I Found It Necessary…
I’ve been thinking a lot about Jude’s words, and the meaning behind them, over the past few months, weeks, and days. Maybe I’m experiencing a little of what he experienced.
Titus was “very eager” to write about “our common salvation”. I can just imagine how he wanted to simply enjoy writing about the glories of Christ, and the wonders of the gospel. And of course, he does write about these things, but…
…but he has to write about them while constantly deflecting the arrows of false teaching that were being fired at the Church.
You may have noticed that it takes three times as long to talk about a passage of Scripture, when you have to talk about all the ways that people have taken it out of context or twisted it!
Of course, in this world we must do both – refute false teaching, and talk about the positive truth.
We may not always enjoy “contending” for the faith, but this side of heaven it’s part of life.
Why do we stray so far from the truth? I wonder if it’s our focus on ourselves – the more we focus on ME the less we see the glorious Christ – who He really is.
It’s sad to see so many false religious missing out on the beauties of the Truth. And missing the truth has consequences for people’s daily experience – and so we teach and preach not just to promote “accuracy” or a pet “doctrine”, but to fight for people’s very lives – their lives on earth and their eternal destinies.
At our church on Resurrection Sunday we enjoyed looking at part of 1 Corinthians 15. Paul discusses all kinds of interesting facts about the resurrection – how we will be raised, what our bodies will be like, when it will happen. But he ends with some words of encouragement.
Even death, he says, is conquered. We have the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he concludes the thought with this:
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Whatever happens – whatever error people may follow, whatever appearances may be in the fleeting moment we call our lives – our labour is not in vain.
So day after day, week after week, we contend for the faith. We may grow weary, but it’s not in vain. Never in vain.