Fiercely Fighting for the Faith

The epistle of Jude begins, “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (v. 3). The Greek word for “contend” is epagônizomai, which means to fight fiercely, to exert oneself maximally, like a champion athlete who trains without distraction in order to attain the gold medal. Jude here urges Christians to fiercely fight for a far more glorious cause—the faith once for all entrusted to the saints.

The apostle Paul also likens a Christian to a good fighter. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ,” he says in 2 Timothy 2:3. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). To fiercely fight for the faith, we have to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Christians are not to be spectators seeking entertainment when they come to church. We are to fight for truth. We are to fight against our enemies—the world, the flesh, the devil, and the false church. We are to emulate Paul, who confidently declared in his last letter to Timothy: “I have fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7).

As Jude states, it is the duty of every Christian to fight fiercely for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints. Why? Because enemies of the gospel secretly slip into the church. Such people are antinomians and libertines who will not endure the true gospel or the holy life it enjoins. In fact, it is their aim to change the gospel of grace into a license for immorality. But the gospel is fixed. It is the paradosis, the tradition, which we received and which we declare, and we have no authority to alter it. Orthodox Christians are to know the gospel, live the gospel, proclaim and defend the gospel, suffer for the gospel and, if needs be, die for the gospel, because it alone is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every believer—not just of ministers—to fight fiercely for this fixed gospel, the very word of God.

In these verses Jude identifies seven essential tactics we must use to fight fiercely and victoriously for this gospel that saves us.

1. Remember the Apostolic Teaching

In verse 5 Jude calls us to remember: “Though you already know all this, I want to remind you . . .” and there he speaks from the Old Testament. Then in verse 17 we are asked to remember the New Testament apostolic teaching: “But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.” The enemies of the gospel—libertines, antinomians, and immoral charismatics—target mindless Christians in order to enslave them. Therefore, it is imperative that we know the Scriptures, know the traditions, know the true gospel. The Bible says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11, KJV). Paul tells us in Romans 15:4, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Specifically, we are to remember the predictions of Jesus and his apostles concerning the coming of the heretics into his holy church. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24:4-5, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” He says in verse 11, “And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” And in verses 23-26: “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.”

Likewise, in 2 Peter 3:3-4 Peter declares, “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised?’” Paul predicts in Acts 20:29, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” These people are called savage wolves. Oh, they may smile and seem very caring. But they are targeting mindless Christians to tear them apart and destroy them. Jesus Christ himself describes such people in Matthew 7:15: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

In 1 Timothy 4:1-2 Paul gives a specific prediction from the Holy Spirit: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith. . . .” He is talking, not about people in the world but about people in the church who professed faith. They will “abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”

It is essential that we remember the apostolic teaching. But how can we remember unless we study carefully the teachings of the Scriptures? To “remember” in the Scripture means “to take thoughtful action.” The heretics target those whose minds are empty. They know such people are not praying and not reading and believing the Scriptures. They know such people like to sin, and therefore like to hear a gospel that permits them to sin. Therefore I exhort you: Be a knowing Christian, a remembering Christian, a fighting Christian.

2. Know the Nature of the Heretics

We must know the true nature of the enemies of the gospel. Antinomians are those who change the fixed nature of the gospel by changing the grace of God into a license for immorality. They say, “Since we are saved by grace only, we can sin all the more. In fact, the more we sin, the more we will glorify God’s free grace.” They do not understand the scripture that says, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:28).

I have known people who preached the gospel and yet have been thieves; people who have preached, and yet were habitual liars. Such people will say, “We are not under law; we are under grace. Therefore, God’s moral law has no bearing upon our lives. We can steal, lie, deceive, worship idols, commit adultery, murder, covet, and take the name of the Lord in vain.” But sanctification is the evidence of salvation. Whenever someone speaks of justification without sanctification, you must recognize that person for what he is—a libertine; an antinomian; an immoral, unconverted person.

