For several weeks now, I have felt the urge to write on the subject of revelation knowledge. I have struggled to fully articulate my thoughts—perhaps because I needed a foundation to build on. This piece is my attempt to lay that foundation.
The phrase “contending for the faith” is a familiar one from the letter of Jude to the Church. As I reflect on the idea of revelation knowledge and what it truly means, the apostle’s instruction becomes especially relevant—particularly in an age where “revelation knowledge” is often used to justify personal and private interpretations of Scripture that disregard the generally held and contextually grounded understanding of God’s Word.
Jude 1:3 (NIV)
“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”
An important question arises from this: what does Jude mean by “the faith”? Is he referring to the daily exercise of believing God for outcomes in life’s circumstances, or is he pointing to something more defined?
The next verse provides clarity:
Jude 1:4 (NIV)
“For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
Jude warns of individuals who have infiltrated the church and are distorting the grace of God, ultimately denying Christ Himself. This makes it clear that “the faith” he calls believers to contend for is not merely a subjective experience, but the true doctrine of Christ—especially the proper understanding of God’s grace.
These individuals operate with subtlety. They “secretly slip in,” presenting themselves as bearers of deeper or more advanced insight. They claim fresh revelation and a superior understanding of grace, yet the outcome of their teaching reveals the opposite: a distortion that leads to moral compromise rather than transformation. In claiming new revelation, they depart from the truth already established and, in effect, deny “the faith once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”
This reveals an important principle: the faith is not subjective. It is not open to endless personal reinterpretation. It is objective—once delivered, preserved, and consistently witnessed across generations of the Church, beginning with Christ and His apostles.
To contend for the faith, therefore, is not to innovate, but to remain faithful. It is to commit ourselves to knowing, understanding, and holding fast to the apostolic teaching handed down through Scripture. It is to test every claim of “revelation knowledge” against this standard, rather than reshaping the standard to fit new claims.
True revelation does not reinvent what has already been established—it illuminates it. Where Scripture has been consistently and faithfully understood, interpretations that contradict that witness are not progress, but deviation.
Contending for the faith, then, is a call to steadfastness: to hold firmly to the truth as delivered, to discern and resist subtle distortions, and to remain anchored in the unchanging message of Christ.