“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” - Jude 3

The true Christian faith has been under attack ever since its delivery. From the inception, Satan has been fabricating lies, twisting truths and perverting promises to try and malign THE FAITH. We see that Jude has already sounded the alarm on apostasy during the time of the first church and this divergence has been mutating exponentially in the meantime. “THE FAITH” is not our own personal belief, or faith in the sense of our trust in God, but it is the body of truth, called the apostle’s doctrine in the Book of Acts, which was not given “once upon a time”, but once for all. This body of doctrine is complete, the canon of Scripture is closed and nothing can be added to, taken from, or changed therein. And, it has once again become crucial for the church (submerged in the postmodern culture) to examine ourselves to see if we are in THE FAITH...

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” – 2 Corinthians 13:5

Are you really a Christian? This is the obvious first step to see whether you are in THE FAITH. This question is not meant to offend you, but to see if Jesus is really in you. There are many in Christian circles today that assume or presume that they are Christians when they are not. Was there a definite point in your life when you realized that, because of your sin, you are missing the mark of God’s perfect standard, that you are separated from God and cannot make it into heaven by your own good works and that you need a Savior? Did you then confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? (Romans 10:9-10) And did you put your faith and your trust in Him? If so, you are saved and you can have full assurance of your salvation!

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” – Colossians 2:6-10

Once you are in THE FAITH it is important to keep on walking in the simplicity that is in Christ and so be established in THE FAITH that you were brought into. Watch out that you are not mislead by worldly wisdom, intellectualism, rationalism and human reason to walk contrary to THE FAITH in which you were saved. Watch out for those who claim to have new revelations and secret truths, because...

“the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,”
– 1 Timothy 4:1-2

“If it’s new, it’s not true and if it’s true, it’s not new”. There are many false teachers today and to the undiscerning, they all seem so godly and intelligent and full of charisma. Paul knew how great the power of seduction is, and how high the stakes are, so he warned, and warned, and warned again. He cautions Timothy to guard the truth of THE FAITH because he knew that he would encounter a great deal of teaching that would masquerade as true knowledge, but which was actually contrary to THE FAITH.

“O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith.” – 1 Timothy 6:20-21

“This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.” – Titus 1:13-14

Masses are being deceived today and drawn away from THE FAITH to the commandments of men, simply because they do not read and do not know the Word of God. Are you one of them? Every teaching should be measured against the Word of God. Jesus Christ has paid an expensive price to buy us out of bondage so that we can be reconciled to Him, and so that we can continue in THE FAITH.

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” – Colossians 1:21-23

So, let us examine ourselves and test ourselves that we may know that we are not disqualified. Let us...

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13

“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,”
– Philippians 1:27

So that we can say together with Paul in the end...

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
– 2 Timothy 4:7

In Christ,
The Searchlight team