There’s A Different Way To Fight

"The best apologetic for the Christian faith is a loving community that strives to practice and not merely recite what Jesus taught."

"The best apologetic for the Christian faith is a loving community that strives to practice and not merely recite what Jesus taught."

Contending for our faith is not about expressing accurate doctrine as much as it is about living a Christ-like life.


Right around the time of the last presidential election, I was the keynote speaker at a Christian denominational gathering. My first message was about the importance of humility as a Christian virtue. I had recently written a book called Humility Illuminated and have been trying to urge Christians to adopt an accurate perception and practice of humility. After the message I had an opportunity to respond to questions and one attendee expressed a measure of disappointment or at least skepticism with my message. He seemed to equate humility with passivity and wanted Christians to be more forceful in getting our way in society. This man is certainly not alone in his perspective. 

There are a growing number of Christians in the USA who want to force their particular expression of Christianity onto the country. So-called ‘Christian Nationalism’ has gained traction among many and there are those who might not identify as nationalists but lean heavily in that direction. We have all likely heard or read mean-spirited, hateful, racist, patriarchal, xenophobic, and bullying comments from professing Christians who seem to believe they are undertaking a righteous cause. Perhaps they see themselves as fighting for the faith, but this is not the sort of fighting the Scriptures call us to.

The brief letter of Jude, the penultimate book of the New Testament, can help us reconsider what it might mean to fight for the faith. Consider Jude 3: “Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once and for all handed on to the saints.”

Jude 3 is an urgent call for Christians to contend—or struggle—for the faith, but Jude’s perspective is far from that of the Christian Nationalism that is surging in our day. Jude urges his readers to resist the intrusion of those who would distort the Christian faith, to fight for what the apostles taught, but not to fight in a violent, coercive way. Christians are not to mimic the ways of the Roman Empire. Their challenge is to live in contrast to the power-grabbing, hierarchical ways of the Roman world and to strengthen their community bonds through love, mercy, and faith.

Contending for the Faith

When Jude exhorts his readers to fight, or contend, for the faith he uses the Greek verb epagōnizomai, which occurs only here in the New Testament. However, the verb is an intensive form of the more common agōnizomai (“to struggle”) which is related to the athletic arena even more than the battlefield. The struggle Jude describes is not so much like a military battle as it is a moral one. The fight is about living a virtuous life. Athletic terms were used in the ancient Hellenistic world by Stoics to picture life as a moral contest. The apostle Paul appealed to athletic imagery to describe evangelistic ministry (e.g., Phil 4:3; 1 Tim 6:12). Again, the struggle Jude describes is less about heresy-hunts and more about striving to live a virtuous life. New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham makes this helpful observation:

“Like Paul, Jude uses the metaphor for the contest on behalf of the gospel (“the faith”). It should be noted that, neither for Paul nor for Jude, is this contest simply a defense of the gospel; it is offensive, promoting the gospel’s advance and victory. Nor is the contest fought only verbally. For Paul it involves a way of life which is faithful to the gospel” (Bauckham, Jude – 2 Peter, Vol. 50 of Word Biblical Commentary, 32).

Jude’s letter is about embracing a way of life that opposes distortions of the Christian faith.

Christians are not to mimic the ways of the Roman Empire. Their challenge is to live in contrast to the power-grabbing, hierarchical ways of the Roman world and to strengthen their community bonds through love, mercy, and faith. Share on X

The Best Apologetic for the Christian Faith

Jude 3 is ultimately about apologetics—defending the faith among critics, cynics, and skeptics. For much of my Christian experience, apologetics meant framing the best rational arguments for the faith or for specific topics such as the Bible or the resurrection of Jesus. But contending for the faith, as Bauckham notes, is not primarily about words. The best apologetic for the Christian faith is a loving community that strives to practice and not merely recite what Jesus taught. Christians in the USA have long depended upon well-crafted, logically consistent arguments presented by clever communicators to defend the Christian faith. Defenders of the faith assumed particular intellectual objections to Christianity and sought to address those. Apologetics, therefore, required an academically engaging rationale for why people should believe in Jesus. That well-reasoned approach worked for some people over the course of many years. In recent years, however, we cannot help but observe that actions speak louder than words and communities of faithful people who love their neighbors represent Jesus better than slickly written or well-argued presentations.

In addition to relying heavily on words, some Christians insist that their expression of the faith is meant to be associated with the most notable and powerful in society. But in its earliest days the Christian movement was on the margins of society, not at the forefront. First century Christians lacked societal clout yet they “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) by practicing faithfulness and love in the Roman Empire without yielding to all of Rome’s values—even at great personal risk.

Today, however, too many people want to use Christian symbols, language, and parts of the Bible to gain social dominance. They strive to reshape the political landscape, favoring legislation that privileges certain expressions of Christian faith. They broadcast that dominance—even bullying—is preferable to empathy. These tactics have driven many away from the Christian faith. The notable increase in the numbers of people with no religious affiliation along with the decline in church attendance is one indication that something needs to change. 

Put another way, apologetics means making a case for the Christian faith through our lives and not merely our words.

We cannot help but observe that actions speak louder than words and communities of faithful people who love their neighbors represent Jesus better than slickly written or well-argued presentations. Share on X

God is Aware of Our Opposition

Jude does not direct his comments to the intruders and doesn’t name them. However, he certainly does have a negative view of what they do! The middle of his letter is full of colorful language to describe the treachery of those who distort the faith. Jude points out that those who infiltrated the Christian community pervert the gospel and deny the lordship of Jesus Christ (Jude 4). We likewise need to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. It is right for us to point out when people take advantage of immature Christians to line their own pockets, contort the words of Scripture to build their empires, and embrace nationalism instead of godliness. Jude’s use of examples from Ancient Israel’s story serves to inform his readers that God will mete out justice on evildoers. The faithful don’t need to engage in an inquisition, burn people at the stake, or seek other ways to punish them. God will handle the opposition. In the meantime, we engage in the struggle to be and do good. 

Community Development

Jude’s letter ends with an admonition to “build yourselves up on your most holy faith” (Jude 20). He encourages the entire community to grow together. Part of growing up together is praying together, consciously depending upon the Holy Spirit (v. 20). The development of Christian community also involves increasing confidence in God’s love for us (v. 21). When we are insecure about God’s love for us, we do not know how to love others well. Healthy Christian community also means being merciful—particularly to those who are wavering in their faith and even flirting with the evil perpetrated by the distorters of the faith (v. 22). While those entrenched in error likely will not listen to godly wisdom, there are some who question, doubt, and even dispute, but might repent, turning toward Jesus rather than away.

God is Able

Living the Christian life is indeed a struggle. This is especially true when the opposition not only comes from outside the Christian community but also from people who claim to be Christians yet behave more like intruders that distort the teachings of Jesus. Jude’s doxology offers a final word of encouragement for all of us engaging in the struggle: It is God who is able to keep us from falling. Through the ministry of Jesus, we will be able to stand and rejoice in God’s presence (v. 24). 

Amen.

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The faithful don’t need to engage in an inquisition, burn people at the stake, or seek other ways to punish them. God will handle the opposition. In the meantime, we engage in the struggle to be and do good. Share on X

Rev. Dr. Dennis R. Edwards is Dean and VP of Church Relations at North Park Theological Seminary and former Associate Professor of New Testament. He’s the author of Humility Illuminated and other works. Dennis has served over 30 years in urban ministry, most recently as senior pastor of The Sanctuary...