#143: Know the Truth then Contend for the Faith
So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
II Kings 6:16 NKJV
One of the delightful aspects of seeing someone come to faith is the experience of seeing all things becoming new and old things passing away. Usually what follows is a zeal to tell of Christ to friends, family members, and other acquaintances who are outside of Christ. And this is where the first attacks of the Devil tend to take place. The new Christian, while telling of Christ, will be challenged by the world’s philosophies and vain questions. If he is not well versed in the Word, the world’s arguments may nearly overpower him. Before we are ready to contend earnestly for the faith (the truth / the Bible), we must know the faith.
The account of Elisha and his servant at Dothan reminds the Christian to contend earnestly for the faith by promoting, proclaiming, and protecting the truth. Fear, doubts, and enemies are all around and only the truth can keep us from despair and unbelief. Before we can contend for the truth we must know the truth. Who can contend for that which He does not know?
Elisha was able to help his servant and contend for the faith because he knew God and knew His Word. Do you know God and His Word? The Lord calls us to meditate on His Word every day (Psalm 119:97), to rejoice in the Word (Psalm 119:162), and to value the Word more than gold (119:127). In many places the Word is revealed as truth (119:160, John 17:17), and that which abides forever (Isaiah 40:8). The one who knows the Word, knows the truth and knows God. With the Word, we can contend for the truth against all opposition.
In order to know the truth we should aim towards three disciplines:
1) Reading the Word daily. We may read God’s Word several times each day or just once each day, for short periods of time or long, through the Bible consecutively or in a different order. However the Bible is read, it should be read daily and in such a way that it is a delight to the Christian. Our aim should be to read the Bible’s entirety in a reasonable amount of time so that we are familiar with it through the various circumstances of our lives.
2) Memorizing the Word. The Psalmist said, “thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” Christians contend poorly for the faith when they have known the truth in times past but cannot remember it in the present. That word of God should dwell in our minds that we might remember it whether a copy of the Bible is in our hands or not. Always we must be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us. Can we tell others about our favorite sports players without looking up their stats and history? How much more should we be able speak of the Word of God? Many occasions for confessing Christ and testifying to the truth of salvation in and through Christ alone come when a Bible is not available. Commit that which you have read to memory that it is always available for speaking at the right time.
3) Praying, singing, and hearing the Word. The Word which we read and memorize should be in our prayers, sung by our lips, and heard each Lord’s Day from the pulpits of the churches we attend. We cannot understand the truth well if we are not praying for wisdom, singing God’s praises according to His Word, and sitting under the preaching of that Word that will be used by God to grow us in grace.
As we come to know the truth of God’s Word, then we can begin to contend earnestly for the faith. Know the truth!
“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).
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