“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3, KJV).
INTRODUCTION
Loved ones, conflicts seem to be the order of the day. There are conflicts everywhere—in every phase of our lives there are conflicts.
Old orders are being rescinded, standards are being changed. There are conflicts in the home, school, church, state, and the entire world. It is so bad that it is almost impossible to carry out some of the Lord's commands.
We also have conflicts in religion – conflicts in the faith (Ephesians 4:5; Romans 10:17).
We have conflicts in the body (Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 1:18). In Matthew 18:17, Jesus says, "Tell it unto the church." Today, we have so many churches that we don't know which one to tell it to.
As we define "faith" in this lesson, we are using it to mean the whole system of the ONE Christian religion. When we speak of "denominations," we mean human systems of religions that are different from the religion of Jesus Christ; they differ in faith and practice.
The faith today is being attacked, it is in conflict with the denominations of our day. The confrontation between the faith of Christ and that of denominations is as old as the faith itself.
Even during the time of the apostles the faith was in conflict with the denominations of that day. Jewish teachers (Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes) were a real threat to the infant church. In Romans 16:17 Paul said, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
In our text, Jude reminds us that we are to “earnestly contend for the faith.” That word "contend" has sweat and blood in it. It means to work at it, to fight for it. Jude would not have commanded us to earnestly contend for the faith if the faith had no enemies, or if there would be no conflict where the faith of Christ is involved.
We fear that there are those among us in the churches of Christ who do not want to see this denominational division as a conflict. They are crying for an alliance with denominations. But in the New Testament times preachers defended the faith; they fought for it, stood by it; yes, even died for the faith.
Some Conflicts of Today
As we look at some of the conflicts that the faith must contend with today, let us first notice: The efforts of denominations to form an alliance to co-exist with the faith. This method has been tried before when the enemies of God asked for a conference to stop the work on the walls after failing in other attempts (Ezra 4; Nehemiah 4).
The same demand is being made today in the name of ecumenicalism, but a casual knowledge of ecumenicalism will reveal the Catholic mother of denominations is trying to recover her lost and errant sheep.
The ecumenical idea of the Bible is still “that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
Again in Philippians 3:16, “Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”
Surely we want unity in the religious community today, but that unity must come on the basis of God's word, and not compromising with truth.
Our Lord prayed in John 17:20, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Here Christ is talking about unity, NOT church union.
Leaders in almost all denominations are trying to break down denominational loyalties and persuade people that only a "world church" will fulfill God's will on earth. Now this sounds good, but do they mean one church according to the Bible?
Do they mean that in doctrine we all teach the same things and that there be no division among us; is that what the ecumenical movement is all about? If so, we are all for it. We believe that for which Jesus prayed.
But let us hear from some of the leaders of the movement: Bishop Fred Carson said in San Antonio, Texas, "Brotherhood must come before doctrine. Let's get together, the important thing is not Christian doctrine, but church union. Everything must yield to that."
Friends, this is the spirit of the ecumenical movement, church union, and NOT church unity. This movement built upon such a foundation will become as meaningless as the “World Council of Churches,” whose creed is without real significance as far as unity is concerned.
When ecumenists talk about the unity of the church, they usually are guilty of misconceptions about both unity and the church. The unity of the Spirit which the Bible speaks of is a unity of believers, not a union of believers and unbelievers. Paul reminds us that there is "one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God" (Ephesians 4:3-6).
What possibility is there of unity for a mixed multitude of believers and non-believers? One of the leaders of the ecumenical movement said, "I do not believe in the virgin birth," and another said, "I do not believe in the Trinity."
Men who deny the fundamental doctrine of the Bible cannot bring forth unity in the world. Who then can deny that the ecumenical movement of these men will have a large contingent of unbelievers with whom believers can experience no spiritual unity at all?
In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul reminds us, “14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 …or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? … 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate….”
Brethren, we have fought, in days past, all cults that rose up against New Testament teaching. We have engaged in conflict with the Goliaths of Mormonism. We have engaged the Goliaths of Adventism, Pentecostalism, Catholicism, the so-called Jehovah's Witness, and evolution. Yet, today we have new giants who are attacking the faith of Jesus Christ.
Another denominational giant unheard of by many is Neo-Orthodoxy. This teaching believes that the Bible is not the infallible word of God; that you may use the Bible, but it is not the authoritative word of God.
It teaches that the Bible is only a witness to divine revelation—that the Bible merely shows that God has revealed Himself to men in the world in the past only. This doctrine is therefore another point of conflict.
However, one Scripture, our text, should be enough here. It reads, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).
It seems clear that Jude did not include the neo-orthodoxy doctrine, inasmuch as it was not revealed in the faith once delivered to the saints. From this scripture we can see that this false doctrine differs from the ONE biblical Christian faith. It is therefore with us in conflict with the faith.
Another conflict the faith is having with denominations today is the struggle to win the minds of the sons and daughters of men for God. This conflict centers on bridging the "communications gap" and getting the message of truth to the hearts and minds of young and old people.
There is a real struggle, for truly we are in competition with denominations on this point. They are away ahead of us in reaching the minds of men with their false doctrines.
Perhaps we need to rethink some of our methods and approaches. Perhaps we had better ask ourselves, are we using the best method in preaching the gospel of Christ, or can it be done better?
Perhaps we need to go beyond the "status quo" in reaching the hearts of unsaved men. It is not the best way simply because we have been doing it that way so long. Brethren, we must get there first and fast, or we will lose this battle with denominations of our day.
The masses of men today are still looking to the church for leadership. Christians must not let them look in vain. Individually we must not systematically ignore the cry of the needs of our day. If we do so, we will lose this battle of winning the minds of men to Christ.
The denominations have long learned that man is body, soul and spirit, and that they must address themselves to the whole man. The faith is in conflict on this point. Let us accept the responsibility of being the church today and not look away from the needs of man.
In so doing we grab the reins of a runaway world and check it into submission as we arrest the decay of a spoiling civilization. For truly we have a charge to keep, a God to glorify, a mission to execute (Matthew 28:19-20). We must stand then with Paul, who said, "I am set for the defence of the gospel” (Philippians 1:17).
To win the conflict, we must speak to the poverty stricken who still desire the crumbs that fall from the rich man's table. We must speak to the bulging homeless barracks of the city, whose stomachs ache, bodies tremble, and whose emotions seek vengeance.
We must speak to the exploited, bitter minorities of America and in the world, whose experiences have literally drowned in them the ability to be patient, understanding, or forgiving. We must speak to the “hippies” of our century …the young radicals and homosexuals whose morals infuriate millions.
We must speak to the affluent who trust in their gods of here instead of the God of heaven …whose bank deposits bulge, but whose heavenly treasures are non-existent.
It is in these areas faith finds herself in conflict. This great spiritual battle can be won only by men of faith and goodwill who stand in defense of the gospel of Christ.
The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. Through the free gift of God’s grace by Jesus’ blood (Ephesians 2:8; Revelation 1:5) and your obedient faith (Romans 1:5; 10:17; 16:26), salvation is offered. If you have Bible questions or wish to comment on this post, please do so. Lord willing, a Bible answer will be provided for every Bible question.
The churches of Christ are neither Catholic, Protestant, nor Jew (Romans 16:16; Matthew 16:18-19). We are the loving suffering ONE body of Christ (Ephesians 1:20-23; 4:4-6) – CHRISTIANS: “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Peter 4:16; cf. Acts 11:26; 26:28).
We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35). Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA - 19 February 2026.
