Jude 3

"Dear friends,
Although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."

Jude can't write what he wants because he has to write what the church needs. It's not about him, it's about protecting the gospel. This reminds me of Paul's relationship with the church in Corinth. In 2 Corinthians he tells them that he had wanted to come to them with joy and comfort and encouragement, but he had heard about so many issues where they were straying that he sent a letter instead, 1 Corinthians, full of rebuke and correction. It grieved him to do it, but it was for their good and for the purity of the gospel.

So now Jude, who would love to talk about the beauty of the gospel and all its facets, he instead has to address a danger that he sees creeping into the church--not one particular church, but many. False shepherds, those wolves in sheep's clothing that are found in other epistles as well, are trying to sneak in and corrupt the church. So Jude wants to bring this problem to their attention and urge them to "contend for the faith that was entrusted" to them.

"Contend for the faith" means to fight for the faith, as in a competition where only one side wins. This is a fight to the death. The loser loses for eternity. The winner will decide the fate of Christianity. Keeping the faith is hard when there are those who wish to redefine Christianity, change words meanings and make things symbolic that used to be real, or mystical instead of true. That happened to the Southern Baptist Convention while I was at seminary, liberal leaders who were definiting the meaning of Christianity and salvation and faith and repentance. They were changing the gospel completely.

If false teachers were allowed to gain footing in the church they would change the gospel that Paul, Peter, John, James and others had worked for years to institute. These men were aging, some perhaps dead, and Jude realizes how important it is that the gospel remains rooted and grounded in Christ and in his work on the cross. We will see next the possible ways in which these false teachers are trying to pervert the gospel.