Contending for the faith!
Scripture reading for November 28: Jude
“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. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, Who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, He has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great Day--just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Jude 3-7
Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote a very direct letter to the believers he served. He initially wanted to write about their common salvation but because of false teachers and many who were believers abandoning the way of grace, he now wrote to warn them of their need to be watchful and stay connected to Jesus Christ.
Many of these believers had been Jews so Jude used examples that they would have known from their Old Testament Scriptures. He first cited the exodus of God’s people from Egypt under Moses as an example of God saving those who believed but punishing those who refused to believe. Jude cited Jesus as being their actual leader Who counseled Moses and gave him the Word. Jude also cited the fallen angels who fell with Lucifer. These were punished by Jesus with eternal chains in the darkness of the pit until their final judgment in the Lake of Fire. The third example was the destruction by fire of Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities by God as punishment for their immorality and rebellion. These sobering examples remind us even today of how dangerous it is to become complacent.
As you read these strong warnings, how might you apply them to your own life and attitude about God? Do you tend to focus only on God’s mercy and love instead of His justice and righteous anger? Are there changes in your own life that you need to make today to be ready for Christ’s return?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for warning Your people to be watchful and fighting to maintain the purity of faith Jesus Christ demands. Thank you for salvation by grace through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ. I cling to Jesus as my only plea for mercy and forgiveness. Help me to set a good example for those of my generation. Amen.
0 thoughts on “Contending for the faith!”