Bruce Collins, Evangelist

Jude 1:3 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.

Sometimes we think the church as we know it is in shambles. I am glad that the Lord reminds us in Matthew 16:18 that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The true called out assembly of people who are separated only unto the Lord and to His testimony has always been under attack, and that was true when this epistle was written. Sometimes the attack is that of the lion who tears and causes great fear. This was evidenced by the cruel martyrdom of many early believers. Sometimes the attack is that of the bear who looks so tame and approachable but who is waiting for the chance to give his unsuspecting prey the hug of death. I think Jude was concerned about some who were like the bear. They had crept in unawares but they weren’t sheep, they were wild animals. Bears tend to destroy sheep.

When Jude speaks of the common salvation, he does not mean common in the sense that it isn’t precious. He means common in the sense that there is only one salvation and it is available to all. While it was delivered to the saints here it was also delivered to the Corinthians by Paul while they were unsaved in 1 Corinthians 15:3. Some teach that we can’t tell the unsaved that Christ died for them because they haven’t made Christ’s substitutionary work effectual in their lives by faith. Thus, we can only tell them that Christ died for sinners. But I feel at perfect liberty to preach the same Gospel to the unsaved to see them saved that I preach to believers to see them rejoice. Christ died for all, saved and unsaved, but the saved have trusted in Christ and have made that salvation theirs.

When we contend for the faith, we are not contending for our ability to believe the truth but for the truth that we believe. Satan has many lies but God has given us only one Truth. In the early church, some thought that the Lord didn’t have a real body because anything material was evil. But of course He did have a real body and His body was not evil. Some were denying the resurrection so Paul contends for that truth in 1 Corinthians 15. Some thought grace meant license so Jude deals with that in this epistle as does John in his and Paul his. Today, we have similar problems. Some think that if a saved person should do good works then good works must make a person a Christian. Some think that if a Christian should be baptized then baptism must make a person a Christian. Some think that if a Christian should pray then praying must make a person a Christian. Some think that if a Christian should take the Lord’s Supper then taking the Lord’s supper must make a person a Christian. We need to contend for the truth that faith or trust in the Lord Jesus Christ Who is God and Who was born as a man and died as man, Who was buried and Who was raised again the third day and Who is coming again is the only means of salvation from the condemnation that we deserve as sinners. This is the precious but common salvation of Holy Scripture.

If Satan was on the attack when Jude wrote, He certainly isn’t going to let up now at the end of the end of the age. His tactics may be new but his purpose is still the same. His purpose is to destroy those who need to be saved. I want to be faithful in hindering his work by contending for the faith and by helping to present this common salvation to the whole world.

Bruce Collins