Practical Issues
Sound Doctrine
The Whole Counsel of God
Person of Jesus
In NT - 1 Timothy
In NT - Ephesians
In NT - 2 Timothy
Diverse Doctrines
Things Becoming Sound Doctrine
Sound Doctrine
by Graham Jones - The Church at Gun Hill"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts 2 v 42.
Sound Doctrine in the New Testament
Now the New Testament speaks in four places about sound doctrine. In Jude v 20, it says, "Beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith." How can we build ourselves up on our most holy faith, except by sound doctrine? How can you have faith unless you have sound doctrine to believe? It is important. That is why we come together around the Word of God so that we can know sound teaching. How do we know whether it is sound? Is it because I say it? No, of course not. Because some famous preacher declares it? No, certainly not - yet many have erred in following famous names and personalities. We can know by what the Word of God, the Bible, says, comparing scripture with scripture, spiritual things with spiritual things, the Holy Spirit teaching us, and placing that witness in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will not lead us astray and will not teach contrary to the written word.In I Timothy 1 v 10, we have our first reference, reading in from v 9:
"Knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine."These are the things which are contrary to the law of God and they have no place in the life of a believer. They are contrary to sound doctrine. Sound doctrine shows us where we are; sound doctrine shows us who we are. In Jesus Christ we are not those listed in the above text. You may have been once. At the end of a similar list in I Corinthians 6, Paul says, "And such were some of you." But you are no longer like that. Those things are contrary to sound doctrine. "But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (I Cor 6 v 11). Is it not amazing that so much of this which is declared to be contrary to sound doctrine, is now not only tolerated but accepted by church leaders. Yet it is contrary to what the Bible teaches. You yourselves hear what these church leaders say, not in secret, but in public via the media. They want to be seen to be nice and kind and considerate, but they are not demonstrating the love of God. When they say that they allow homosexual priests to remain in the church, the argument runs on the line that we are all sinners and therefore are not in a position to condemn anyone. We all fall short of God's ideal, they say. In human understanding, an ideal is something which is unattainable. But the Bible says that such practices are contrary to sound doctrine. The Bible says they are wrong. The Bible says they are an abomination to God. The Bible says they are sin. However, the Bible also shows us the remedy for sin, which remedy is in Jesus Christ.
Certainly we have no right to go around condemning people. The work of convincing people of sin is the work of the Holy Spirit. But, on the other hand, we cannot condone or justify that which the Bible says is wrong. Yes, we are all sinners, but in Jesus Christ there is salvation from sin; there is full cleansing and pardon; there is deliverance from the power of sin. We have no right to alter what the Bible says by saying that something is not really sin but, rather, a falling short of an impossibly high ideal. God says that certain things are sin and that we should not sin. Now we are not adopting a superior attitude, saying we are better than others. We were sinners but, through God's grace alone, we have been delivered and set free from sin, and by God's help and power we can and must live separate from sin. By nature we were sinners and doomed to die. Of ourselves we have absolutely nothing to boast of. This way of salvation is open to all through Jesus Christ. This holiness of life is provided for, and therefore should be appropriated by, every believer. These so-called church leaders have no business to contradict the Word of God or the Holy Spirit in this matter of sin. The love of God is not being manifested by them, because people will not get saved unless they realise they have sinned and that they need to repent of that sin, putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
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