The apostles commanded all true believers to "fight the good fight of faith", and to "contend earnestly for it as once for all delivered to the saints". This contention is a matter of duty, the performance of which is not optional, nor dependent upon the prospect of success or failure. We have nothing to do with the consequences. If no one will obey the faith, it is still our duty to contend for it. We are exhorted to save ourselves, and others if we can; and it contributes to this salvation of one’s self to ‘contend for the faith’.
If others will not be saved, we cannot help it; we shall
have done the best we could, and there we must leave it.
But as to converting the world, in the popular sense by preaching, such a result
is not contemplated in the scripture. The gospel was not preached for the
purpose defined by the clergy; but as a call or invitation to glory, honour and
immortality in the Kingdom of God. That is to say God intends to set up an
indestructible kingdom among the nations which shall rule over them all. The
king and peers of its realms are to be holy, just and immortal, which naturally
the sons of men are not.
John Thomas
These words of Bro Thomas are just as applicable to us in our day as they were to the brethren and sisters in his day. Given the wonderful, exhilarating hope set before us, that according to the mercy of God we will be counted worthy to be part of the Divine family, surely we have a great incentive to earnestly content for the faith we confess. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God and we show our love by obeying His righteous law.
We have every encouragement to separate from those who would espouse error, whether they are within the Truth or without, for there is no fellowship of light with darkness. It is John who comments:
“If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 1John 1:6
And Paul writes:
“…what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” 2Cor 6:14
We can only have fellowship if we live our lives according to the light of God’s word. If we stray from what Paul terms ‘sound doctrine’, then there is no light within us and we stray from the path of salvation.
Though we become but few in number and our numbers decrease, we still cannot contemplate compromise with those who are in error. As Bro Thomas states it is a duty, not an option. But non-the-less it is a joyful duty, because if we live according to the light we are promised:
"... if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin". John 1:7
A.A.P.