Well hello again class! I trust your Summer and Fall have been amazing! I hope you are ready to look at some fascinating topics as we go through the next half the school year looking at a range of topics from aspects of creation to Biblical passages to help settle in our mind (through the work of the Holy Spirit of course!) what actually do we believe? Furthermore how can we understand and better articulate that to a lost and dying world around us? So without further ado, let’s start this season off with a little bit of a refresher: Understanding what we are defending as Apologetics is concerned. 

  If you take your Bibles and turn to the book of Jude, you know that little book between John’s Epistles and Revelations? Verse three will read like this:   “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”  Let’s consider what is being said in this verse, and why it so greatly matters today. First look at the words “common salvation” what does that mean? For that we need to go to our Strong’s Concordance and look up some words. Come along!

   The Greek words for “common”, and “salvation” are koinos and soteria, respectfully. First let’s look at koinos to better understand. It means “shared by all or several”. So it is an understood meaning that its what we collectively believe. Now the word salvation, or, soteria is interesting here because it is a derivative word of soter which means  “a deliverer”. So when you combine the two words you have not just “common salvation”, but “shared deliverer”. Who is our Deliverer class? Yes, Jesus Christ. The last word we need to look at in this verse is the word “faith”. Faith here is pistis, which means a persuasion, and especially one relying on Christ for salvation. 

  So what we have here is Jude saying this, he was writing about our common salvation in Christ to exhort to at all times labor and fight for that persuasion, about Christ, and His salvation. But why was this necessary? Because of verse four which reads “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”. Take some time to Analyze this verse to! Men crept in unaware, or settled alongside of, and turned God’s grace into a license to sin with no reason to have remorse. Oh but wait it gets better, the word next used for denying is “arneomai” which is to contradict, reject or refuse. Do you see much of that these days? Men, or women for that matter, that come into a church then proceed to work against the understood Biblical truth of the Bible and, the Salvation of Jesus Christ. Who then further undermine the body of Christ by then denying or contradicting the very One they claim to serve. 

  So this is the reason we have to struggle, contend, and persevere the Faith among ourselves as Believers, and to a lost and dying world because there are adversaries who are twisting the Scriptures. Many people will be led away by imposters who are proclaiming a Christ who is not reflected in Scripture. Who are telling you it’s okay to partake in a sin because to not is old-fashioned, and God wants you to be happy. Who arguably are being controlled in a spiritual battle by a puppet master who hates truth (look up 2 Corinthians 2:16 and study on that!), and wants to see as many as possible led astray. We can cannot sit idly by like the 5 foolish virgins in Matthew 25. We have to be alert, active, and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ while we still have today!

  So as we go through the next season of blogs studying on Apologetics ask yourself this “Can I pick up the cause of Christ and contend for the understood, and accepted salvation of Jesus Christ?” “Can I boldly share about Jesus, and what he has done for me?” Or will we all just accept those who have crept in and walk alongside us who are teaching something different? It’s a sobering thought indeed but lets not be found sleeping in the battle ahead! God Bless and keep strong!