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 2010: Contending for the Faith
In his short letter at the end of the New Testament , Jude had a desire to write to the church about the "common salvation", but felt that there was something more urgent that he needed to address; he was compelled to exhort his readers of the dangers facing the church and their responsibility to "earnestly contend for the faith". History records this hard fought battle with the enemy - a battle that at times seems to be with a roaring lion and at other times the enemy appears as an angel of light.
Today, the faith continues to face attacks from many fronts and we must be vigilant. As Jude describes, contending is the responsibility of every believer. At this retreat, we will seek to understand the faith and the necessity of contending for it on three general levels: globally, locally and personally.
What is "the faith"?
Before we can understand our responsibility, we need to understand what exactly we are contending for. We see here a difference between "faith" and "the faith". While the first refers to the act of believing, the second refers to what we believe - those doctrines that constitute the fundamentals of Christianity that the Bible teaches and which are clear, complete and communicated.
Contending Globally
Even a very earnest and sincere seeker after truth would be confused over the religious situation in the world today. Hundreds of denominations, sects, and cults exist in Christendom alone, as well as hundreds more in other countries and cultures. New religious movements arise almost every day. Nevertheless, God has provided adequate instruction to enable us to "know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (I John 4:6) if we really want to do so.
Contending Locally
We hardly have a problem with believing anything - we believe everything. This religious pluralism is encountered at school, at work and, sadly, it is often found in Christian circles. Contending locally challenges us to understand why we believe what we believe so that we can live as a bold witness for Jesus Christ, with an accurate Christian worldview.
Contending Personally
Every believer is engaged in a personal spiritual conflict. We are not merely fighting with our own flesh, selfishness, unbelief, addictions and passions, important as these battles are; we are fighting with an evil force greater than ourselves - the very powers of darkness. Therefore, we ought to "put on the whole armour of God" and look to Christ, who has gained the victory for us, as we realize that we will be engaging in a continual battle until our last breath.
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