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NASB | Jude 1:3 ¶ 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Jude 1:3 ¶ Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I was compelled to write to you [urgently] appealing that you fight strenuously for [the defense of] the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints [the faith that is the sum of Christian belief that was given verbally to believers]. |
Bible Question:
What do we believe? What does the Bible say that we believe? Now, this is an Aixen question, and it requires thought. Please think about it some before responding. Please do not judge the question, but try to answer it. Please do not stray into controversy, or personal attacks, but consider this, that scriptural answers to this question may be of help to someone. Having come to the church, it seems appropriate that one should enquire as to what we believe. One comes in, not to bring one’s own ideas, but to join in with the assembly and to identify with it’s beliefs. The question may be asked by one who belongs; especially by a new member. A visitor who is not a believer should ask, “What do you believe?” And then, those who answer should not be stating a personal opinion. Neither should he say that there is a variety, and that there are differences among us, in what we believe. There is one faith (Ephesians 4:5). There is something called “the faith” that we should contend for . Jude reminds us that it has been once for all delivered to the saints, and we should beware of certain ones who will creep in unawares to deny parts of it or otherwise to dilute it and corrupt it. You should understand, if you stop and think about it, that I am not talking about an earthly organization, where people follow an earthly leader, or where they decide in a democratic manner what they believe. It is not a situation where the majority opinion or the latest fad or the dictates of the strong prevails. This is the church of the living God and only his word prevails. The question then is, “What does the Bible say that we believe?” I pray that we can be specific here and not say simply, that we believe the Bible. The prophets and the apostles tell us in specifics, what it is that we believe. Here are one example: We believe and are sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (John 6:69). We are borrowing the words of Peter here, but we see that he is speaking for all of us. We do believe that about Christ, and by “we” I mean all of us who are saved. For But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (John 20:31) . The person who does not believe that Jesus is the Christ is not saved. He may not believe. But he is not allowed to come into an assembly and dilute what we believe. We believe what the word of God says, and it does not change. It is forever settled in heaven. It bears repeating, I hope, that we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We also believe that he is God. We believe that he is Lord. He is the head of the church. He is the mediator between God and man. Mostly, I should say, we believe in him. We believe many other things, but they are all in him. And I have chosen not to fill this paragraph with references, but some of us know what they are. I encourage us to join in to ask or to answer the question, and to search the scriptures for the answer. A visitor may be asking what it is that we believe. Can we tell them, in this thread? |
Bible Answer: We may know very well what we believe, but how do we express it? We would be correct to say that we believe whatever the Bible says, but what does that communicate? Creeds have been used as concise statements, used sometimes to aid the congregant, sometimes to communicate with outsiders, and sometimes to set the church apart from rising heresies. Statements such as “We believe whatever the Bible says” and “We speak where the Bible speaks and where the Bible is silent we are silent” serve a purpose. But what is the ideal statement? When we had to develop a statement of beliefs for our ministry, it was a challenge. We wanted to make it as brief as possible, and yet it had to encompass everything. It had to fit on the back of a business card. We wanted to make it as simple as possible without being simplistic. We had to use words that conveyed deep meaning. This is what it turned out to be. See http://www.hishows.bizland.com/Beliefs.html This is what we believe. And to this we are committed. 1. God gave us this life, and he is ruler over us. 2. There are two important things he asks of us: - to love him and obey him. - to love and help each other. 3. Since we have failed in both of these areas, he asks us to admit it, and to accept his forgiveness. 4. He can forgive us because Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose again. 5. When we repent and trust in him, he gives us a new life, and with it, a new opportunity to do the tasks in #2. To get help, or to give help, please contact us. I wonder now if there was anything essential that was left out. We do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he was conceived of the Holy Ghost, and everything else the Bible teaches. We could make a long list of the truths that we adhere to. Where do we stop, between presenting the entire Bible and making a concise list of four or five points.? Some Gospel Halls have a statement on the back of their bulletin listing a set of beliefs. Of course, some have no such list, indeed, no bulletin at all. It would be interesting to see, if they were required to come up with a statement, what it would look like. In the end, though, it seems to matter little what we say with our lips or put on paper. It is our behavior that speaks for us. What do we practice, or try to, that we can support with scripture? That is our statement of beliefs. To paraphrase Paul, in 2 Corinthians 3, we are our own statement of beliefs, written in our hearts and lives, observed and read by all men. We are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered to us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart. |