Contending for the faith

‘You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.’ So says Inigo Montoya in the movie, The Princess Bride, about someone’s overuse of the word ‘inconceivable.’ It’s a mistake we Christians often make with some of our jargon.

For example, ‘contending for the faith’ – it’s a phrase we regularly use, but we don’t always bother to check that it means what we assume it means.

As far as I can make out from Scripture, contending is the vital spiritual discipline of applying and promoting the gospel lovingly in a context of opposition.

It’s not a mere worldly exercise, but an application of the gospel itself, both personally and corporately. It must involve boundaries and saying no to various things, as true love always does; but this ought to be done in a way that is courteous and godly, consistent with what the gospel tells us about ourselves.

Here’s my summary of the biblical doctrine of contending (can you identify the Scriptures?). Is this what you mean when you use the word?

Contending is not a worldly exercise

We do not contend against flesh and blood, but against demonic powers.

We do not merely contend against something but for the faith, for the gospel.

We do not contend in a violent way for Jesus’s kingdom as if it were an earthly kingdom.

Contending is applying the gospel

We contend by proclaiming the gospel. We contend by praying. We contend against sin in our own lives, which false teaching uses to get a grip on us.

We contend side-by-side with other Christians in a way that is worthy of the gospel, united and unfazed by opposition.

We contend by rejoicing in the Lord, focusing on the positive and prayerfully practicing what Paul preached and lived.

We contend not by conforming to error, but continuing in the truth and remaining stable – that is, not changing our gospel or our moral and ethical applications of it, which certain people would like us to.

We contend by building up the church in the faith, keeping ourselves in the love of God and growing in grace and knowledge.

We contend by having mercy on those who doubt and saving those who wander.

Contending must include drawing lines

We contend against ambitious worldliness and immoral paganism rising up from within the church, from which we must differentiate ourselves.

We contend by avoiding those who persistently cause divisions by false doctrine and living.

We contend by removing immoral professing Christians from the church and not associating or eating with them.

We contend by refusing to be in partnership with idolatrous people who deny that their deceptive words bring God’s judgment.

We contend by not listening to false gospels and by carefully avoiding gospels based on purely human philosophy and tradition.

We contend by teaching people to distinguish truth from error clearly, testing the spirits and listening to apostolic teaching.

We contend by steering clear of charlatans and the irreverent babble which leads people astray doctrinally and morally.

We contend by not receiving or supporting deceivers and thereby taking part in their wicked works.

Contending means godly engagement

We contend with humility, gentleness, and persuasion.

We contend with sober-mindedness, enduring persecution, suffering and opposition.

We contend by engaging with opponents carefully, gently, kindly and patiently.

We contend by prayerfully hoping for and encouraging repentance, rather than by being unduly hasty or dismissively quarrelsome.

We contend by showing integrity, dignity, gentleness and courtesy that puts our opponents to shame for its godliness.

We contend by considering and imitating good examples from former leaders, so that we are not led astray by strange and novel teachings.

We contend patiently as we look to God to rescue us and punish the wicked.

We contend with meekness and courtesy, not contentiousness and ambitious quarrelling, which is unspiritual and demonic.

We contend by imitating good rather than evil tactics.

Each of these aspects is vital for biblical contending. So, are you contending biblically?