WE PAUSE ANOTHER day on the emphasis of Jude on contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. This passage has a truth in it—the faith must be defended. All my life I’ve had to defend that faith before the non-Christian world. But how do you contend for that faith? Certainly not by contention! Christianity can no more be appreciated in a contention than sweet music can be appreciated in a dog fight.
To contend for the faith is to commend the Author of that faith to people. We lift Him up, and He does His own commending. To try to commend Jesus by verbal contention is like trying to organize a society for the protection of the sun because somebody is throwing mud at it. The sun doesn’t need protection—it needs just to shine, and it does its own defending by what it is and does. Lift up Jesus by word and by life and He defends Himself. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”
The difference between contending for the faith and commending the faith by lifting up Christ is the difference between unchristianity and Christianity. One is egocentric and the other is Christ-centric. One says, “I must contend”; the other says, “I must commend Him.” One points to oneself as the defender of the faith; the other points to Him as the Faith itself. One tries to win an argument and the other tries to win the man. One creates combativeness, the other creates conversion. One tries to show off himself—his cleverness, his ability to down an opponent—the other shows off Jesus and His ability to save. One goes round in circles in argument; the other puts the others’ feet upon the way. The one has Christian words, but has lost the Word made flesh amid words. One is unchristian; the other Christian.
O God, Thou didst show Thyself not in words but in the Word—the Word made flesh. Help us not to depart from Thy method of revelation and take our own—a revelation of ourselves. Help us to point by word and deed and life and say, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Jesus defends Himself to the soul the way sunlight defends itself to the eve.
