When praying and seeking the Lord about 2026, I got the impression that He is saying now, more than ever, it is Critical for the Church to RISE UP and earnestly contend for the faith.
Jude 1:3 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 that was once for all time handed down to the saints.
Here is another translation (RIV) of this verse that indicates how urgent
Jude 1:3: Beloved, I call you that because it’s the only word I know to express how deeply I love and cherish you, I fully intended to write to you about our mutually shared salvation, and I was really eager to write about this exciting subject , ready to engage all my abilities, to dive deep into all the benefits that our salvation entails.
BUT, as I was about to get started, I found myself GRIPPED with a sense of urgency and a deeply felt need to address another subject that came to my attention.
Jude was excited to write to the Church about our mutually shared salvation and all the benefits that it entails, HOWEVER, he was gripped with a sense of urgency to write about another subject. Most scholars believe that Jude had read Peter’s second epistle that addressed falsehood coming into the church and it so stirred Jude that he abandoned his prior plans in order to take an entirely different course.
2 Peter 2: But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Without hesitation Jude dropped his previous plans to write an epistle about salvation and instead began to ALERT the saints to the DANGER that was LURKING nearby and to give instructions regarding how to confront the problem.
Jude 1:4: I felt someone needed to come alongside the troops, to urge them to hold their head high, throw their shoulders back, and if necessary, look the enemy eyeball to eyeball, and to earnestly contend for the faith because it’s under assault.
God entrusted the faith to us once and for all and expects us to guard it and maintain its integrity in the same form it was delivered to us. God has given us the responsibility to impart it to others in the same form it was given to us. We are NOT free to rewrite the Bible. We are NOT free to change or re-interpret the meaning of scripture to fit our own agendas.
The word Jude uses for “contend” comes from a Greek word that means “agonize.” It is often translated as “fight” and implies intense struggle or effort, akin to the exertion of an athlete striving for victory.
Contending for the faith involves a personal and intense struggle to uphold the truths of Christianity as it was FIRST presented to the apostles, against opposition, false teaching, and moral decay – any doctrines that contradict biblical truth.
The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy
What Is “The Faith”?
In this verse, “the faith” refers to the body of doctrine given by Jesus Christ and entrusted to the apostles. The word translated “doctrine” means “instruction, especially as it applies to lifestyle application.” In other words, doctrine is teaching imparted by an authoritative source. It includes the gospel message, the teachings of Scripture, and the essential truths of Christian belief. This faith was “once for all delivered to the saints,” (Jude 1:3) indicating its finality and completeness.
Jude’s admonition underscores that no additional revelation is needed or valid beyond what has been given by God through Christ to His apostles and REVEALED to us in the HOLY SCRIPTURES (BIBLE). Even during the days of the apostles, false teachers had crept into the Church attempting to lead the flock astray! And it’s not hard to do —ESPECIALLY if the congregation is biblically illiterate.
2nd Timothy shows us that there are many people in the Church who seek out false teachers that preach a message that pleases their flesh.
2 Timothy 4:3: For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,
The integrity of the Christian faith is under constant attack, as Jude reveals in Jude 1:4 (NKJV):
“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In 1st Timothy 4 we find that this will grow worse and worse as we approach the end of the age, making it absolutely CRITICICAL now than ever that we EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH!
1 Timothy 4:1: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
What were some of the deceitful doctrines that Jude felt compelled to warn the Church about in his epistle?
Jude 1:7: just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet in the same way these people also, dreaming, defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of angelic majesties
Some commentaries say this about Jude 1:7-8:
Going after strange flesh – “other.” The reference seems to be to the unusual sin which, from the name Sodom, has been called “sodomy.” going after strange flesh—departing from the course of NATURE AND going after that which is unnatural. In later times the most enlightened heathen nations indulged in the sin of Sodom without compunction or shame.
Sounds quite a bit like Paul’s warnings to the Church found in Romans 1:
Romans 1:26: For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature,
27 and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
Remember, Jude’s warning was for the Church⛪, not the world. The world does what it does, but the Church is supposed to CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH that has been handed down from Christ to the apostles, and to the church for centuries. The modern church is NOT PERMITTED to rewrite the Bible or re-interpret scriptures that have been interpreted correctly for thousands of years just so that it can look more like the world. The world stands condemned!! JESUS Christ our LORD calls us OUT of the world so that we can be SAVED!
