Contending for the Faith

Date: December 22, 2025

Scripture Reading: Jude 1:3-4

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”

Jude writes with urgency because what is at stake is not preference or opinion, but truth. He reminds believers that the faith we hold was not invented or evolving — it was entrusted. It carries weight, responsibility, and purpose. To contend for the faith does not mean to be argumentative, but to be anchored, discerning, and faithful to what God has revealed.

This passage also warns that truth can be subtly distorted. False teaching often doesn’t announce itself loudly; it slips in quietly. When grace is separated from obedience, or when Jesus is reduced to something less than Lord, the gospel is weakened. Jude calls believers to remain alert, rooted in truth, and unwilling to compromise what has been handed down.

Contending for the faith begins with how we live. It requires knowing God’s Word, loving truth, and allowing Scripture to shape our beliefs and actions. Faith is not defended only with words, but with lives that reflect allegiance to Christ. Standing firm does not require hostility, but it does require conviction.

Main Takeaways

• The faith we hold has been entrusted to us and is worth guarding.
• Grace should never be separated from obedience to Christ.
• Discernment helps protect truth from subtle distortion.

Cross-Referencing Scriptures

• 2 Timothy 1:13-14: “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you.”
• Acts 20:29-30: “Savage wolves will come in among you…”
• Galatians 1:6-7: “A different gospel—which is really no gospel at all.”

Stand firm in the truth you have received. Know what you believe, live it with conviction, and hold tightly to Christ as Lord, trusting that faithfulness honors God in every generation.