The Importance of Sound Doctrine

The Importance of Sound Doctrine
Why We Need It As Christians


If they took the Bible away from us, or locked it to where we couldn’t get into it, no matter how much we tried, what would we remember? This is a thought that made me think of how this generation of people has lost the perspective of serving God. This made me think of how we are leaning more to worshipping the LORD than serving HIM. I am not against worshipping God, because HE needs to be worshiped in our lives, daily. However, serving God is a way to worship in obedience too. It reminded me of what Paul to Timothy concerning the last days.
In 2 Timothy 3:1 – 5, Paul talks about the last days being dangerous and how people will be lovers of their own selves, and he goes into great detail of how men will be, and I should say, look at us and how we are today. In America, sin is more acceptable today, than it was even in the 70’s. Of course, being a child of the 60’s, I barely remember some things, but the 60’s and 70’s were worse than the 40’s and 50’s. Granted, each generation gets totally worse. This is Bible prophecy being fulfilled.
I went to 2 Timothy 4:1 – 4, which ties into chapter 3, and Paul was encouraging Timothy, but he was warning of how the last days should be too. Paul wrote, “I CHARGE thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at HIS appearing and HIS kingdom; preach the WORD; be instant in season, out of season; reprove rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine; for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables.” If you go back to chapter 3:7, you see that Paul said men would be, “Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
To Paul, it was urgent that Timothy understands how man would become. We are in a generation of head believers and not heart believers. We have seen it necessary to have several different interpretations of the Bible, when, at one time, the KJV was fine and just not understood, because it wasn’t studied like it should be. Some versions take the power of salvation from God and put it upon man; some leave out scriptures totally; and some even curse. I believe this is a sin in the sight of God. These are my personal beliefs and therefore I am sharing them with you. We have seen it necessary to preach lies, by telling people that God is not able to keep us secure in our own salvation and therefore we must earn it through works; we have seen it necessary to not preach Bible doctrine (truth) so people can feel good about themselves. Paul covered a great deal in 2 Timothy 3 and 4 that apply to this world and so called Christians today.
First of all, I need to clarify what I believe a Christian is; it is a child of God; a man that has been saved by the grace of God, who is living Christ-like. Not every born again child of God can call themselves a Christian all the time! Why? Because, we, as born again children of God, do not always live like Christ did, act like Christ did, and serve our Father, which is heaven like Christ did. We are in a generation of people that use the title, “Christian,” very loosely. I’m saved by the grace of God and therefore I am secure in HIM. But, I do not always portray Christ in my life the way I should. Therefore, I do not always consider myself a Christian. I am, however, still saved, by HIS marvelous grace.
In 2 Timothy 3:7, Paul talked about how men would be, “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” We are in a generation that believes that a worldly education is more important that a Bible education. It’s evident this is true, because many people do not go to church, come to Sunday School, if they do go to church, and do not study their Bibles. I have come to a conclusion, that the reason we have so many different types of Bibles is because people want the Bible to fit their lives and beliefs rather than their lives fitting God’s Word. I’ve done some devotionals on Proverbs, and Solomon said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” Proverbs 1:7. So, what is Paul telling Timothy? Could it be that he is telling him, “There are going to be a bunch of fools, because they are rejecting the truth?” Jesus told us about the wise man and the foolish man in Matthew 7. If our knowledge of God weakens, then we become as fools. Wouldn’t you agree? So, what does sound doctrine bring?

SOUND DOCTRINE WILL NOT LEAD A MAN IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. Why would Paul say, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine?” First we need to see that Paul encouraged Timothy to, “Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” The Word of God is like a two edged sword. God uses HIS WORD to mold us into what HE wants us to be, and some of the time, it’s painful. People reject guidance that is painful. We’ve got an attitude, “I’m saved now; isn’t that all that matters?” No, it’s not. God intends for us to represent HIM in the fullest part of our lives. To do this we must be willing to obey HIS WORD. Bible stands for the Believer’s Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Why do we thing that the Psalmist said, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet; and a light unto my path?” He also said, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Sound doctrine is God’s Word.

SOUND DOCTRINE WILL LEAD A LOST MAN TOWARD CHRIST. Doctrine means truth. I reminded of the scripture, where Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man can come to the Father, but by me” John 14:6. This knocks Mary completely out of the picture, by the way. We cannot approach the Father, but by and through Jesus Christ. He is the advocate between us and the Father in Heaven. Paul talks about how God chose the foolishness of preaching the gospel to save those who would believe. The gospel of Jesus Christ is sound doctrine. This means that you must believe that ‘Christ died for our sins according to the scripture; and that HE was buried and arose again on the third day according to the scripture”1 Corinthians 15:3 – 4.

SOUND DOCTRINE BRINGS STABILITY IN A CHILD OF GOD’S LIFE. If our lives are based on Bible truths then we will not be steered wrong. Instead of accepting what a preacher, teacher or leader of a church says, write the scriptures down and study them and ask God for help in understanding them. If you study God’s Word and these teachers are teaching false doctrine, lies, then you can make your decisions of attending that church or not, based on God’s Word.

SOUND DOCTRINE LEADS A CHILD OF GOD FROM SIN. Now, a child of God will not always heed to himself what they are taught. This usually happens when God is put on the back burner of their life. Paul talked about the inward and outward man; and as I said in one of my previous studies, the one that wins is the one I say sic’em to the most. Sound doctrine will teach a child of God how to rely on God, communicate with HIM, and how to serve HIM. After all, we are saved to serve, right?

For people who might be reading this, I would like to ask you a question? Do you know, that you know, that you are saved? If you are not saved, you must put your pride to the side, and must admit that you are a sinner with no direction. You must believe that Jesus Christ died for you. You then must confess that you are a sinner and that you know HE died on the cross in your place. You must then ask HIM to forgive you of your sin and ask HIM to come into your life as you LORD and SAVIOR and then thank HIM for it. Romans 10:10 tells us, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” You must then go to a New Testament church, tell them what Christ has done for you, because you are saved. It is an ordinance that you be baptized, by the authority of that church, which Jesus Christ gave to that church. It will be very important that you get in that church, study your Bible, and seek God’s doctrine that you will not be led in the wrong direction. Child of God, I encourage you to get in HIS WORD and study it, so you can be a good worker for Christ. May God richly bless you all, and may we all seek HIS will in our lives. Amen.