A believer should defend the faith.

信徒应捍卫信仰。

Despite the diligent labors of Epaphras, the Colossian church was in jeopardy. A serious heresy had arisen, and Epaphras was so concerned that he traveled to Rome to visit Paul in prison. The Colossian church had not yet been infected by that heresy, and Paul warns them against its dangers.

尽管以巴弗勤勉作工，歌罗西教会仍处危险之中。有异端邪说兴起，以巴弗十分担忧，以至远行到罗马去拜访狱中的保罗。此时歌罗西教会尚未受此异端侵扰，保罗警告他们要小心异端的危险。

The heretics, denying the humanity of Christ, viewed Him as one of many lesser, descending spirit beings that emanated from God. They taught a form of philosophic dualism, postulating that spirit was good and matter was evil. Hence, a good emanation like Christ could never take on a body composed of evil matter. The idea that God Himself could become man was absurd to them. Thus, the false teachers also denied His deity.

持异端者否认基督的人性，他们认为基督只是许多较小的从神而来降临世间的灵界受造之一。他们教导一种哲学二元论，假定灵是善的，而物质是恶的。因此，基督这善的源头绝不会由邪恶物质组成的肉体担当。神亲自成为人的样式，这种念头对他们而言是荒唐的。因此，假教师们也一并否认了祂的神性。

Christ was also not adequate for salvation, according to the heretics. Salvation required a superior, mystical, secret knowledge, beyond that of the gospel of Christ. It also involved worshiping the good emanations (angels) and keeping Jewish ceremonial laws.

按照异端们的说法，对于救恩，单有基督还是不够的。除了基督的福音之外，救恩还需要一种超然、神秘、隐秘的知识。它也包含了敬拜那些良善的散发体（天使）以及持守犹太人的正式律法。

By far the most serious aspect of the Colossian heresy was its rejection of Christ’s deity. Before getting to the other issues, Paul makes an emphatic defense of that crucial doctrine. In Colossians 1:15-19 Paul reveals our Lord’s true identity by viewing Him in relation to God, the universe, and the church.

到目前为止，歌罗西异端最严重的方面是它拒绝基督的神性。在讨论其他问题之前，保罗重点对此至关紧要的教义进行了辩护。在歌罗西书1：15-19，通过观察基督与神、与宇宙、与教会的关系，保罗揭示出我们主真实的身份。

Perhaps you’ve met people who deny Christ’s deity, but you weren’t sure what to say to them. In the next few days, let Paul be your guide in showing you how to confront cultists in a biblical manner. By following his example, you’ll be able to defend our precious faith.

也许你遇到过否认基督神性的人，而你不知道该对他们说些什么。接下来的几天里，让保罗来作你的向导，向你显明如何以符合圣经的方式去应对邪教分子。追随保罗的榜样，你将有能力捍卫我们宝贵的信仰。

Ask the Lord to teach you from His Word how to refute false teaching.

求主教导你如何用神的道去驳斥假教训。

In verse 3 of Jude, what exhortation does Jude give to believers?

犹大书3节中，犹大给予信徒怎样的劝勉？