Contending for the Faith involves defending and may even involve arguing for the doctrines which involve leading a lost person to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In brief, the Gospel involves a lost person acknowledging he is a lost sinner under the condemnation of God, on his way to a literal Hell, and accepting the substitutionary death of Jesus (by faith) as the total payment for his sins. Adding "works" (his efforts, baptism, "good works," chuch membership, etc.) is a perversion of the Gospel and must be refuted and exposed as heresy by Bible believing Christians. Salvation is the total work of God (as we will see in other catagories in this study), and only involves the lost sinner to exercize his faith in the Gospel presented to him by a faithful soul winning Christian. The following Bible verses are some examples of contending for the Faith.

Acts 11:2: And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,

Ephesians 5:11: And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Reproving false teachers is one way to contend for the Faith.)

Philippians 1:7: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. (Here, "the defence. . .of the gospel" is contending, or defending and preserving the purity of the Gospel.)

Ephesians 1:17: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

I Thessalonians 2:2: But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. ("MUCH contention.")

II Thessalonians 2:15: Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. (Holding on to the traditions of faithful preachers of the Gospel often involves contention.)

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.

Do you have a verse related to this subject? Please e-mail me and send it. Remember, we use only the Old, 1611 King James Bible.