Contend For Your Faith!

In the 1980's a poll was given to 700 preachers with the following results:

48% Denied the inspiration of the Bible
24% Rejected the atonement
12% Rejected the resurrection of Christ
27% Rejected that Christ will return to judge the quick and the dead

One minister was quoted as saying "We liberal clergymen are no longer interested in the fundamentalist-modernist controversy. We do not believe we should even waste our time engaging in it. So far as we are concerned, it makes no difference whether Christ was born of a virgin or not." Another preacher said, "In our denomination what you call the Faith of our Fathers is approaching total extinction. Of course a few of the older ministers still cling to the Bible. But among the younger men, the real leaders of our denomination today, I do not know of a single one who believes in Christ." Heaven help them! And these results are nearly 30 years old. It makes me wonder what the percentages would be today.

All of this points toward the theme of the Book of Jude ~ the "impending apostasy" ~ a departure from the faith. J. Vernon McGee says "Apostasy was just a little cloud the size of a man’s hand in Jude’s day. But now it is a storm of hurricane force that fills the land." The statistics above certainly amen that thought.

The Spirit of God inspired Jude to write on this apostasy and to encourage the Christians to contend for the faith (i.e. defend the great doctrines of Christianity) ~ Jude 3 says Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

At this point Jude gives his reasons why we as Christians must contend for the faith. He is sounding the alarm about apostasy. Verse 4 says there are certain men crept in unawares..... Just yesterday I received word that a guest speaker at a fundamental Bible college made contradiction in reference to the inspired Word of God truly being inspired. Unfortunately this is not the first time I have heard of such. I can think of two other Bible colleges that have fallen way from the truth ~ disputing the authenticity of the Bible, proposing that Jesus was "just a man" and denying the deity of Christ (2 Peter 2:1).

Apostasy was nothing new even to Jude. He cites six different examples ~ from fallen angels now chained in darkness, to the fornicators and homosexuals in Sodom and Gomorrah, to the apostate teachers which creep in without our knowing

Apostasy took place in Bible times and it is taking place today. Jude finishes out the chapter describing what to look for in apostates so we can expose them. Verses 17-19 tells that in the end times they will walk after their own ungodly lusts (their desires are totally apart from God and from God’s will); they will separate themselves (causing divisions in the church) and the list goes on. To see the falling away of God’s people, to see His own allow wolves into the church to lead them in the way of untruth ~ It is sobering isn’t it ~ but it is occurring in rampant proportions.

This is why it is so very important to stay in God’s Word. Study it, meditate on it, memorize it, live it. Know what you believe and why you believe. Be ready to give an account - to take that stand for Christ. CONTEND FOR YOUR FAITH!!! Some day He is coming back ~ He is going to take His own home ~ and when He does apostasy will be unleashed for there will be no Holy Spirit present. What a dark and evil time that will be. Is that not enough to cause us to cry out to the lost ~ begging them to come to Him?