Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. [4] 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. But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
Jude 1:3-5 NKJV
The bible contain several types of writings. Some which are obvious commands to God’s people in the law, like Leviticus, Numbers, Matthew 5, 6 and 7, etc. It also has clear words of prophecy which point to Christ, as seen in the prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, etc. Yet in all these, there is also history and stories, which we can be seen as mere stories for reading. Yet, Paul in Galatians 4:22 gave insight based on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, on a way to approach these stories. He spoke of the Story of Abraham, Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah and Isaac as allegories for a Spiritual reality, Jerusalem above (the church) and Jerusalem below (the old covenant or physical Jews). It is with this approach in todays meditation, we will consider Judes admonition in Jude 1.
When we think of the leading of the children of Israel out of the promised land by a pillar of cloud and fire, we often relate this to the leading of God’s people to the promised land. Yet, Jude used in the context of contending for the faith and a restoration of a reality that was once lost to the children of Israel. So what is the link between contending for the faith once delivered to the saints and coming out of Egypt? The faith delivered to the saints is all encompassing. It is summed up by the doctrines of the apostles to the church. All things doctrinal ends up expressing themselves in what we do, that is, what we believe often show in our lifestyle. In the original version of the faith, individuals lived according to the Word of God because they believed it. They believed it so much so that when men had seen the disciples, they called them ‘Christians’, because they were like Christ, Acts 11:26. People could read the scriptures and see this clearly expressed in men. This was the faith the apostles left behind.
However, when Paul was about to go to be with the Lord, he was concerned in Acts 20:29 that there will be men like wolves, who will come and corrupt the true faith that God had given to the church. Jude 1:1-5 was writing in present tense, as though the church had now been corrupted and so Jude admonished the saints to seek out the original version of the faith. God promised Abraham a land flowing with milk and honey, yet on the way of the children of Israel to that land, there was a detour, in their quest for food, into Egypt, where they had to be in for 400 years as slaves. This detour is what Jude mentioned when admonishing that we contend for the faith. The allegory of contending for the faith can also be linked with the infiltration of Jerusalem with Babylon or an exile into Babylon. It can also be linked to Lot’s departure into Sodom in search of greener pastures in Genesis 13.
We will explore each of these allegories in subsequent meditations, to understand our state as a church and where we ought to be. As mentioned earlier, our understanding of doctrine is expressed in what we do. The church, like physical Israel has gone through various infiltration, like in the time of Jude and ultimately, the full blown apostasy in the dark ages where the apostles doctrines were almost lost. The call to contend for the faith however, starts from you , beloved. By the mercies of God, the bible is the most printed book today and unlike in the dark ages, the book is readily available to everyone. Our lives should be as it is written in the book. Jesus in Matthew 5:16 said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. How far away from the true faith in the scriptures are your expressions of faith (your deeds)? This is call to check your understanding of the scriptures and your faith in God. It is a call to return to the apostles doctrine and we will understand why and how to, as we move on in this meditation.
Prayer for today: Heavenly Father, I thank you for Your Word to me today. Thank you for Your call to look at my expressions of faith as a clue to what I truly believe and a call to return to the true doctrines. Father, teach me Your ways that I may walk in Your truth. Show me if there is any evil way in me and lead me in the path of truth, for You are my God. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
0 Comments