Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 1:3 WEB

Jude opens his letter identifying himself as the brother of James and servant of Jesus Christ. Like the Apostle James, most biblical scholars believe Jude to be the half brother of our Lord and Savior. In the third verse of the only chapter in this book, Jude wrote that he intended to correspond about their shared salvation in Christ. However, a pressing issue changed his plans. False teachers crept into the new church corrupting the teaching of the apostles.

And so, Jude wrote to his fellow Chrstians strongly encouraging them to speak out earnestly for the faith. He offers his reasoning in Jude 1:4 which reads, “For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ. WEB”

Beware of False Prophets

Jesus warned his followers about false prophets and false teachers. In Matthew 7:15 the Lord said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. WEB” Recognizing the infiltration of the church by those who distort the gospel message, Jude encouraged his readers to fight for the faith as originally presented by the apostles. 

Similarly, Paul warned of corrupting forces that distort the gospel message. Luke records Paul’s last words to the elders of the church of Ephesus. He wrote in Acts 20:30, “Men will arise from among your own selves, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. WEB” It is just as important today as it was two thousand years ago for each of us to contend earnestly for the faith as originally presented by the first witnesses who shared the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Yesterday’s Devotional: A Dream