3. Build Yourselves Up in Your Most Holy Faith

Verse 20 gives us further instruction in how to fight fiercely for the faith: “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith.” By “faith” Jude is not referring to trust, but to the content of the gospel, the Holy Scriptures. How can we fight when we do not have strength, when our minds are empty, when we are intellectually lazy? Therefore we are told, “Build yourselves up in your most holy faith.” This is a command. Christians are to worship God with their whole mind. We must apply all our mental capacities to know the word of God in order to serve him acceptably.

The Bible declares that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostolic teaching. Acts 2:42 says that the new converts to Christianity “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” This demonstrates the primacy of the gospel and, therefore, the primacy of the intellect. In Acts 20:32 Paul instructs the elders of the church of Ephesus: “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Nothing is able to build us up but the once-for-all-given word of God. It is called “the word of his grace.”

What do we need? Grace! Grace is found in the word of God. Show me a person who will not read the Bible or listen seriously to the preaching of the word, and I will show you someone who will be a prime target of antinomian heretics. Such people are rootless; because they lack foundation, they easily crumble and fall.

In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord declared, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25). What is that rock? It is the word of God, which stands for God himself. Notice, what is required is complete obedience to God’s word—not only hearing it, but also putting it into practice. Our Lord continued, “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” It will happen. Even after twenty or thirty years in the church, those who are mindless will fall.

But God has made provision for his church to be built up so it will not fall. In Ephesians 4 Paul speaks of the gifts which the ascended Christ gave to the church: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.” Do you understand that pastors and teachers are God’s gifts to you? And what is the purpose? “To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (vv. 11-13). Once we have been built up through the ministry of God’s donation to the church—the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—”then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching”—every unbiblical, antinomian, libertine teaching—”and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (vv. 14-15).

I hope we will examine ourselves and see whether or not we are empty-minded infants. If we are, we will be prime target of heretics, and will fall when the wind blows.

God wants us to build ourselves up, both individually and corporately, by studying and believing the word of God. We must see to it that our brothers and sisters do the same, so that we can be a strong, united church. We are our brother’s keepers. In order to fight the Lord’s battles, we must be strong in the faith, for those who are weak and sick in the faith are a problem for the rest.

I hope we will also recognize the dangers of solo Christianity. Libertines love solo Christians, those who have no church connection. But a single brick is not a building. Jude uses the present participle of the Greek verb “to build” in verse 20, meaning we are to build ourselves up continually, daily; moment by moment we are to be engaged in knowing and doing of the word of God. Daily devotion and regular, corporate worship are essential for growth. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,” we read in Hebrews 10:25. If you are a solo Christian, you will fall away because you love to sin, and the libertines will give you a basis for it. But they will also take you to hell, which is where they are headed.

We are told to build ourselves up in “the most holy faith.” Notice the superlative. Scripture is called “most holy” because it is the very word of God. It reveals to us his perfection and gracious plan to save us and make us glorious. It transforms miserable sinners like us into holy saints.

Are you building yourself up and growing strong in the most holy faith? Are you seeking the growth of the entire body of Christ? Only when you do these things will you be fighting earnestly for the faith.

Paul was fighting fiercely for the faith when he wrote his epistle to the Galatians, because there were people who were corrupting and destroying the gospel of God’s grace. Paul says in Galatians 1:9, “As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” Here Paul is pronouncing a curse upon these evil people. In Galatians 1:11 Paul says, “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.” The gospel is given to us by God, we receive it, and then we give out what we received. In other words, we do not make up the gospel. As a preacher, I am here under God’s authority to declare his word to you.

4. Pray in the Holy Spirit

In verse 20 Jude exhorts believers to “pray in the Holy Spirit.” Prayer means dependence. Show me a man who does not pray, and I will show you an arrogant person who glories in himself and his own powers, abilities, monies, position, and influence rather than in God. A praying Christian is a dependent Christian. He refuses to trust in himself, but depends on God alone.

The Bible says we are to pray always and for all things. Through prayer we defeat Satan. To “pray in the Holy Spirit” means we are guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit in our prayers. If you sleep while you pray, or if your prayer is ceremonial and silly rather than vital, then you are not praying in the Holy Spirit. When we get up early and pray under the unction, direction, power, and wisdom of the Spirit of the living God, we know that our prayer has gone into the very presence of God, and he will answer it.