Contending for the Faith is not easy. Contending for the faith WILL COST us something. Contending for the faith is not about simply believing right doctrine, it’s about standing for truth (in love) even when we’re falsely labeled a bigot or unkind, or narrow minded. Contending for the faith also means living out God’s truth as best we can in our daily lives. This means walking away when presented with sexual temptations, be they homosexuality, adultery, fornication, incest, bestiality, or even pornography. The Bible is very clear that God’s Grace is not a license to sin. It is supposed to FREE us from the bondage of sin.
Even though standing for truth will cost us something, Jude reminds us that NOT standing for truth will cost us something as well – something FAR more precious. Let us NOT be like Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. Jude’s words of truth show that there is a final judgement coming, and false teachers and false prophets who attempt to change the Word of God and create divisions will be held accountable. In-fact, they will be held to a HIGHER ACCOUNT. (James 3:1).
James 3:1: Do not become teachers in large numbers, my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a stricter judgment.
Jude’s sobering words detail the consequences of PURPOSELY PROMOTING (ESPECIALLY IN THE CHURCH) what the BIBLE calls sin— under the banner of grace. The Bible tells us that those who promote and teach false doctrines will be held to a HIGHER ACCOUNT. This is because they CLAIM to know the truth, but they’re leading the flock astray through DECEPTION and FALSE WORDS.
John 9:41: Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
Jude 1:8: Yet in the same way these people also, dreaming, defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of angelic majesties.
9: But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him an abusive judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people disparage all the things that they do not understand; and all the things that they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
Jude says that the false teachers who have crept in secretly🪳, not only defile the flesh (through sexual sins), but they also REJECT GOD’S AUTHORITY and speak abusively of angelic majesties. Instead of bowing to the authority of God’s Word, these apostates teach falsehood.
Ligonier Ministries founded by Dr. R.C. Sproul suggests that the “angelic majesties” the false teachers revile could be demons or fallen angels, as even Michael the Archangel did not pronounce judgment against Satan but said “The Lord rebuke you!”. In their wanton immorality (v. 14), it seems that the false teachers either laughed at or denied the idea that their sin might increasingly open them up to the influence of demonic powers. 😱
As Christians, we are not to fear evil; however, we should also recognize that PURPOSEFUL, UNREPENTANT SIN can open the door to demonic influence and attack.
Jude 1:11: Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have given themselves up to the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12 These are the ones who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, like shepherds caring only for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;
13 wild waves of the sea, churning up their own shameful deeds like dirty foam; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.
Jude declares “WOE to the false teachers and prophets who have secretly crept into the church preaching FALSE DOCTRINES”! When the Bible says WOE to them, that is a serious indictment. “When God utters Woe against evil men, He sets divine judgment in motion” (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 16—23, ch. 35, Moody Publishers, 1988, p. 375).
Jude goes on to compare these false teachers who have crept into the church with three Old Testament “villains”…. Cain, Balaam, and Korah. Each of these men had the particular error of trying to corrupt rightful worship.
“They have gone the way of Cain”….
Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, wanted to be able to come before God any way that he chose. Since the FALL OF MAN, God has made it clear that there can be no forgiveness of sin WITHOUT the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). God therefore established the sacrificial system (ANIMAL SACRIFICE) so that mankind could enter into relationship with HIM.
In his pride and rebellion, Cain REFUSED to honor God’s system of worship and instead offered up fruits and veggies as a sacrifice to God. God REJECTED Cain’s sacrifice; however, He accepted the ANIMAL SACRIFICE of Cain’s brother Abel. Cain became angry at God and angry at his brother. Instead of seeing his OWN SIN, Cain blamed God. Cain’s ENVY and RAGE drove him to MURDER his brother. Cain committed the first MURDER on the earth.
In Paul’s second epistle to Timothy, we are warned that all who desire to live Godly lives will be persecuted.
