Missions in Jude

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Jude 3-4

False teaching is not a topic that gets much attention in the church. However, we ought to be mentioning it as we share the gospel. Although it certainly will not be the first thing we will say, we also should not ignore it. Chances are good that whoever we talk to has already heard a decent amount of false teaching.

False teachers are prominent in this country. Their influence must be countered.

False teaching is written about by almost all authors of the New Testament. The letters of II Peter and Jude are almost completely about it. As we can see above, Jude's first desire was to write about their "common salvation." However, false teaching was such a danger that he had to write about that instead.

Jude's appeal is that believers contend for the faith. They were to speak the truth about Christ in the face of false teachings.

New believers must know that they may have to soon defend the truth of the gospel as well. Frankly, new believers are often well prepared to do this because they usually have a zeal for Christ. He has saved them, and they desire to defend the truth. Also, some folks in the new believers' lives will likely attack their new beliefs. They need to defend what they believe.

The gospel depends upon accurate teaching of God's truths. False teaching, therefore, is a direct assault upon the gospel. All believers, whether new or not so new, must be ready to stand for the truth.


To read any posts in this series about missions in the New Testament, click here.