When the Holy Spirit gives us words to pray, such prayer is always effectual. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective,” says James, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (James 5:16). Do you pray daily? Do you pray always? Do you pray for all things? Do you pray in the Holy Spirit? Do you pray according to the Holy Scripture? If so, then you are fighting earnestly for the gospel.

Libertines will claim to be charismatic, saying they possess and command the Holy Spirit; yet according to Jude 19, they do not have the Holy Spirit. Such people are unconverted, pagan pretenders. That is why they can sin with ease. As slaves to sin, they treat God’s moral law with contempt. But Christians have the Holy Spirit; therefore, we value the unity and corporate health of the church. So we love one another, counsel one another, help one another, rejoice with one another, suffer with one another, and strive to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

5. Keep Yourselves in God’s Love

Jude tells us in verse 21, “Keep yourselves in God’s love.” If we are to fight fiercely for the gospel, it is our responsibility to keep ourselves in the sphere of God’s love. It is true that God loves us, as we read in verse 1: “To those who have been called, who are loved by God,” and this love of God for us is primary, while our love for him is secondary, derivative, responsive. In verses 3 and 17, we also see a phrase translated as “dear friends”; but actually it is “beloved.” By whom are we beloved? By God, and that from all eternity. And God’s love for us will last to all eternity, so we read in verse 24 that God is the One “who is able to keep you from falling.”

So there is no question God loved us, he loves us, he will love us, and that he will keep us from falling. On the other hand, those who are loved by God will keep themselves in God’s love. (PGM) There is both divine sovereignty and human responsibility at work here. We must fix our eyes on the cross, where Christ died for our sins, because that is where we see God’s love for us.

What does it mean to “keep ourselves in God’s love”? It means to live in obedience to God. In Matthew 22:36 one of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (vv. 37-38). In John 15:9 Jesus commands his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” Remaining in God’s love is our responsibility. But how do we accomplish it? The answer is given in verse 10: “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love.”

To claim that the love and the grace of God are at odds with God’s moral law is a pure fallacy. If we love God, we will keep his commandments. First John 2:5-6 tells us, “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” And the idea that “God is love; therefore, we may sin” is a destructive heresy. Because of our sinful nature, this idea appeals to us, but it will take us straight to hell. To stay in God’s love means to live a life according to God’s word. Yes, we are saved by God’s grace, but this grace and love of God trains us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present evil age. If you love your wife, you will not commit adultery. It is that simple. And if you commit adultery and say, “I love my wife,” something is wrong. Staying in God’s love means living the holy life that our most holy faith demands.

6. Wait in Hope

In verse 21 we are told, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” What are you waiting and hoping for? What do you look forward to every day? I recently heard of a man who bought a house for $128 million. I am sure this man is hoping in his house, wealth and position, rather than in God.

Those who fiercely fight for the gospel do not hope in the things of this world. They do not work eighty or ninety hours a week, thereby destroying their marriage and their family. Rather, they seek first the kingdom of God, seeking the one thing that is needful. They store up treasures in heaven. Their blessed hope is the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who will grant them the fullness of eternal life on the last day.

What will you hope in when you are about to die? As Christians, we hope for and wait eagerly and patiently for the redemption of our bodies, for our glorification, that we may have fellowship with God forever in the new heaven and the new earth.

What is the basis of our hope? Why do we believe that when Jesus Christ comes again, there will be a judgment, a new heaven and a new earth, and a redemption of our bodies? Because God has promised these things in his word. The Old Testament promised us a Messiah, so Jesus Christ came to save us. Christ promised his own resurrection, and he was indeed raised from the dead. And this resurrected Christ who ascended into the heavens spoke to us and promised that he will come again, that we may be with him forever. In his presence there is fullness of joy, and on his right hand, pleasures forevermore. We wait in hope for him, and he will come. How can we be sure? God has said so. And God, who is light and truth, cannot lie.