2 Timothy 3:12: Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
“They have given themselves up to the error of Balaam”…
Revelation 2:14: But I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
Balaam was a false prophet for profit in the Old Testament. He was also a diviner. King Balak of Moab was terrified of Israel and her God. Therefore, Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel so that the Moabite army could defeat them. However, Balaam was not able to curse Israel because he could not curse those whom God had blessed. Each time Balaam tried to curse Israel, only blessings came out of his mouth.
Although Balaam is repeatedly forced to bless Israel, he ultimately reveals a treacherous plan to entice the Israelites into sin. Numbers 31:16 describes how Balaam counseled Balak to lure Israel through Moabite women, leading them to worship idols and commit sexual immorality (Numbers 25:1-3). By urging God’s people to compromise, Balaam effectively accomplishes through deception what he could not achieve through direct cursing.
The enemy employs this same strategy within the church. Believers and partakers of the NEW COVENANT are blessed by God which means they cannot be directly cursed. The enemy can’t curse those whom God has blessed. HOWEVER, Under Satanic influence, the deceived apostate, false teachers preach a false gospel that encourages people to sin (particularly sexual sin) and reject the need for repentance, thereby opening Christians up to Satanic influence and attack.
“They have perished in the rebellion of Korah”…
In this Old Testament example, a group of Israelites were jealous of Moses’ God given authority, so under the leadership of Korah, they schemed up a rebellion against him. They accused Moses of pride, when they themselves were the prideful ones. Their hunger for power and authority was their undoing. Ultimately it wasn’t Moses they were rebelling against, it was God.
Numbers 16:32: and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, and all the people who belonged to Korah with all their possessions.
The Rebellion of Korah is referenced in other parts of Scripture as a warning against rebellion and false teaching. Jude 1:11 mentions those who “perished in Korah’s rebellion” as an example of those who oppose God’s authority. The event underscores the importance of humility, obedience, and respect for God’s established order within the community of faith.
Do you see a pattern here?
These false teachers have gone the way of Cain, teaching that people can enter the presence of God (YHWH) through some other means than Messiah Jesus, either through “good works” (as defined by them), or other religions (many paths to Heaven). Cain was also the first murderer on the earth and teaching heresy in the church has the potential to lead souls to eternal death💀.
They have given themselves up to the error of Baalam, teaching the church to sin (particularly emphasizing sexual sin 🏳️🌈) so that God’s Hand of protection would be removed, opening the church up to enemy attacks.
And they will perish in the rebellion of Korah, showing that those who lead the flock astray in order to gain power and influence will be held accountable.
Because of these very grievous false teachings that came into the church, Jude felt it absolutely CRITICAL that he encourage the church to earnestly contend or fight for the faith🥊. We are to uphold the truths of God in their ORIGINAL FORM that were handed down from the apostles, and from Jesus Christ Himself.
If not us, then who? If not now, then when? We are witnesses to a MASSIVE WAVE🌊 of false teachings that have entered the modern church. These false teachings include the Emergent Church heresy, Prosperity Gospel (Gospel of SELF-Esteem), lgbtq agenda, The denial of Jesus’ deity, Universalism/many paths to Heaven, Legalism, and Replacement Theology.
2 Thessalonians 2:3: No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
Articles on False Teaching in the Church:
Ishtar worship in the Church? – Life in a Dying World
Christian Humanism? – Life in a Dying World
Good “coffee” or swill? The Luke-warm Church of Laodicea – Life in a Dying World
The Danger of the Emergent Church Heresy – Life in a Dying World
WORLDLY MINDED – CREATING DIVISIONS
Jude 1:17: But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last days there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
Over the past twenty years, one by one, liberal Pastors, preachers, and teachers have forced Churches to vote on “human sexuality”, something that was settled centuries ago, but in modern times has become “unsettled”. Exactly as Jude warned in his epistle there are those WITHIN THE CHURCH who have divided congregations, denominations, and synods over something that according to the Bible, is NOT up for debate. The matter of human sexuality was settled centuries ago and is based on Biblical truth.
