On the negative side, we need to avoid division (which is versus the oneness that we keep) and reject apostasy (which is versus the faith that we contend for); on the positive side we need to keep the oneness and earnestly contend for the faith.
With respect to divisions, we need to keep the oneness of the Body and avoid any division, focusing only on the teaching of the apostles and emphasizing only the economy of God, which is in faith.
With respect to heresies or apostasy, we need to contend only for one thing – the faith; we need to contend for the faith and emphasize only the faith, not dividing ourselves based on doctrines or practices.
Heretics don’t confess that Jesus came in the flesh; they do not confess that Jesus is God incarnate and thus deny the deity of Christ.
But all genuine believers in Christ can clearly testify that Jesus is God – He is our Lord and our God.
It is the Spirit who works in us, the believers in Christ, so that we confess to us that God has become a man, and Jesus is God incarnated to be a man.
Anyone who rejects Christ’s incarnation also rejects His redemption, His resurrection, and His becoming a life-giving Spirit; basically such heretics deny the person and work of Christ, so they annul the entire New Testament.
Such ones are heretics, those who deny the divine conception and deity of Christ, and we should not try to argue with such ones but simply stay away from them.
The Bible is very strong when it comes to dealing with heresy and heretics; both Paul and John tell us that we should stay away from such ones, not have any contact with them, and not share in their heresy, for heresy is blasphemous to God and it is also contagious like leprosy.
We may think we are strong in the truth and we are firm and solid in the faith, but the Bible clearly tells us that we should stay away from such ones.
On the positive side, it is an excellent deed for us to bring to others the divine truth of the wonderful Christ; on the negative side, spreading the satanic heresy is an evil work, for it is blasphemy and abomination to God, and it is also a damage and curse to men. Oh Lord Jesus!
No believer in Christ or child of God should have any share in this evil of the heretics; even to greet such ones or receive them into our house is prohibited.
May we all stay away from such ones, and may we earnestly contend for the faith delivered to all the saints, the contents of the faith which save us through believing into the Lord Jesus.
Earnestly Contend for the Faith, the Objective faith for our Common Salvation
In Jude 1-3 we are told to earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to all the saints.
This faith is not our act of believing but rather the objective faith as our belief, referring to the things that we believe in, the contents of New Testament as our faith (Acts 6:7; 1 Tim. 1:19; 3:9; 4:1; 5:8; 6:10, 21; 2 Tim. 3:8; 4:7; Titus 1:13).
These are the things that we believe in for our common salvation.
Such a faith – and not any particular doctrine – has been delivered once for all to all the saints, and we should earnestly contend for this faith (1 Tim. 6:12).
All genuine believers in Christ believe in certain basic matters in the word of God, which constitute our faith, and these things are vital for our salvation; we should earnestly contend for the faith.
Our Christian faith is composed of our belief concerning six basic items: the Bible, God, Christ, the work of Christ, salvation, and the church (Eph. 4:13).
The Bible – word by word – is divinely inspired by God, as the breath of God (2 Pet. 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16). We believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible, and we believe that the whole Bible is divinely inspired by God, being the breath and the breathing out of God.
We believe that our God is uniquely one but triune – He is both one and He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 2:18; 3:14-17; Rev. 1:4-5).
We may not fully understand how this is, but we do not argue with this truth – our God is both One and Three, and the three in the Godhead are distinct but not separate.
Concerning Christ, we believe that Christ was the very God in eternity (John 1:1) and became a man in time (v. 14); His deity is complete, and His humanity is perfect; hence, He is both God and man (20:28; Rom. 9:5; John 19:5; 1 Tim. 2:5), possessing both divinity and humanity. Amen!
Concerning the work of Christ, we believe that Christ first became a man in incarnation (John 1:14) and died on the cross for our redemption (1 Pet. 2:24; Rev. 5:9); then He rose from the dead for our regeneration (1 Pet. 1:3), ascended to the heavens to be the Lord of all (Acts 2:33, 36; 10:36), and will come back as the Bridegroom to the church (John 3:29; Rev. 19:7) and the King of kings to all the nations (v. 16); these are the main aspects of the work of Christ.
Concerning the matter of salvation, we believe that a sinner must repent to God (Acts 2:38; 26:20) and believe into Christ (John 3:16; Acts 16:31) for forgiveness of sins (10:43), for redemption (Rom. 3:24), for justification (Acts 13:39), and for regeneration (John 3:6) in order that he may have eternal life (v. 36) to become a child of God (1:12) and a member of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27); this is our salvation through faith (Eph. 2:4-9).
Concerning the matter of the church, we believe that the church composed of all the genuine believers in Christ, as the Body of Christ (1:22-23; Col. 1:24), is universally one (Eph. 4:4), and a local church as the expression of the Body of Christ is locally one—one city, one church (Rev. 1:11).
