Contend for the Faith: Studying the Letter of Jude :: Jude 3-4 (A)
http://vesselsofmercy.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/contend-for-the-faith-studying-the-letter-of-jude-jude-3-4-a/
As we begin reading through verses three and four, we can almost feel the sense of urgency with which Jude is writing. First of all, Jude says that he was intending on writing the church concerning the nature of salvation but, due to the circumstances explained in verse 4, he had to change directions in his writing. Instead of writing what may have been a lengthy treatise on Soteriology, Jude is compelled to quickly and urgently write a response to the subtle false teaching that is attacking the church. The language which Jude uses makes it very clear that he saw these false teachers to be very dangerous. So much so, that he “found it necessary to write appealing [the church] to contend for the faith.” This is a state of spiritual emergency, and Jude is calling the church to actively respond in defense of the gospel.
As we begin reading through verses three and four, we can almost feel the sense of urgency with which Jude is writing. First of all, Jude says that he was intending on writing the church concerning the nature of salvation but, due to the circumstances explained in verse 4, he had to change directions in his writing. Instead of writing what may have been a lengthy treatise on Soteriology, Jude is compelled to quickly and urgently write a response to the subtle false teaching that is attacking the church. The language which Jude uses makes it very clear that he saw these false teachers to be very dangerous. So much so, that he “found it necessary to write appealing [the church] to contend for the faith.” This is a state of spiritual emergency, and Jude is calling the church to actively respond in defense of the gospel.
