Contending For The Faith
"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.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."(Jude 3,4)
Turning the Grace of Our God into lasciviousness.Just what is lasciviousness and how is it turning the Grace of Our God into it.The Greek word used for lasciviousness is ASELGEIA and at times it is translated "wantonness"and "filthy."
In (Mark 7:22)it is translated "lasciviousness" and Jesus say's it proceeds from the heart.(The flesh,the sinful nature,the Adamic nature)
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."(Mark 7:21-23)
In (Romans 13:13) it is translated "wantonness" and is a sin the believers are warned against.
"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying."(Romans 13:13)
In (2Corinthians 12:21) it is translated "lasciviousness" and was one of the evils practiced in the church at Corinth and they hadn't repented of.
"And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed."(2Corinthians 12:21)
In (Galatians 5:19) it is translated "lasciviousness" and is listed among the works of the flesh over against the fruit of the Spirit listed in (Galatians 5:22,23)
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,"(Galatians 5:19)
In (Ephesians 4:19) it is translated "lasciviousness" and is one of the sins of the unregenerate and for the believers to put off such desires of the old nature.
"Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."(Ephesians 4:19)
In (1Peter 4:3) it is translated "lasciviousness" and refers to the same thing as (Ephesians 4:19) as a sin of the unregenerate and we should no longer live our lives with those cravings but to have the same mind as Christ who died for our sins and has been raised from the dead and we should likewise consider ourselves dead unto sin and alive unto God.
"For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries"(1Peter 4:3)
In (2Peter 2:7) it is translated "filthy" and speaks of the lifestyle of the ones in Sodom and Gomorrah.
"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked"(2Peter 2:6-7)
In (2Peter 2:18) it is translated "wantonness" and refers to false teachers and their "great swelling words of vanity or emptiness."
"These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."(2Peter 2:17-19)
Then here In (Jude 4) it is translated "lasciviousness" and is the clincher.Here ungodly men are turning the Grace of our God into this.
So it comes from the heart.(Mark 7:22)
Works of darkness,lack of honesty,walk of the unsaved life.(Romans 13:13,1Peter 4:3)
Seemingly has no restraint or need to repent in the minds that commit it.(2 Corinthians 12:21)
It is opposite of the fruit of the Spirit.(Galatians 5:19)
It is the ones that are past feelings.(no morals)(Ephesians 4:19)
A filthy lifestyle like the ones in Sodom and Gomorrah (2Peter 2:7)
They allure through lusts of the flesh with great swelling words of emptiness.(2Peter 2:18)
Ungodly men who have crept in unaware and are turning the Grace of God into this.(Jude 4)
I think they are saying as a result of God's Grace this type of lifestyle should be permitted and sanctioned by the Church and approved of by believers.Seemingly a deceptive lifestyle that permits one to be convinced that evil is good and good is evil.
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
(Isaiah 5:20)
So what do we do.First we study the truth,not the false.We don't study the false so we can recognize the truth.We study the truth so we can recognize the false.When bankers want to recognize counterfeit money they study the real money so they can recognize the counterfeit.They don't study the counterfeit so they can recognize the real.The better we know and understand the truth,the easier it will be for us to recognize the false.
We shouldn't be surprised at what this world system does,it being under the control of Satan and him being the angel of light and thus being very deceptive.
Are we going to change the world?No because it is going to wax worse and worse,but when these worldly influences begin creeping into our church groups and believers circles and even in our own minds and lifestyles then we are to combat it.That in itself is warfare enough.That is what Jude means by "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.""Earnestly contend."
When Paul and John and Peter and James and Jude warn us of this false teachings,denying the faith,spirit of error,perilous times,etc,it is among the believers where we will contend with it.
When Jude tells us to contend for the faith,because of ones creeping in among the believers and turning the Grace of Our God into lasciviousness then we better be real concerned and especially with the deception that follows with it.There is so much deception in the world today and even in the church.There is no excuse for us not being in the Word and exercising our high privilege of prayer to be able to discern this ungodliness and expose it.
"Contending for the Faith."A responsibility we as believers all share.