This doesn’t mean, however, that a real believer in Christ who doesn’t agree with the matter of “one city – one church” is not saved; rather, he or she is saved, and they are our genuine brothers and sisters, but there’s something lacking not for salvation but for the proper church life.
In the church life we stand on the proper ground of oneness, and we choose to love ALL the brothers and sisters in our locality, not only those who are meeting with us. Amen!
This is the faith that we should hold, and we should earnestly contend for this faith.
This faith – and not any particular other doctrine or practice – has been delivered once for all to the saints; for this faith we should earnestly contend.
Lord Jesus, we want to earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to all the saints. Amen, Lord, we believe that the Bible is divinely inspired by God as the breath of God! We believe that God is uniquely one but Triune – the Father, the Son, and the Spirit! We believe that Christ was the very God in eternity and became a man in time to be both God and man, possessing both divinity and humanity. We believe that Christ became a man, died on the cross, rose from the dead, ascended to the heavens, and will return soon! We believe that we have to repent and believe into Christ so that we may have eternal life! Amen, we believe that the church is the Body of Christ, universally one and having one local expression in each locality! Hallelujah, we stand on the proper ground on the church and we choose to love ALL the brothers and sisters, not only those who meet with us, for Christ has ONE Body in this universe and all those regenerated by Him are our brothers and sisters, the many members of the Body!
We Build up ourselves upon the foundation of this most Holy Faith by Enjoying the Divine Trinity
Seeing that there are winds of teaching and heresies out there, and staying away from those who teach heresies, we should earnestly contend for the faith given to us, and we should build up ourselves upon our most holy faith (Jude 20-21).
Hallelujah, as beloved saints and children of God, we need to build up ourselves upon our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
How do we build up ourselves upon the foundation of our most holy faith?
It is not merely by reading about it and believing it, but by enjoying the Triune God in His Divine Trinity! Amen!
The entire Blessed Trinity is employed and enjoyed by us as believers in Christ by our praying in the Holy Spirit, by keeping ourselves in the love of God, and by awaiting the mercy of our Lord unto eternal life!
On one hand Jude 19 says that those who make divisions, the divisive ones, are soulish, having no spirit; this doesn’t mean that they cease to possess the human spirit, but they live and act and speak as if they have no spirit, for they don’t care for their spirit, and they don’t use, exercise, or take heed to their spirit.
So it is as if they don’t have a spirit. But we as believers in Christ, those who earnestly contend for the faith, we need to build up ourselves upon our most holy faith by enjoying the Triune God unto the New Jerusalem!
We need to pray in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
We need to enjoy the Triune God unto eternal life; this “unto” means into, to be, or to become, showing that by our enjoyment of the Divine Trinity, we become the totality of the eternal life, which is the New Jerusalem! Amen!
As we exercise our spirit to enjoy the entire blessed Trinity, we become the totality of the eternal life, the New Jerusalem!
“Unto eternal life” (Jude 21) – or “into eternal life” (as in John 4:14b) is a particular expression, speaking of destination!
By exercising our spirit to enjoy the Blessed Trinity and contend for the faith, we become the New Jerusalem as the totality of the eternal life (Rev. 22:1-2; 21:10-11). Amen, praise the Lord!
Lord Jesus, we want to earnestly contend for the faith given to us and to all the saints! We want to build ourselves up upon the foundation of this most holy faith by enjoying the entire Blessed Trinity so that we may become the New Jerusalem as the totality of the eternal life! Amen, Lord, we exercise our spirit to pray in the Holy Spirit, to keep ourselves in the love of God, awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life! Yes, Lord, we want to exercise our spirit to enjoy the Blessed Trinity and earnestly contend for the faith until we become the New Jerusalem as the totality of the eternal life!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Ed Marks for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Jude, msgs. 1-3 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Deuteronomy, week 10, Avoiding Division, Which Is versus the Oneness That We Keep, and Rejecting Apostasy, Which Is versus the Faith That We Contend For.
- Hymns on this topic:
– In His Christ to head up all things / Is our God’s economy; / Taking Christ as Head and Center, / All is one in harmony. (Hymns #981)
– The faith which once for all was giv’n / Unto the saints of old, / Has been committed unto us / To guard, defend, and hold. / And we know whom we have believed / And are persuaded that He is able / To guard, through the Holy Spirit, / Our deposit to that day. (Hymns #1285)
– But you, beloved, building up / Yourselves on your most holy faith, / Keep yourselves in the love of God, / By praying, praying / in the Holy Spirit. / Awaiting mercy of our Lord, / Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, / Which issues in eternal life— / The life of God— / the goal of our seeking. (Scripture song)
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