Sound Doctrine – #1

Titus 2:1

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. (KJV)

(Those exact two words are also found in I Tim. 1:8-11; II Tim. 4:1-4; and Titus 1:7-9.)

Sound doctrine is our English for two Greek words. The first means “healthy.”  The second is the word commonly translated “teaching” or “doctrine.”  So, if we want what PAUL meant when he taught others about how and what to preach, he meant healthy teaching. That is, TEACHING THAT PRODUCES OR MAINTAINS GOOD SPIRITUAL HEALTH. I suppose the opposite would be teaching which makes or keeps believers puny or sickly. (Is that not the case with one’s dietary habits?  What I consume affects my physical well being. Much more, the teachings I am fed can affect my spiritual, emotional, and relational vitality. Right?) We will revisit this.

Why bring this up? First, because of the chaos and destruction wrought upon our fellowship under the guise of “preaching sound doctrine,” “loving the truth,” etc. Indeed, the Bible is primarily a book of doctrine, teaching. And not just ABOUT God but FROM God! TRUTH from God! And, of course, the sinner must be saved on the basis of doctrine, teaching – about the Who, What, Why, and How of Jesus and the cross. And, of course, the church is founded, premised upon doctrine, teaching. Of course! All that I am and have in Christ is because of great scriptural truths, then, teachings which I trust and live out to the point of death, as do others to this hour.

So, the point of concern here surely is not the primacy and necessity of sound doctrine. Rather, my interest stems from that powerful thought being hijacked and abused, with dark repercussions among us. Perhaps we should allow it to have a say for itself, huh? Now, the bad news is that we have called some attitudes and teachings “sound” which have made us sicker. The good news is that a fearless look at the Book and ourselves is always a healthful endeavor. Not always painless, but always healthy.

robert