Therefore, we refuse to be distracted by the pleasures and worries of this life and the deceitfulness of the riches of this world. Our blessed hope is meeting our Savior. John tells us, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). Peter admonishes us, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” How do we speed the coming of the day of the Lord? By doing the will of God. “That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:11-13). We look forward in hope to a new world, a new history, without sin.

7. Service to the Weak

The first six points spoke about strengthening ourselves so we will be strong and able to fight the battle. The final point is about service. Strong people will serve. They have a ministry to the weak, to those who have come under the destructive influence of the lawless libertines. They are to save the weak from destruction, if possible.

Jude speaks about three classes of weak people who have been influenced by the libertine heresy. First, in verse 22 he says, “Be merciful to those who doubt. . . .” Doubters are the loners who are intellectually lazy; they are also usually sinning in some way and so are targets of antinomian “charismatics.” They easily fall under the influence of the antichrist (1 John 2:18) and of the libertine wolves who come in sheep’s clothing.

It is important that we show mercy to such doubters. They are those who have doubts about the gospel, but are also earnestly seeking answers. They will come to the elders and say, “This is what I heard. Can you explain it?” They want answers; so what should we do? Give them answers! Show mercy to them and answer their questions from the word of God. And if they truly repent, we are to forgive them and receive them.

Jude identifies a second class of weak person in the phrase, “snatch others from fire” (v. 23). These people have gone farther into heresy; they are already in the fire. They have believed the heresy and are living immoral lives. But we have a responsibility to them also, to warn them, exhort them, and plead with them to repent and turn to God. Because we have built ourselves up in the most holy faith and are strong, we must snatch them out of the hell-fire. And if they truly repent, we are to forgive and receive them.

James 5:19-20 speaks about this also: “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death” – that is the eternal death – “and cover over a multitude of sins.” It is our responsibility.

Finally, Jude speaks about a third class of weak people. These are often the chief promulgators of antinomian, charismatic heresies that promote immorality in the name of the gospel. But you can spot such people if you observe them closely: Their personal life is a mess, their married life is a mess, their work life is a mess, their economic life is a mess, and their children live immoral lives. Such people are eager to drag others down to their pit of immorality. They believe in Jesus and dope, Jesus and fornication, Jesus and deceit.

Jude uses shocking language to speak about such people, calling them “dirt bags.” That is what it says in the Greek. Verse 23 says their clothing is “stained by corrupted flesh”; Jude is saying, in essence, that their undergarments are full of human excrement. He is not speaking about the outer garments; no, outwardly, these people look very nice. The problem is their underwear, which is hidden. The undergarment is full of the human excrement of immorality. Such people stink, and they come after the weak, mindless Christians with the intention of making them stink also. We find similar language in Revelation 3:4, where Jesus says, “Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.”

The truth is, we have an obligation to these people also, to warn them, exhort them, and demand that they repent. But we must be careful not to be influenced by them and become full of human excrement ourselves. We must be very careful. That is why Jude says, “To others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” We should never lower the biblical definition of repentance in the name of love. Only if such people truly repent and forsake their immorality and false teachings are we to forgive and receive them.

Conclusion

This is how to fight fiercely for the faith. We refuse to change the once-for-all-given gospel, which we received from the apostles. What we received, we will teach and proclaim from generation to generation. We will live in obedience to this gospel and have nothing to do with immorality. Jesus saved us from our sins! We will counsel and discipline in the light of this gospel, not with human philosophy or psychology. We will function as watchmen on the walls of Zion to warn God’s people and to preserve the integrity of the gospel. We will accept all orthodox and reformed creeds, confessions, and catechisms, though they are not infallible, and we will oppose every heresy both inside and outside the church. We will strive to interpret correctly God’s infallible word through prayer and diligent study. Finally, we will stand with our fathers, who fiercely fought for the faith, and with all who are now living and fighting for the gospel without fear or compromise.

Rise up, soldiers of Christ, and fight the good fight for the gospel! Guard the good deposit once for all entrusted to you. May we proclaim this gospel, warn people from this gospel, defend this gospel, and, if needs be, die for this gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. Amen.