Fight for Truth and Hold onto It - Carla D Burnette
Are you feeling battle weary? Tired of seeing evil appear to triumph in this world? I am right there with you, my friend. But let’s not give up fighting for what is right no matter what the outcome. Turning to Scripture, the book of Jude offers key insights on how to fight for truth and hold onto it.
Jude 1b, 3b, 20-21 (NIV), “To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ. 3bI felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 20But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
Called, Loved and Kept
Don’t you love how Jude describes believers as called, dearly loved and kept? It’s true, my friends. We have been called and chosen by God to receive salvation through Jesus Christ. We are dearly loved as His children and kept safe in the hand of Jesus. Nothing can snatch us out of His hand (John 10:29) and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39).
Fight for Truth
Next, Jude explains his reason for writing to the believers. He urges them to contend or fight for the truth. Why such urgency for believers to fight? Because false teachers were infiltrating the church. We face the same issue in our world today where truth is considered relative. What is true for you, may not be true for me. But friends, there is only one truth which is found in God’s Word. May we not shrink back from boldly declaring truth and living out truth.
Hold onto Truth
To counter these false teachers, Jude exhorts believers to hold onto truth and fight for it. Besides false teachers, the enemy attempts to discourage us and wear us down by the hardships we experience in this world. When the enemy comes against us to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10a), let’s draw near to God holding tightly to the hope we have in Him (Hebrews 10:23))
Jesus never promised life in this world would be easy. In fact, He states just the opposite. ‘“In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”’ (John 16:33 NIV).
Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we overcome the world too (I John 5:4-5)! Jesus is right there with us and will give us the strength to keep fighting (Isaiah 41:10).
How do we fight for truth and hold onto it? Verses 20-21 of Jude show us how.
Before we study these verses, note what the Bible Knowledge Commentary tells us. It states, “The NIV seems to suggest three exhortations, but the Greek has four parallel participles: building, praying, keeping, expecting.” Therefore, we will follow the original Greek and denote these participles as four distinct descriptions for action in verses 20-21.
1. Build Ourselves Up
First, we build ourselves up in the faith. We stay rooted in the Word of God by reading it and studying it. Additionally, we live in community with fellow believers who encourage us, pray for us and build us up (I Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:25).
2. Pray in the Spirit
Second, we pray in the Holy Spirit. We allow the Spirit to lead us in prayer, so we pray according to God’s desires and not ours. When we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit will intercede for us (Romans 8:26).
3. Keep Ourselves in God’s Love
Third, we keep ourselves in the love of God. We remain in Christ by abiding in Him and keeping His commands (John 15:9-10). Another way of stating this is that we stay close to Jesus by spending time in His presence and by living out the truth of His Word.
4. Look Forward to Christ’s Return
Fourth, we wait anxiously, looking forward to the day when Jesus Christ will return for us. Because Jesus is our hope, we set our minds upon Him. When we do, He will keep us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).
Stand for Truth
Friends, Jesus gave His all in dying for us. May we give our all for Him in fighting for truth and holding tightly to it. If we don’t stand for truth, who will? We may be surrounded by darkness, but let’s keep shining our light, friends. Our light is needed to dispel the darkness in this world and to point people to Jesus.
May we trust in God’s faithfulness knowing that He is with us and will strengthen us to endure. Even though we may not see God working, let’s trust that He is working on our behalf.
Father, You are the Almighty, omnipotent God. Nothing comes as a surprise to You, for You know all things. Thank You that You love us so much that You sent Jesus to die for us and that You continue to watch over us and guard us. Forgive us for doubting Your care. Help us to fight for truth and hold onto it. Give us discernment to recognize when the enemy is coming against us. May we not let our guard down for a moment but clothe ourselves in the armor You have given us. We love You and give You all the glory, honor, and praise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Comment below
- How can you stand for truth today?
- What action step(s) do you need to take?
Scripture References for Further Study
Titus 2:11-13 (NIV), “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
I Corinthians 1:8 (CSB), “He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 5:10-11 (CSB), “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.”
