What is Sound Doctrine?

(Titus 2:1 – What is Sound Doctrine?)

In these modern days when the broad church has drifted so far away from the original doctrines of Jesus Christ, we have to ask the question: What is sound doctrine?

Unfortunately over the centuries since the beginnings of the church, false doctrines have invaded the church and sound doctrine is hard to find. The challenge with false doctrine is that it does not help anyone. In fact it hinders the growth of the Christian.

So, today we will examine the scriptures to identify what sound doctrine is and how we might find it in the mess of false teachings that fill the church today.

Sound doctrine in Bible schools

Before looking at this, let us consider the scripture under review.

But as for you, teach what befits sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

If a person does not know what sound doctrine is, how can they teach it? And sadly today the way the church is structured, this becomes harder and harder.

The biggest challenge to teaching sound doctrine comes from the Bible schools, colleges, and universities. These organisations are the ones who are training ministers for the churches. They have taken on the responsibility to equip ministers to be able to run a church, and teach the flock the doctrine of the church.

But the doctrine of much of the church is not sound doctrine. It is filled with errors and untruths that have no basis in the scripture. And this is a serious problem when the ministers are being taught false doctrine, because they then spread these lies to their respective flocks.

And the problem is worse than just that. The false doctrines that have been accepted by the bible schools are forced onto their students. If the students object or disagree with these false doctrines, they either have to toe the line to be ordained, or leave the school. And so the false doctrines are perpetuated from one generation to the next.

The gifts to be a teacher, evangelist, pastor, prophet, or apostle are not for men to give. No man or bible school can ordain another man into ministry, at least not in God’s church. This is what the scripture says:

And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12)

So we see here that God appoints people to do the work of ministry in His church. The Bible schools do not have the right to do so and have taken this authority away from God.

Who teaches sound doctrine?

There is another problem with the way people are being ministered to in many of the churches today. There seems to be an expectation in some churches, that whatever the minister up front says should be accepted without question.

The churches assume that the ministers are the teachers of the people and expect their congregations to blindly follow whatever is said.

But who is, or should be the real teacher? This is what the scripture says.

It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. (John 6:45)

And;

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26)

The real teacher of the people of God is God Himself. And He teaches sound doctrine to the people of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. If we want to find and have sound doctrine in the church or personally, we need to go to God to get it.

What is sound doctrine and where do we get it?

Given that we are supposed to be taught by God through the Holy Spirit, we need to go to God to receive the Holy Spirit to teach us.

And God has given us a resource for the Holy Spirit to use to teach us.

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We find the sound doctrine of God in the scriptures. When we read the Bible and study it, we are studying the sound doctrines of God.

As we study the Holy Spirit works with us to open the words of God so that we understand them. He is the one who teaches us so that we can understand the truth of the gospel and the pathway to life. When we follow the sound doctrines and sound words of the Lord we find truth and life.

God the Father told us who we ought to listen to.

2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Eli’jah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli’jah.” 5 He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:2-5)

At the transfiguration of Jesus, God the Father spoke directly to the three disciples who wen up on the mountain with Jesus. God told them to, “Listen to him,” that is, listen to Jesus.

If we want to find sound doctrine we must listen to Jesus. When we listen to the words and false doctrines of men, we are not listening to Jesus. And when we don’t listen to Jesus we don’t hear sound doctrine.

A Lack of Sound Doctrine in the Church

I travel a fair bit and visit churches in many places. I am sad to say that in one of my last trips I found only one church where the minister taught from the Bible. The rest used man’s books and even Disney films rather than the word of God. And all of those that did not use the Bible were in trouble.

The modern church suffers from a mess of false teachings. One of the worst of which is this new movement called “Progressive Christianity.” This is a movement cutting across all churches. One of the key issues is their rejection of the Bible as the source of truth from God. They accept Jesus and the Bible as being just one path to salvation. They accept Buddhism and other teachings as alternative paths.

If they are supposed to be Christians, they have rejected Jesus who said,

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Jesus is the way. Jesus is the ONLY way that we will find and enter salvation.

When these so-called “Progressive Christians” suggest anything else, they are not listening to sound doctrine and are spreading false teachings contrary to sound doctrine.

And there are many other false doctrines in the modern church. To name a few: prosperity gospel, once saved always saved, divine health, word of faith, and various others.

Sound doctrine is the true word of God and the words of Jesus Christ. The only place we will find them is in the Bible when we are taught by God through the Holy Spirit, not by man’s teachings.

Do not be fooled. God is not mocked and He will not accept these teachings of mockery. God seeks people who will seek His sound doctrine and follow it.

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