It has been established that the absence of sound doctrine endangers salvation. We have also seen that its absence means that the believer has no offensive weapon—i.e. sword of the spirit. One cannot go to war without a sword. It can even be argued that the defensive gear may be non-existent without the word[1]. Faith comes by hearing[2] the word and it is through the word that transformation into a regenerated righteous believer can be accomplished. Essentially, all the defensive gear from Ephesians 6 are all products of the word which is also the weapon of offense. One cannot resist the devil by discerning the fine lines of his half-truths and walk in the power of God’s will without sound doctrine. Everything rises and a falls on sound doctrine—so to speak. This must explain why a defence and protection of it is an imperative.
The
book of Jude is perhaps one of the least read in the Bible. It is rather small
and may seem insignificant. Yet it contains one of the most important
responsibilities of the believer; contending for the faith.
“Dear friends, although I was very eager to
write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and
urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to
God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation
was written about[b] long ago
have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert
the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our
only sovereign and Lord” — Jude 1:3-5
The choice to
start from this rather obscure text written by a very little known personality
is intended to call attention to the fact that sound doctrine requires a
thorough knowledge of the entire Bible. No aspect of it is unimportant. As we
will see going forward, contending for
the faith i.e. expressed correction of misrepresentations of the word and safe-guarding
of its borders from the enemies whose goal is the consequences of its
distortion was the primary occupation of Jesus himself as it was with some of the
prophets before Him[3]. Jude’s call is therefore well placed and intended to ensure
the security of sound doctrine; the importance of which we have said cannot be
over emphasized.
Right after the
wilderness experience where Christ overcame the devil using the sword of the
spirit, He engaged with the public and corrected a number of misinterpretations that had been perpetrated by the Pharisees—teachers of the
word. Mathew 5 contains some important examples;
38 “You have heard
that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But
I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right
cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
– Mathew 5:38-39
“You have
heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate
your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you, –Mathew 5:38-39
The
two texts were selected specifically because of their distinctive departure
from the prevailing understanding of the time. They are literally opposites of
what was accepted. In view of the fact that Christ is the word in flesh, He is
the author of the text and the only one who can present the perfect
interpretation. The importance of the text has been repeatedly stated together
with its consequences. Christ’s mission therefore included a correction for the
word—a contention for the faith. It may be also important to remember that the
fall of man in the garden started with a distortion and false interpretation of
what God had said. Christ’s salvation enterprise was to fix that fall and the
error that caused it and his engagement with Pharisees was a demonstration.
Jesus’s
engagement with the Pharisees was always combative. Clearly, their
interpretations of the scriptures brought death while His’ ensured life. A most
vivid snapshot of this was rendered in the case concerning the adulterous woman[4].
Being guilty, she was condemned to death by stoning. The intervention of Jesus
saved her life and charged her not to sin anymore. On the flip side the
Pharisees came to understand that they themselves were guilty of sin and did
not qualify to condemn anyone to death[5].
An eye for an eye would lead to nothing but death for all. Forgiveness is
therefore key and Christ never ceased to emphasize it in contrast to the pharisaic
legal position. Death therefore await without Christ’s intervention.
His
debates with the Pharisees and the many plots to kill him dominated the Gospels
until they finally had him nailed on the Cross[6].
Lies without repentance will continue to attack truth. In the minds of the Pharisees,
they were right and it seemed like they had won. Falsity will look like its
winning until the eternal power of truth is demonstrated as was revealed in the
resurrection. The need to maintain the sanctity of the Gospel became even more
important after the departure of Christ. Having corrected and fulfilled the
word, he ordered for it to be spread to the ends of the world so all might
receive it and be saved[7].
We have seen that wrong Gospel means no salvation and only benefits the usurper.
A defence of it was therefore an imperative. Christ pointed to the expected
false prophets[8]
who were going to continue the agenda of the Pharisee who he called children of the Devil[9].
From
the apostles to their descendants, the Church has been attacked with false doctrines
and half-truths of all kinds from within and without. It has taken believers
who have responded to the call to contend for the faith to maintain the faith against
the evil interest of heterodoxy. The Apostle Peter made a similar call to Jude’s;
“But
in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that
you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”
– 1
Peter 3:15
Paul
was consistently engaged in the defense of the faith and the sanctity of the
Gospel. In the Aeropogus incident[10]
he was in his philosophical elements as he took
on thought leaders of the time. In the case concerning circumcision and
salvation, he together with his associate Barnabas had to battle fellow Jewish
believers from Antioch to Jerusalem where the very first council[11]
resolved the matter. Their work has ensured that the next generation was
inherited a sound teaching. After it had all been written down, interpretation
became the matter for concern. The generations that followed in the apostolic
line did what they could to maintain a sound interpretation and doctrines that
emanated from it thereof.
In the
early Church, Gnosticism (supposedly originated by a sorcerer known as Simon
the magus who made a quick appearance in Acts 8:9–24)
was the most prominent. Montanism, Docetism, Arianism and modalism are but few
of the countless heretical ideas that flourished between the early Church and medieval
times[12].
The patristic fathers were all in involved in this endless battle with both
internal and external forces whose mission it has always been to fulfil the
wish of their master– the father of lies. Consequently Justin Martyr,
John Chrysostom and the likes of Origen and Tertullian while not always on
point, have left behind a treasure trove of apologetic writings from which
today’s believer benefits a great deal. The Reformation of 15th
Century begun with a disagreement over interpretations and the consequent wrong
doctrines of works over grace or a balance combination of both. The Catholic
Church itself had anathematized and burnt a few to death over charges of heresy.
The examples are countless.
The
charge to keep that the believer has is for every generation to carry the
teaching of the faith forward in its most pristine form. The salvation of the
next generation depends on it and the Holy Spirit will always work with available
vessels to ensure that the Church is built against the pleasure of the gates of
hell. This is a sacred task and it is referred to as apologetics. Apologetics
is a means by which sound doctrine is safe guarded…it is a call to all
believers and YOU must either engage in it or support those who have made
themselves available to be used for the purpose.
[1] Ephesians 6 [2] Romans 10:17 [3] Isaiah 44:25-27 [4] John 8:1-11 [5] John
8:1
[6] https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Pharisees,-Attitudes-To-Jesus-Christ
[7] Matthew 28:16-20 [8] Matthew 7:15 [9] John 8:44 [10] Acts 17:22-23
[11] Acts 15:1-6[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heresy_in_Christianity
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