TEXTUAL FAITH

“I ... exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3)

I know of no better title to use than “Textual” faith. By that I mean that the word “faith” as used in Jude 3 pertains to the inspired message from heaven which becomes the Christian’s only Articles of Faith. Various books called manuals, disciplines, catechisms, etc., have been written that contain the Articles of Faith of the numerous religious bodies among us. They are all different even though many of them are based on the Catholic’s Nicene Creed.

The various religions of the world are referred to as some kind of faith. The question is often asked, “Of what faith are you?” Whether we like it or not, the Bible teaches that there is “one faith.” Read carefully, very carefully, Ephesians 4:1-6. You will notice that it says there is ONE Lord, ONE spirit, ONE father. There are the same number of faiths that there are Lords, Spirits and Fathers.

The Roman Catholics recently handed down an encyclical making plain that it is the only religion (the only faith) that will get one to heaven. The various religions of this town were in an uproar over the statement. But, after all, if Catholic doctrine is the faith of the New Testament, then it is the only way. But I challenge them to prove that most of their faith is even found in the New Testament either their version or the King James Version or any other.

Reader friend: do you believe that the religion you embrace is the one faith of the New Testament? If so, then you are in the position of the Catholics. If not, then you need to begin a search for that which is the one faith. After all, there is only one body of truth that has been revealed from heaven and it was delivered to the saints of the first century; not to the miscalled saints of the Catholic church of the present and Jude exhorts us to contend (defend staunchly) for that faith, that body of truth. Paul warns of departures as did Jesus himself. (Read Matthew 7:21-27) Paul sais, “I have kept the faith.” Wherever the word faith is preceded by the word “the” and even sometimes where the word “the” is lacking, it means the body of truth revealed from heaven.

Now, before you file this is file No. 13, read once again Ephesians 4:1-6.

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