Sound Doctrine

I notice I tend to write reflections and thoughts on the world or life quite abit. And its about time I talk about doctrine, as in doctrine itself. There is a problem here because the moment this is pointed out, people switch off instantly because they think its uninteresting or inconsequential. Let me say that this cannot be further from the truth. Sound doctrine in our layman's language refers to the teachings of Jesus and the rightful understanding of them. What is then clear is that doctrine is tremendously delightful, because it reveals to us who Christ is. And thus the apathy toward doctrine is pretty dangerous.

People say " What is the use of knowing about doctrine if you don't know Jesus?" And i acknowledge that this might be possible, but its impossible to know Jesus unless one is revealed the right doctrine about who He is.

The apostle John made it very clear from the start,

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John1:1)

If Christ reveals Himself as indivisble from His Word, how infinitely important it must be to have the right understanding of it! If one does not know the Word or be revealed the truth about the Word then there is no basis for any legitimate claim to knowing Jesus. The Word is inseparable from the person of Christ and to say I know Christ with a dismissive attitude towards the Word and its appropriate understanding, is a sign of gross immaturity. Doctrine therefore reveals to us the workings of the Word, its exhilarating depth and awe striking beauty. To not know the Word is to not know Christ. In knowing Christ, we delight in His Word.

Herein the great trouble with many of us, for we have sought the Lord for all the good feeling and emotions without understanding the basis of His love and power. To say, give me experience without boring me with the doctrine, is to build foundations upon the sand. It is important to note that both man and devil can make man emotional but only the God of the Word can change lives. Not that God's work is unemotional, it certainly is, but not all emotional experiences are moved by the Holy Spirit. We must begin to seek truth which is the basis for real experiences with God and not experiences alone.

I suspect this huge problem began because it appeared that doctrine was stripped of any power and real application. This segregation of doctrine and its power started when Man began to treat doctrine as an academic experience, carefully and tediously constructed in the laboratory of the human mind and thus more a logical exercise rather than being centered on the great purpose of knowing Jesus. We quickly swung to the other side where we abandon doctrine for practical application, thinking that the letter kills. Indeed the letter killed when we drained it of intimacy with God, but without a real intimacy with God, how can we say that the doctrine is understood correctly? In confining doctrine to an academic box, we took away its most important element- the exemplification of the God we were made to Love. Indeed, the problem with powerless doctrine is more to do with the men who fail to understand it and teach it then it is with the doctrine itself. More so then ever, the teachers of doctrine need to be changed by the Holy Spirit and not that the doctrine requires changing to suit our needs. The nub is that we haven't realised the reality and power of what we are coming into contact with. Sound doctrine that does not change lives and dramatically alter perspectives away from the world and towards a deeper intimacy with Christ and His kingdom is either poorly and lazily understood or is false doctrine to begin with.

Indeed, Paul says it well to Timothy, then actively pastoring churches and we do well to remember how doctrine and christian living are indivisible(I need to remember this more earnestly)

"Watch your life and your doctrine closely, persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourselves and your hearers." (1 Timothy 4:16)

Paul is very clear about the effectiveness of sound doctrine which is sufficient for the salvation of souls and thus must be so closely examined. When doctrine is carefully pruned by God, it exemplifies the work of Christ and thus saves souls. It is that powerful! For when God rescues a man by exposing the wretchedness of the mans' heart, the man is utterly changed through a faith which is given by God through grace. His life and the doctrine become inseparable. His new life is reflected in the doctrine and the doctrine tells the story of how a Just and loving God rescued the man by inflicting His Son. Of course man is not saved by doctrine! He is saved by Christ and doctrine is the right understanding of Christ and His work.

Indeed as doctrine diminishes in importance amidst the growing consumer christian culture that looks actively for short pithy sayings rather returning to the bible itself and the theology of many is built around the lyrics of contemporary christian songs, we are in danger of abject shallowness. The difference is that understanding doctrine requires pure hard work, alot of prayer and the grace to know that it is solely upon the mercies of Christ that truth is known. He is the prize of the race and as more truth is revealed, the cost of knowing the truth increases but He reveals Himself more and more. One thing i have come to discover about sound doctrine is this, it is uncompromising and demonstrates the supremacy of Christ. Indeed, that is why the doctrine that pervades the airwaves today seem rather odd, because they always pander to the desires of man. Thus it is good to remember this

For there will come a time, when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3)

We do well to not fall into the habit of picking what doctrine we like and not like, but as John Piper so points out, real solid doctrine is always about the supremacy of Christ and Christ and Christ.