Contending for the Faith: The Urgent Need to Contend

The epistle of Jude delivers an urgent and timeless message to the church to contend for the faith. While many may shrug off this command, Jude provides a compelling reason for vigilance: because threats to the faith often come from within. This is crucial to recognise, because Christians concerned with sound doctrine are often far quicker to recognise and confront external threat than internal threat. In vv. 5–16, Jude exposes the infiltrators by examining their features, their fruit, and, ultimately, their fate.

Jude begins by drawing from Israel’s history to highlight the traits of those who distort the gospel from within. Like a skilled physician, he unveils the symptoms of spiritual infiltration through Old Testament examples.

He writes: “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (v. 5). He continues by referencing the fallen angels and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:

These examples reveal a sobering truth: Being a part of God’s community (like the Israelites) or having a privileged beginning (like the angels) does not guarantee safety. If you abandon the faith or defy God’s authority you stand in danger of judgement. The people who were saved from Egypt were later destroyed for unbelief. The angels who abandoned their roles are today imprisoned in darkness. Sodom and Gomorrah serve as a lasting emblem of judgement against unchecked immorality.

Jude emphasises that these ancient examples mirror the behaviour of the infiltrators who were threatening the first-century church to which he wrote. They might look like insiders, but they are ungodly, acting instinctively, and following their own passions.

In vv. 8–10, Jude exposes how these infiltrators operate: “Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones” (v. 8). They claim divine insight based on dreams rather than Scripture. These self-proclaimed visions become their authority—even if they contradict apostolic truth. In contrast, Jude presents the Archangel Michael as a model of godly restraint and reverence: “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil … did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you’” (v. 9).

Michael, though powerful, deferred to God’s authority. This example underscores that no being, however great, should usurp God’s sovereign role. Jude then invokes further examples: “Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion” (v. 11). Cain represents jealousy and murder; Balaam symbolises greed and false prophecy; and Korah embodies rebellion against God’s ordained leadership. These figures demonstrate how spiritual distortion flows from pride, profit, and insubordination.

Jude does not stop at character traits; he moves to outcomes: the fruit of these individuals’ lives. “These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds … fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted” (v. 12).

The metaphors are vivid. Like hidden reefs, they lie beneath the surface, waiting to shipwreck unsuspecting souls. As selfish shepherds, they exploit the flock rather than feed it. They are like clouds that promise rain but bring none—useless in times of spiritual drought. They bear no fruit, even in harvest season, and are doubly dead—both spiritually and morally.

They are “wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever” (v. 13). Jude’s ocean imagery reflects chaos, instability, and shame. These waves are not life-giving; they merely churn up disgrace. As “wandering stars,” they may appear radiant but lack fixed direction, leading others into darkness.

This description warns of the high cost of tolerating false teaching: disillusionment, deception, and destruction. Many have had their faith wrecked because of broken promises made by those claiming to speak for God. When their illusions shatter, they do not blame the false teachers—they blame God.

In vv. 14–15, Jude quotes a prophecy attributed to Enoch to confirm the inevitable judgement awaiting these infiltrators: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgement on all and to convict all the ungodly … of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (vv. 14–15).

The repetition of the word “ungodly” underscores just how far these teachers have strayed from God. Their judgement is certain and severe. Jude includes a final characterisation: “These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favouritism to gain advantage” (v. 16).

They are never satisfied, always complaining, self-serving, and manipulative. These traits should not be mistaken as minor flaws—they are markers of spiritual corruption that demand vigilance.

What should the church do in response? Jude has already told us in v. 3: “Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” Contending is not passive guardianship. It requires discernment, courage, and unwavering commitment to biblical truth. The call to contend is not a call to divisiveness but to faithfulness. It is to recognise distortion and lovingly, but firmly, defend the truth.

The examples Jude gives are not just history lessons—they are spiritual warnings. The faith is always at risk of being undermined, not by enemies outside the church, but by those who pose as insiders while subverting the truth. Therefore, vigilance is essential. The church must identify distortion, recognise false fruit, and remember that judgement is certain for those who pervert the grace of God.

In the face of such danger, contending for the faith is not optional. It is the faithful response to God’s unchanging truth.