NASB
(New American Standard Bible)
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, 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.
NLT
(New Living Translation)
Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people.
Jude gets down to the reason for which he is writing in verse three. There are a couple of things that stand out to me. Today, I am breaking it down with my own interpretation. You may want to dig in and draw your own conclusions by reading some commentaries at Biblegateway.com or BlueLetterBible.org.
- Eagerly planning to write about salvation - Jude had every intention of sharing more about God's plan of eternal life through the death of Jesus Christ. Since he was the brother of Jesus, maybe he was going to share memories of Him? We will never know, because he abruptly changes the course of his letter.
- I must write about something else - While I can only supposition, I think it's safe to assume (because of the urgency felt by his wording) Jude was prompted by the Holy Spirit to change topics. SIDENOTE: My thoughts of life in those days give me pause...I wonder if those he was addressing had heard Jude speak at one time, and running out of time during his Q&A session, he said he would follow-up with a letter; which might be the 'why' behind the original epistle...just a thought.
- Urging you to defend the faith - I believe Jude is not talking about arguing with others about the validity of Christianity. You cannot shout someone into salvation. I think he is telling us to continue to speak God's TRUTH as presented in His Holy Word, the Bible. If only Truth is spoken, not man's twist on it, Truth will stand on its own, revealing God's plan for mankind and eternal life through Jesus.
- That God has entrusted once for all time - This seems like just a little addendum to Jude's sentence; however, it has a lot of meat in this tiny cluster of words! Jude is telling us God changed our lives in that one moment once and for all. He gave us this incredible opportunity...given, not taken. It wasn't fabricated. It was His indisputable plan, and it is indelibly marked on the timeline of our history.
We, my friends, are set apart: His holy people. We are called upon to speak His Truth, so that others might take up and follow The Way. Jude's earnest words should be heeded by us today as much as when they were written back then. Truth never fails. Truth always wins. Truth should be proclaimed with every opportunity.
You are so loved.
Share that with others today.
Share that with others today.
What stood out most to you in this verse?
