A Call to Arms: Contend for the Faith!

There is definitely much deception in the world. Perhaps one reason for this is because God wants His people (Christians) to fight for the truth. The Bible is full of verses which seek to get its readers to have integrity. We are called to be different than everyone else as Christians. This is what it means to be holy. Holy means to be set apart… to be different in a moral focus. So if God did not allow so much deception in the world, then what exactly, would people have to do? Deception is a form of evil. Things which are not true lead people down the wrong road. But if evil didn’t exist, then compassion wouldn’t exist. If no one were ever in a house fire or abused or raped or taken advantage of, then as people, what immediate purpose would we have? God wants us to love one another, but how can we do that if there is nothing to actually do for someone else?

The same idea goes for why there is deception in the world. If deception did not exist, then the passion to correct it would not exist. Isn’t being passionate a good thing? We are only passionate about those things that cause us to react. Perhaps this passion in us originated out of our own experience, which God allowed us to experience. We are passionate about child abuse and about kids who do not have a good home; we are passionate about how others are treated, whether it is the homeless or veterans or senior citizens. If we are passionate about a non-living thing, it is always, in a roundabout way, to help the living things (people) have a better life. In any event, passion always seeks out other people. If I were passionate about making the perfect boat, what would it matter if no one were able to enjoy it? Passion seeks to make things better for other people. This is why we have it. Would we be able to make things better if things were already perfect? Absolutely not. It is a good thing to be passionate about correcting the false ideas and beliefs that are in the world. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction” (emphasis mine). We are supposed to correct people when they have it wrong, and even rebuke them. Jude verse 3 even tells us to contend for the faith. “Contend” …are you serious? Yes. Fight like you are in the boxing ring for the faith. Why? Because there is so much deception in the world. Fight for the faith!

Look at what Paul says when he found out that people are spreading lies: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:6-9). If you didn’t hear him the first time, he writes it again! He is contending for the faith! He is correcting and rebuking them! This is something that should not be overlooked or taken lightly. Christians are called to be warriors when it comes to this. The Bible is replete with this type of language for a reason… Jesus wants us to stand up for the truth!

Don’t be afraid to speak up! But at the same time, I must advise that when you do, make sure you know what you are talking about. James 3 teaches us that those of us who teach will fall under a harsher judgment. Something else we probably shouldn’t take lightly. This shouldn’t stop us from speaking up, however. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth. It might not happen overnight, and you will at times, be wrong. The best thing to do when we are wrong is admit it. Come clean. The truth is, after all, our concern.

Also, several of the books of the New Testament were written to combat things that were not true, including, but not limited to, Gnosticism. If you think about it, the whole New Testament was written to combat things which were false. The gospels were written to show people the truth. Just look at the beginning few verses of Luke and John 20:31 for a few examples. The letters of Paul were written to show the recipients the truth of the gospel. Paul mostly corrected the theology of the churches to whom he was writing. Christianity itself hangs on the truth that Jesus rose from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says that our faith is futile if Christ did not rise from the dead. But in fact, He did rise from the dead. This is a truth that mustn’t be kept hidden. Prepare for your upcoming confrontations concerning the truth. Anything that someone says can be twisted around and used against them, everyone knows that. So when you say things, make them mean something. Have integrity. Encourage your brother and sisters in Christ. Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints! This is our call to arms.

Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus

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