique. There is only one faith (Ephesians 4:5). It is not correct to say, You have your faith, and I have mine. We may each have our own opinions, but there is but one faith.
This view is narrow, but this is precisely the nature of truth and salvation in Christ. He is the only way to God (John 14:6). Salvation is through Him alone. Early Christians could have escaped persecution by acknowledging Caesar as god and viewing Christ as a lord among others. But there is one Lord (Ephesians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6), and it was precisely the narrowness of this stand that led unbelievers to persecute Christians.
It is “the faith once for all delivered” to the saints. The Greek word translated by the phrase “once for all” is also used to describe the uniqueness and the singularity of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins (Hebrews 9:27-28). He was offered once and only once. The faith was delivered once and only once. It is not continuously revealed through the ages, but was given once for all time through the apostles and prophets of the first century. Those who either bring or accept another supposed gospel or any additions to the faith are accursed of God (Galatians 1:6-9). The faith contains all God’s will for man (John 16:13) and is completely sufficient to meet all our spiritual needs (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
It is “the faith which was once for all delivered.” The faith is of divine rather than human origin (Galatians 1:11-12). It is the word of God not man (1 Thessalonians 2:13). It stands in stark contrast to the false revelations of such religions as Islam, Hinduism, and Mormonism and to all the creeds of the denominations. They are all from man; only the faith is from God.
It is “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” All disciples of Christ are saints (cf. Acts 9:1, 13), i.e., people who have been set apart to God. Thus, the faith was not delivered to a clergy which has a supposedly unique ability and authority to understand and explain it. Rather, it was delivered to all Christians. We all have the responsibility to comprehend its truth (Ephesians 5:17) and therefore have the responsibility to study and learn it for ourselves (1 Peter 2:1-3).
Our Responsibility
It is precisely because the faith possesses these unique qualities that we have a solemn obligations to it. We must “contend earnestly for the faith.” These two words “contend earnestly” are from one Greek term which literally means to intensely agonize. It was the term the Greeks used for Olympic wrestling.
The Lord Himself engaged in public dispute with the Jewish leaders over truth (Matthew 22:15-46). He was so successful they were afraid to ask Him any more questions. Stephen, the first disciple to give his life for his faith, was eminently successful in public debate (Acts 6:9-11). The apostle Paul disputed with false teachers both within the church (Acts 15:1-2) and without (Acts 17:16-17). With such examples before us, how can we shrink from defense of the faith?
The apostle Paul summarized our obligation to the faith in the conclusion of his first letter to the Corinthians: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). As the sentry on duty, we must watch for false teachings. When it appears, we must “stand fast in the faith.” When the spiritual battle of truth against error is fought, we must be brave. When comrades around flee or fall to Satan, we must remain strong. But our battle must be fought with love – love of the truth, love of the souls we seek to save, and yes, even love for the false teachers we fight. A defender of truth must not lower himself to the level of partisan name calling and mud slinging.
In past times great debates caused many people to see the truth. The five debates of Alexander Campbell in the earlier part of the nineteenth century even made a national impact. The church grew from nonexistence in our country to become at one time the fourth largest religious body in America. Our preaching must be loving, but it must also be militant. We should answer error with a loving and gentle spirit, but we must answer error. And Christians who do not preach must love their friends and neighbors enough to show them their errors.
Conclusion
In 480 BC King Xerxes of Persia crossed the Hellespont and invaded Greece with an army estimated by modern historians to be about 360,000 soldiers. The Greeks sent King Leonidas of Sparta with a force of about 7000 to defend the narrow pass of Thermopylae. After two days of heavy fighting the Greeks remained unconquered. A Greek traitor revealed to the Persians a mountain pass by which they could bypass Thermopylae, attack the Greeks from the rear, and surround them. Learning what had happened, Leonidas sent most of his army south, but remained with a contingent, including 300 Spartans, to protect their retreat. As the fatal attack began, Leonidas, his band of 300 Spartans, and a contingent of Thespians stood their ground. After their spears were broken, they fought with swords and then hands. King Leonidas and almost all his men died. But 20,000 Persians fell, and the noble example of King Leonidas gave courage to the Greeks to rally and eventually drive the Persians from Greek soil. The stubborn, unyielding courage of Leonidas in the face of overwhelming force must be ours against all enemies of the faith.
The gospel is by its nature controversial. Paul and his company were accused of having “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The world hated the Master and will hate His disciples (John 15:18-20). But it was the courage to stand for truth while loving those who hated them that enabled the first century disciples to turn the world upside down. We dare not do less.
