Strong’s Greek 1864 appears a single time in the New Testament, in Jude 1:3, where believers are urged to “contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Berean Standard Bible). Its rarity heightens its weight; Jude chooses a vigorous athletic or military metaphor to summon the church to active engagement rather than passive assent.

Context of Jude 1:3

Jude’s epistle is a short but urgent letter addressed “to those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:1). False teachers had secretly slipped in (Jude 1:4), threatening the purity of doctrine and the moral integrity of the believers. Instead of writing a more general treatise on salvation, Jude states that he “felt compelled” to exhort his readers to contend. The shift from celebration to combat underscores the seriousness of doctrinal deviation and moral compromise.

Theological Significance

1. Preservation of Apostolic Truth

The phrase “once for all delivered” signals the sufficiency and finality of the gospel deposit. To contend is to guard something complete, not to modify or update it (cf. Galatians 1:8–9).
2. Cooperative Human Agency

While salvation is entirely of grace, God ordains that human believers participate in safeguarding the message (Philippians 1:27). The verb carries the idea of sustained effort, implying endurance until the Lord returns (Matthew 24:13).
3. Fidelity in Love

Contending is never a license for contentiousness (2 Timothy 2:24). Jude later commands mercy toward those who doubt (Jude 1:22) while simultaneously denouncing error. Orthodoxy and charity are complementary, not competing, virtues.

Historical Setting

By the late first century, itinerant teachers brought early forms of antinomianism and proto-Gnosticism into congregations. Jude’s call mirrors Paul’s warnings in Acts 20:29-30 and Peter’s in 2 Peter 2. Early church writers such as Irenaeus (Against Heresies) will echo the same battle cry a generation later, showing how Jude 1:3 became foundational for apologetics and creedal formation.

Ministry and Pastoral Application

• Teaching: Elders must “hold firmly to the trustworthy word as taught” (Titus 1:9). Regular catechesis and expository preaching equip congregations to recognize error.
• Apologetics: Believers engage culture with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15), demonstrating that biblical truth answers the deepest questions of the human heart.
• Church Discipline: When persuasion fails, church leadership exercises restorative discipline (Matthew 18:15-17) to preserve the witness of the body.
• Missions: Protecting the gospel at home ensures a pure message abroad. Paul links doctrinal clarity with missionary advance (Romans 16:25-26).

Personal Discipleship

• Scripture Saturation: Daily meditation in the Word renews the mind (Romans 12:2).
• Prayerful Vigilance: Spiritual battle is won on the knees (Ephesians 6:18).
• Holy Living: A life that adorns the gospel validates verbal defense (Titus 2:10).
• Community Accountability: “Iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17); believers contend together, not in isolation.

Connections with Wider New Testament Teaching

• 1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of the faith.”
• Philippians 1:27 – “Stand firm in one spirit, contending together for the faith.”
• Ephesians 6:12 – Highlights the unseen spiritual dimension of the struggle.
• 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 – Demolishing arguments raised against the knowledge of God.

These passages expand the single occurrence in Jude into a robust New Testament theme of spiritual struggle that is intellectual, moral, and spiritual.

Final Encouragement

The call of ἐπαγωνίζομαι is both sobering and hopeful. The faith once for all delivered remains unassailable, and believers are kept by the power of God (Jude 1:1, 24). Yet until the day “the Lord comes with His holy ones” (Jude 1:14), the church embraces the privilege of striving—humbly, prayerfully, and courageously—so that the next generation will inherit the same unmixed, life-giving gospel.