Sound Doctrine

 

Several New Testament texts speak of what is called "sound doctrine." (I Tim. 1:10; II Tim. 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1) By "sound" (Grk. hygiainō) means healthy or what is good and profitable for you, therapeutic. The same Greek word is translated as "whole" in contrast to "sick." (Luke 5: 31; 7:10) In III John 3: 1 it is actually translated as "be in health." Paul speaks of sound doctrine in these words:

"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome (Grk. hygiainō) words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness." (I Tim. 6: 3 kjv)

He also spoke of Bible teachers teaching or delivering "sound words" (II Tim. 1: 13), warning that "the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine" (II Tim. 4: 3). Sound doctrine is wholesome, beneficial, good for your spiritual and mental health. It will also improve your overall health, your mental, spiritual, and bodily well being. Wrote Solomon:

"My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life." (Prov. 4: 20-23 nkjv)

"A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones." (Prov. 17: 22 nkjv)

"The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy." (Prov. 15: 30 nkjv)

The Gospel is good news and so is good for the mind, and the mind affects the body.

"A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones." (Prov. 14: 30 nkjv)

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." (Prov. 3: 5-8 kjv)

Solomon gave good fatherly advice about the benefits of good doctrine and the knowledge of truth when he wrote:

"Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law." (Prov. 4: 1-2 kjv)

Again, that is true in regard to all the sciences, but especially in the knowledge of God, of his character, works, and ways. Good doctrine is good in itself, good for you, good because it is profitable. In the New Testament there are several Greek words that are translated by the singular English word "good." At times the word may mean what is worthy, as in "good" seed. Sometimes it may mean what is profitable. At times it may mean what is essentially or morally good. "Good doctrine" would include good theology, good instruction, good because it is true and right. Our Father in Heaven has given us good doctrine. Wrote Moses of the doctrine of the LORD:

"Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." (Deut. 32: 1-2 kjv)

The doctrine of the scriptures is as beneficial and right as rain. So the apostle Paul wrote:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..." (II Tim. 3: 16 kjv)

In the Bible we have only "words of faith and of good doctrine" (I Tim. 4: 6). A Bible believer is one who is "holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught," and is "sound in the faith," and is thereby "able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict themselves," and if necessary to "rebuke sharply" those who oppose the faithful word of God. (Titus 1: 9, 13 nkjv) A Bible believer should be rooted in the faith, one who "gives attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." (I Tim. 4: 13 kjv) They should all "labor in the word and doctrine," especially teachers of the word (I Tim. 5: 17 kjv). 

Christians need to be on alert about false doctrine, especially when it comes to the fundamental tenets of the Bible. They need to be "rooted and grounded" in love, and in Christ, which cannot be done apart from being rooted and grounded in what he taught, in the knowledge of the truth. (Eph. 3: 17-19) If a person's life is not founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is destined for destruction. Said Jesus:

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matt. 7: 24-27 nkjv)

Importance of Sound Doctrine

"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (Rom. 6: 17-18 kjv)

"Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." (II John 1: 9 kjv)

These texts tell us that doctrine is so important that it is connected with salvation. That is not to say that a person must be right in properly interpreting every text of holy scripture, but it does tell us that one must be correct in the fundamental teachings of the Bible concerning the nature and works of God, the way of salvation through Christ or the message of the Gospel, and of the person of Christ, etc., and not over tertiary issues.

The apostles constantly warned believers about this matter. The apostle Paul firmly gave this solemn warning to them:

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (Eph. 4: 14 kjv)

Such professing Christians show how unstable they are and may reveal that they have never truly known the way of truth and were never begotten by it. Peter wrote about these hypocritical believers in this language:

"For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire." (II Peter 2: 20-22 nkjv)

Obviously these professing believers were not true disciples, but were people who had a head knowledge of Christ and the doctrine of the faith but who did not hold on to it. By this head knowledge and through  having made a profession of Christ they had for a time "escaped the pollutions of the world" through the "knowledge" of the doctrine. They received temporary benefits from abiding by the morals of the Christian faith, but no lasting benefits. The teachings of Christ were not made the foundation of the lives of these shallow ground hearers. We must remember these words of Jesus about what he taught:

"Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority." (John 7: 16-17 nkjv)

Doing God's will cannot be divorced from knowing the doctrine of Christ which is the doctrine of God. A saved person knows the doctrine. If he does not, he is not saved. 

Christians must be on guard against false teachers and their false doctrines. So exhorted the apostle who had so much to do with codifying Christian doctrine (Paul):

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them." (Rom. 16: 17 kjv)

Christians must not be reluctant to learn doctrine nor to make sure that what they believe is correct, for if they do not, they may be found doing what the apostle Paul warned about, i.e. "that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed" (I Tim. 6: 1 kjv). Rather, Christians should rather strive to "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things" (Titus 2: 10 kjv)

Bad Doctrine

Obviously sound doctrine is very important. That is true in all the sciences, but especially in theology. It is repugnant that some Christians talk badly of doctrine, saying it prevents unity and causes division and does not promote love. However, this idea is foreign to what the scriptures say about doctrine and its importance. Truth will always divide. Said Jesus:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ " (Matt. 10: 34-36 nkjv)

Of course, false doctrine is harmful, but good doctrine is highly beneficial. False doctrine is also called "damnable heresies" (II Peter 2:1) because they are condemned by the scriptures and because they confirm people in their condemned state and bring upon them greater condemnation. 

Paul spoke of "science falsely so called" (I Tim. 6: 20 kjv). Knowledge that is not correct does no one any good. It is called "falsehood" in the Bible. People do themselves no good when they give heed to untruths and to falsehood, whey the "take refuge in their lies" and "hide themselves under falsehood." (Isa. 28: 15) They have "trusted in falsehood" (Jer. 13: 25). This is true whether it be errors in psychology, philosophy, medicine, etc., but especially in what they know about God. Paul warned of these false doctrines when he warned:

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth." (I Tim. 4: 1-3 nkjv)

It is interesting that when the truth is spoken of in scripture that it is called the "doctrine" (singular) and not "doctrines" (plural), as we see in the above text where Paul speaks of "doctrines of demons." We should not think merely of demonic doctrines in theology alone, but should recognize that doctrines of demons are also to be found in philosophy and its branches, such as in modern psychology (which justifies homosexuality for instance), in ethics, in political science, etc. In the above text Paul gave some examples where demonic doctrines may be found, such as in beliefs about marriage and the family, about diets, religious or otherwise, involving all kinds of "lies" and "deceptions" in a given society. 

The Lord Jesus warned about several specific false doctrines. He warned his disciples to "beware of the leaven or doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." (Matt. 16: 12 kjv) The specific "leaven" that Christ has in mind is "hypocrisy" (Luke 12: 1) but would include legalism, the idea that a person's works determine whether he is saved or lost. The Sadducees erred in denying the existence of angels, the resurrection of the dead, and in accepting only the Torah and not the prophets, and that salvation came by keeping the law. (Acts 23: 8)

In Revelation chapters two and three the ascended Lord Jesus dictated and sent letters to seven churches in Asian Minor. In them he warned about the danger of false doctrines.

"But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." (Rev. 2: 14, 15 kjv)

"But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden." (Rev. 2: 24 kjv)

It is not necessary for me to elaborate on what are the doctrines of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans. The reader can research that for himself or herself.

Brethren, make every effort to be certain that your beliefs are right.