“3 Beloved, when I (Jude) gave all diligence to write unto you of the common Salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints.

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:3-4.
Contending for the faith; fighting the good fight of faith…faith in Christ Jesus which was once delivered unto the Saints, may be offensive to those who have turned the Grace of God into a license to remain wilfully ignorant of the statutes of God.  The Lord has given us His Word and His Holy Spirit to lead us into all Truths.  However, many do not use the resources Jesus Christ afforded the Saints and turn to religion 101, traditions and schemes of man from the vanities of their own minds to learn of Jesus.  They are forever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of Truth (2 Timothy 3:7).  

“9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.
12 To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 But the Word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.”  Isaiah 28:9-13.
Judah would not hear the Word of the Lord.  The simplicity of the Gospel, the precepts upon precepts and lines upon lines, became a stumbling block and they were broken, snared and taken.  

Certain men (and women) have crept into the church unawares and turned the Gospel of Jesus Christ into another gospel, a self help gospel.  A gospel in which self is the source and self effort is the means by which victory over the world, the flesh and the devil is obtained with Jesus being nothing more than an example.  This is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  This gospel does not, will not and cannot set the Believer free from the law of sin and death.  If that was so, Jesus did not have to go to Calvary’s Cross to give us dominion over sin – our self efforts and self could do so.  

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.

Please understand, “He”, the Holy Spirit, is not commissioned to free us from the law of sin and death when our faith is in anything other than Jesus Christ and HIS atoning work on Calvary’s Cross.  This is WHY all other gospels are accursed.  This is WHY we must contend for the faith…faith in Jesus Christ and HIS finished work.  This is why we must fight the good fight of faith to lay hold on eternal life.  The Holy Spirit in us IS greater than he that is in the world and He earnestly desires to guide us into all Truths according to the Word of God…NOT according to the precepts of man.  The Holy Spirit is not commissioned to deliver us from the sin that so easily besets us when our faith is in our self efforts to overcome.  

“28 Come unto Me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30.
Contend for the faith.  Fight the good fight of faith…faith in Jesus Christ and His redeeming work on Calvary’s Cross.

-Donna Clark Warren