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“I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” Jude 1:3

War. Depending on your age, you have certain perceptions of this concept. You could be a history buff and think of the amazing, world-changing, freedom-initiating battles for U.S. independence. Maybe your mind goes to WWII and its patriotic response and unifying efforts. Or the far-off (and misunderstood) jungle battles of Korea or Viet Nam. For most readers, war likely brings to mind the 20-year desert entanglement that was a “given” thread of American life—and one that recently ended in great calamity. Regardless of which war or when, to all those men and women who fought the good fight for our nation—thank you.

Friend, there’s another war that’s been raging for millennia. Since humanity began, actually. The first proverbial shot was fired in the Garden when Satan hissed his original lie to humanity, twisting the Truth of God and instilling the idea that we don’t need God—and that we can be like Him. (Although, when Satan himself acted on that belief, he was thrown out of Heaven.)

Since then, regardless of the historic era, global geography, or cultural realities, the battle between Truth and Lies has been fought. God’s Word versus Satan’s deceptions. Worship of God the Creator versus worship of the created (animals, stars, self). Surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior versus clutching onto self-as-savior (being/doing “good” enough).

If you’ve read the Bible from “In the beginning God created” in Genesis to the final “Amen” of Revelation, you’re familiar with how this war has manifested through the centuries. (If you haven’t ever read the full His-Story of it all, I highly recommend it!) Bottom line of every battle: God would declare Truth/His way, and then man would doubt, disobey, and go his/her own way. Eventually, God sent His Son, Jesus, to become the Way, Truth, and Life—to make a way of once-and-for-all reconciliation to God. The Ultimate Peace Treaty.

Today, we are privileged to have the complete, inspired, inerrant Word of God in Scripture—and we know how the Story ends. But the spiritual war still wages. And, sadly, just as it was when Christianity began, the battle even infiltrates the Church. The Apostles Paul, Peter, and John, as well as Jesus’s half-brother Jude, warned of false teachers, heretics, and apostates creeping in among believers. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Like their forefather, Satan, they twist the Truth and ask, “Did God really say?” Or, in a more modern vernacular, “Would a good God really do…?”

And just as those God-inspired letters exhort their original readers, we must “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 1:3). As believers, we are called to know sound doctrine (Ephesians 4:14, Colossians 3:16, 1 Peter 2:2). We must be able to discern Truth from error (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). And (this is the really hard part), we have to be willing to confront and attack error (Philippians 1:7,27; 1 Timothy 4:7-8; Titus 1:13).

The war of Truth will continue to wage until Jesus Christ makes His final, successful advance on His enemies. Until then, friend, we need to put on our battle armor (Ephesians 6) and ready ourselves for the fight. We must study the Truth of God’s Word. Share it with others. And contend for its preservation.

“Lord, I recognize that I am in Your army. Give me the strength and courage to hold fast to the Truth and fight the good fight.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life