Monday Devo
Scripture:
Jude 1
3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.
3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.
Commentary:
3 The Urgency of the Defense. Beloved (Gk. agapētos). Jude, like Peter, writes in this way to emphasize his strong personal concern (cf. vv. 17, 20; 1 Pet. 2:11; 4:12; 2 Pet. 3:1, 8, 14, 17). Though Jude had wanted to write about our common salvation, the urgent need to contend for the faith took precedence over even the exalted theme of salvation. “The faith” (i.e., the known and received body of truth about Jesus and salvation through him) had been once for all delivered to the saints (i.e., Christians). In other words, by the time that Jude wrote his letter, “the faith” had already been fixed and established in the apostolic teaching of the early church, and therefore could not be changed, but was under attack and in need of defense. Although the NT documents had not yet been collected into a complete canon of Scripture, by this time the foundational NT teachings were circulating in oral form through the apostolic circles. In addition, some NT documents had already begun to circulate among the churches (cf. Col. 4:16; also The Canon of the New Testament). A further implication of this verse is that, after the writings authorized by the apostles were included in the NT canon, nothing more could ever be added to Scripture, since the content of the faith had been delivered “once for all.” This is at odds with the teachings of other religions such as Mormonism and Islam, which hold that the NT writings existing today contain corrupted teachings, and that additional authoritative teachings came from God later (e.g., the Book of Mormon or the Qur’an, both of which contradict the NT at many points). This conclusion also differs from the Roman Catholic view that official church tradition (in addition to Scripture) also has absolute divine authority. Since the letter of Jude was included in the NT canon, his letter must also have received early apostolic endorsement for inclusion, and everything in Jude’s letter is in complete accord with apostolic teaching and writings of the early church and with “the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2449.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2449.
Questions:
- On Sunday, we looked at several ways in which we can compare and contrast the godly and ungodly. In verse 3, Jude is sensing the need to write the church to encourage them to DEFEND the faith that God has entrusted to them. Do you think you know enough right doctrine in order to be able to defend it? When was the last time you had to defend the things you believe? Are you ready to do so?
- It seems that they were being led astray by false teachings and ways of believing the Gospel. The godly RECEIVE the faith, but the ungodly PERCEIVE THE FAITH. The godly hold fast to right doctrine. They aren't persuaded by new ways of interpreting Truth (If it's NEW it's not TRUE). The ungodly, according to verse 4, believe whatever they feel is right. The godly say, "What I BELIEVE determines the way I BEHAVE" while the ungodly say, "The way I BEHAVE determines what I BELIEVE." How important is it to hold fast to pure doctrine even when it goes against popular culture or political leanings? Where have you been tempted to stray to believing what feels good instead of what is true?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would be ready and willing to defend the faith.
- That God would grow your passion for right doctrine.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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