The need to contend

I wonder how you think of living as disciple. Paul's letters make clear that it is a life of contending, contending with the world, with sin in our own hearts, and even for the truth inside the church. It is striking how often in the letters of the New Testament deformed Christianity inside the church is the problem. Timothy and Titus are urged to contend for the faith and highlight and isolate false teaching, the churches in Galatia are similarly urged to do so, and in the first letter of John he also has to teach the church to do likewise. Yet how often do we think about it today? Do we listen carefully, do we want to hear sound doctrine? Do we encourage those who teach us to labour at their understanding of the bible so that we are well taught? Do we challenge teaching we are unsure about, or question that which was unclear, and oppose that which is just wrong?