“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 1:3, NASB).
The “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon, once said, “Controversy is never a very happy element for the child of God: he would far rather be in communion with his Lord than be engaged in defending the faith or in attacking error. But the soldier of Christ knows no choice in his Master's commands. He may feel it to be better for him to lie upon the bed of rest than to stand covered with the sweat and dust of battle; but, as a soldier, he has learned to obey, and the rule of his obedience is not his personal comfort, but his Lord's absolute command. The servant of God must endeavor to maintain all the truth that his Master has revealed to him because, as a Christian soldier, this is part of his duty. But while he does so, he accords to others the liberty which he himself enjoys.”
In the epistle of Jude, he exhorts believers to be defenders of the faith, to hold fast to our message as Christians, the glorious gospel.
“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 1:3, NASB).
Engaging in Christian apologetics in today's culture is desperately needed when defending the faith, even within the Church and especially in America, because error abounds. We must stand for truth and become defenders of the Christian faith that has stood the test of time for thousands of years, even when wolves come in to devour the flock (Matthew 7).
It isn't about a single person being right; It is about learning how to rightly divide God’s Word, which is perfect because God is perfect. God’s Word is absolute truth. If we are God’s children, we will want to grow in that truth, boldly proclaim it, and protect it from error, even if it makes us uncomfortable or even experience pain and rejection at times. The gospel is offensive. Truth can cut deep and point out things in us that we don't want to see, but if we want to be conformed to the image of Christ, we must believe and follow the truth.
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