Jesus Himself confirmed a marriage (SEX) is between ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN (Matthew 19:5-6). Anything else is SIN. This has been the understanding of the church ⛪for 2000 years and yet, over the past twenty years or so there are individuals who have crept into the church unnoticed, worldly minded, and creating divisions. 🏳️🌈
Historic Methodist rift is part of larger Christian split over LGBTQ issues
Thousands of congregations have left the United Methodist Church amid contentious debates over sexuality, including a dispute over whether to accept gay marriage and LGBTQ+ pastors.
The rift marks the largest denominational schism in U.S. history. A quarter of the church’s approximately 30,000 congregations said they planned to remove themselves from the United Methodist Church as of Dec. 31. The church is one of America’s largest Protestant denominations.
The historic rift in the United Methodist Church is part of a larger split in recent years in the Christian religion over issues of gender and sexuality. Similar divides have led to splits among Baptists, Mennonites, Presbyterians and other protestant denominations.
“It’s been brewing forever – for at least the last 20 years, ” said Jason Bivins, a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at North Carolina State University.
Baptists, Mennonites, Lutherans, Presbyterians and other protestant denominations have faced schisms in churches over the last two decades over their stances on LGBTQ+ issues.
The end of days is prophesied to be a terrible time of GREAT DECEPTION, even within the church. Worldly minded people have crept into the church unnoticed, and in their greed and being SELF-DECEIVED, they have created splits and schisms within MANY DENOMINATIONS of the Protestant church! They are attempting the same thing in the Catholic Church but are having more difficulty there in achieving their goals. These are the ones spoken of by Jude who have gone the way of Cain, they have given themselves over to the error of Balaam, and they have stumbled in the rebellion of Korah.
Along with the sexual sins that are now being promoted in MANY CHURCHES🏳️🌈, there are numerous heresies, some new, some old. 😱
For this reason, Jude felt it CRITICAL to call upon the church to CONTEND FOR THE FAITH that was ONCE AND FOR ALL TIME handed down to the apostles in the SAME FORM it was delivered to us! God expects us to guard and maintain its integrity! If we fail to do this, God help us.
How to Contend for the Faith
Contending is a battle. It is a struggle. God expects us to go toe to toe, in an EPIC BATTLE for TRUTH! HOW do we do this?
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Jude commands believers to build ourselves up in the MOST HOLY FAITH. A builder constructs a building on a certain foundation and continues to erect the building until completed.
The good man builds up his life on the foundation of the most holy faith. That is to say, the life of the Christian is founded, not on something which he manufactured himself, but on something which he received. There is a chain in the transmission of the faith. The faith came from Jesus to the apostles; it came from the apostles to the church; and it comes from the church to us. There is something tremendous here. It means that the faith which we hold is not merely someone’s personal opinion; it is a revelation which came from Jesus Christ and was preserved and transmitted within His church, always under the care and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, from generation to generation.
That faith is a most holy faith. To be HOLY is to be DIFFERENT from other things, SET APART for the worship and service of God. The Temple was different from other buildings, the Sabbath different from other days and God supremely different from men. As a believer in Christ, YOU are holy, different from the world.
1 Corinthians 3:16: Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
Our faith is different from other faiths and from philosophies in that it is not man-made but God-given, not opinion but revelation, not guessing but certainty. The Church has always been and should always BE DIFFERENT – A MOST HOLY FAITH.
It is different in that it has the power to make those who believe it different. It is not only a mind-changer but also a life-changer, not only an intellectual belief but also a moral dynamic.
Building on the most holy faith means ongoing construction, never complete while on this earth. It means personal responsibility empowered by the Spirit. The result is visible growth that others can recognize.
- Stay grounded in Scripture. Regularly read and study the Bible.
- Be aware of false teachings and false doctrines that deviate from the ORIGINAL Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to defend and uphold the SAME DOCTRINES that have been handed down to the church from generation to generation.
- Pray in the Holy Spirit. Praying in the spirit means to pray under the guidance and unction of the Holy Spirit. It means moving beyond just mentally driven prayer to a place of yielding control and relying fully on the Spirit’s leading.
- Walk in obedience. Apply what the Word says to your daily life and confess sins regularly.
- Fellowship regularly with other believers.
- Exercise spiritual gifts
- Stay in God’s Love – Staying continuously aware of God’s love for you. 💝Rest in it and let it shape how you see yourself and the world.
