Jude reminds us in his letter to “…contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3). In this short study John Piper introduces us to three men whose lives show that they understood this; namely Athanasius, John Owen and J. Gresham Machen. All three of these men stood for the truth of God’s Word even when this meant opposition, unpopularity, threats, exile, sickness and suffering. They took no pleasure in getting involved in controversy just for the sake of an argument; rather, they were prepared to contend out of a deep love for the Lord Jesus and His people, recognising that when the gospel is at stake our all is at stake. In Athanasius’ words, “Considering that this struggle is for our all…let us also make it our earnest care and aim to guard what we have received” (pg 20). Piper’s book, as with his other biographical sketches, is a great reminder of the value of church history. He introduces us to Athanasius in his lifelong battle for the deity of Christ against the Arians; John Owen the Purian pastor and writer, whose great desire was for holiness – both his own and others’; and J. Gresham Machen the seminary founder of who contended for the gospel in the midst of liberalism. However, Piper doesn’t stop there. He goes on to show the profit of looking at the lives of Christians from the past, how we can learn from their example and the way they stood for the truth, reminding us that the battles they fought are not too dissimilar to the ones we need to fight today. Specifically, as he looks at the lives of these three men, we are challenged to recognise the need to contend for the gospel in our day and to do so in a godly and gracious manner. Well worth investing in and digesting!
