Contending for the Faith

If you are like me, then you have questioned yourself about the idea of contending for the faith. Why should we contend for the faith? If Jesus has already done the work, why do we still have to do any fighting? What does it mean to contend for the faith? What is the faith we need to contend for? Living for Christ is not for the fainthearted, and if you have lived long enough, you know you have to contend for the faith. Two main reasons come to my mind when I think of contending for the faith: first, we need to contend for the faith in order to keep the faith and second, we need to contend for the faith to stick to the promises of God which are true. Let’s look in depth at those two reasons as well as how we can actually contend for the faith.

Colossians 1-13-14 tells us that Christ “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”. This means we are no longer part of the kingdom of this world, we belong to the kingdom of heaven just like Jesus. He told us that we are not of this world but we are in this world (John 15:19). The implications of not being part of this world any longer is that we have a constant battle that happens because the ways of this world are different from the ways of the kingdom of light we belong to. Being from the kingdom of light, we are called to live as citizens of that kingdom while we are on this earth and in this fallen body. Obviously, this will bring tension and not a small one in everything we do. It is therefore not surprising that Jude will tell us to contend for the faith (Jude 1:3). Unfortunately, many of us Christians live like this world is all there is, as if we are here to stay; we assimilate, we look like the world to the point that it is difficult to see that we belong to a different kingdom. As Christians, one important thing we must do is to first and foremost recognize that we do not belong to our old kingdom anymore, the flesh and this world have no mastery over us. We have been elevated with Christ above all rulers, powers and authorities; “we have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority” (Colossians 2:10). This is the truth we must first understand and believe for it is our premise for contending. As I write this, I must admit that I still don’t understand what the implications of what Christ has done mean for my daily living but the little I understand tells me it must impact my lifestyle. I must take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) because He is the author and perfecter of my faith. This faith is that we have been redeemed by Christ through the shedding of his blood on the cross on our behalf and because of this work of Christ, we have been given a new life, a new identity and a new kingdom. We contend for the faith because in a fallen world, everything we see and know is in opposition to this truth. The reality of this world is diametrically opposed to that of our faith, hence we resist.

Another reason we contend for the faith is to hold the word and promises of God as true which is what they are. We contend for the faith so that God can be proven to be true even when all men are liars (Romans 3:4). We belong to a kingdom we have not yet seen, so essentially our walk is by faith. We believe this because Christ is the image of the invisible God and He is the head of over all things. We know there will come a time when our faith will be sight but until then, we must fight to remain citizens of the invisible kingdom we are part of (2 Peter 1:10). Opportunities to contend for the faith often arise when we are faced with challenges, for example, we wait on a promise of God to materialize and it tarries, or we have to endure suffering which our Lord Jesus has already carried on the cross (e.g.: illness), or when we have to hear and believe the lies of the enemy that God does not love us and has abandoned us. In those moments, we must contend for the faith for God is good, loving, compassionate, He does not lie, in Him is found no fault at all.

How then do you contend for the faith? It is by declaring the word of God over your life, over your situation, over your circumstance. Declaring the word of God is simply speaking the word of God, the thoughts of God, the truths of God in your life. As difficult as it is to see the love of God when you are faced with death, it is precisely at that moment you need to declare God’s love for you as written in His word because it is true; as difficult as it is to go through a season of turmoil and feel abandoned by God, declaring the word of God in that moment – his promise of never leaving you nor forsaking you is how you contend. I don’t know what people like Abraham did to contend for the faith, but I would like to believe he reminded and spoke the promises of God to himself over and over again; I would like to believe that Joseph reminded himself and God of his promises over his life again and again until it came to pass; I know David the Psalmist did that often, he knew how to declare God’s word over his situation as a way to contend for the faith and that helped him see the mighty hand of God in his life. So my friend, let me encourage you as well to contend for the faith, irrespective of what you are going through. We can only contend for the faith while we live in this kingdom because in heaven, there won’t be a need for contention. Let us therefore be like Paul who fought the good fight, not giving up as is the norm in our day. Let us be of those who hold steadfast, who persevere under trials knowing that we will be rewarded by God for He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). In all this, remember that you are not alone, the Holy Spirit of God dwells in you and will help you as you contend and you will see that victory because you are victorious in Christ!