By Pastor Bruce Oyen
E-mail: bk_oyen@hotmail.com
In a previous posting, I gave some of my own jottings on the letter of Jude, and some jottings of others on it. In this posting, I will give some more jottings, mostly my own, on just one verse, that is, verse 3, which is given in red:
3 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. This is a quote of the verse from The New King James Version, and was taken from this website: http://www.biblegateway.com/. This website has many Bible translations on it.
As one looks at verse 3, some topics come to mind that would make for interesting and helpful sermons and group Bible studies, as well as for personal Bible study:
- The importance of diligence in the Christian life. The New Testament makes many references to this topic. It is well worth looking up the many statements about it, and seek to learn the lessons found in those statements.
- God's overruling hand of Providence in the writing of the Bible. Jude had planned to write on one topic, but God overruled and caused him to write on another one, which he names in this verse.
- Salvation. Volumes could be, and have been, written on this topic as it is revealed in the Bible. But here Jude refers to one aspect of it by calling it "our common salvation," by which he meant the salvation all believers in Jesus Christ have in common.The letter to the Hebrews refers to "so great salvation" in chapter 2, verse 3. And it refers to "eternal salvation" in chapter 5, verse 9.
- The importance of exhortation in our personal relationships with Christians, and in sermons. Look in a concordance and note the many times the words "exhort," "exhortation," and "exhorted" are found in the New Testament, and consider what they say.
- The Bible presents to us a fixed body of doctrines to adhere to. Jude said the faith was once for all delivered to the saints. We don't need new doctrines. We need to study and believe the ones that have been in the Bible for many centuries.
- It is the duty of Christians in general, and of preachers in particular, to "earnestly contend for the faith." We are not to water it down to make it acceptable to anyone, including ourselves. We are not to apologize for its dogmatism. We must be gracious when contending for it, but dogmatic about it as well. When it comes to confronting false doctrine, we are to be like a wrestler who struggles against his opponent in order to win the contest. Here (in blue) is some of what Albert Barnes, a Presbyterian Bible scholar from the 1800's, said in his commentary on Jude's letter: The delivering of this faith to the saints here referred to is evidently that made by revelation, or the system of truth which God has made known in his word. Everything which He has revealed, we are to defend as true. We are to surrender no part of it whatever, for every part of that system is of value, to mankind. By a careful study of the Bible we are to ascertain what that system is, and then in all places, at all times, in all circumstances, and at every sacrifice, we are to maintain it. Here is a link to the website from which this quote was taken: http://www.studylight.org/com/bnn/view.cgi?book=jude&chapter=001.
- All Christians are saints, not just a remarkable few of them. We become saints the moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Many New Testament statements prove this to be true. Just look up its use of the word "saints." God then expects us to put forth serious effort to live up to this privileged position we have by virtue of our relationship to Jesus Christ.
