A. Doctrine, and sermons about doctrine, have fallen on hard times over the past couple of decades.
1. This cartoon conveys how many people feel about doctrine and dogma.
2. Several years ago, I happened to be talking with some folks in the community and they asked me what I was preaching about on next Sunday.
3. When I told them I was going to preach a lesson on the importance of doctrine and you should have seen their faces.
a. They looked like they had just taken a dose of caster oil, or a big bite of a sour pickle.
4. To be honest with you, I often feel the same way.
a. I think to myself, “I just want to be a follower of Jesus, why do I have to worry myself with the subject of doctrine?”
b. Or I think something like, “Doctrine? Let’s focus on something useful for my daily life!”
B. I read about a sign in front of a church that said, “Love God. Love others. The rest is doctrine.”
1. The message being communicated by that sign is plain: Loving God and loving others are essential things, but doctrine is not.
2. In other words, it doesn't matter what you believe or teach, as long as you love God and love others.
3. I think that this sentiment reflects what a lot of religious people in America believe.
4. Now please understand that I am second to no one in my conviction that loving God and loving others are the greatest commandments.
a. Jesus Himself said so explicitly in Matthew 22:37-39.
b. If we get those things right, we will get everything else right as well, because "on these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40).
5. However, when doctrine is relegated to the status of non-essential, unimportant, and not relevant to man's salvation, then there is a lack of understanding concerning the nature of loving God and loving others.
1. If we really understand what it means to love God and others, then we would know that believing and teaching sound doctrine is essential.
C. The truth of the matter is that everything in Christianity starts with, and is held together by, doctrine.
1. A person can’t just be a follower of Jesus unless they know and understand the doctrine about Jesus.
2. Daily Christian living requires that we understand the doctrine of God so that we can become like him, and do what he requires.
3. The reality is: that without doctrine there can be no Christianity nor can there be the church.
4. Without doctrine there would be chaos. There would be no place to take a stand or to begin. There would be nothing to hold on to or nothing to build upon.
5. So, how important is doctrine? I think we would agree doctrine is very important.
6. When I use the word doctrine I’m talking about “the truth.”
a. I’m talking about everything that is involved in the body of beliefs that make up “The Christian Faith.”
b. It includes the knowledge of Christ and his teachings.
c. It includes God’s truth about the church – it’s organization and mission.
D. Doctrine was certainly important to Jesus.
1. In John 8:31-32, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
a. Holding to the teaching of Jesus equaled knowing the truth, which results in freedom.
b. Without the doctrine of Jesus there can be no salvation and no transformation.
2. Conversely, a lack of knowledge of the truth, or a misuse of it, is destructive and deadly.
a. Jesus said to the Sadducees who were questioning him, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Matt. 22:29)
b. Jesus said to the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Matthew 15:9 that worship is useless and unacceptable to God when it is simply the doctrines and commandments of men.
3. Jesus gave many warnings to “watch out for those who would teach false doctrines.”
a. In Matthew 7:15, Jesus said, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
b. To the church in Pergamum in Rev. 2:14, Jesus warned against the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans.
c. To the church in Thyatira in Rev. 2:24, Jesus warned against the teachings of Jezebel.
4. From these passages we see that Jesus made it clear that some teaching is from God and is truth, and some is not.
5. So, if Jesus thinks that doctrine is important, so should we, right?
E. Doctrine was also important to the early church and was addressed by the apostles.
1. The first verse we read after being told that 3000 people were added to the church on the day of Pentecost, says “they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching.” (Acts 2:42) [doctrine]
2. And then in Acts 5:28 it is reported that the apostles have filled Jerusalem with their teaching.
3. In Acts 20:25-31, Paul warned the Ephesian elders about the troubles that lay ahead: “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”
4. Paul wrote in Romans 16:17, that those who would teach what is contrary to the truth and would lead others astray were to be marked and avoided, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way, contrary to the teaching [doctrine] you have learned. Keep away from them.”
5. In our Scripture reading for today, Paul warned Timothy that a time was coming when men would not put up with sound doctrine, but would find teachers to say what they wanted to hear.
F. We certainly find ourselves in those kinds of times today.
1. Listen to this quote from A.W. Tozer. Tozer died in 1963, so I’m not sure exactly when he made this statement. “We have gotten accustomed to the blurred puffs of gray fog that pass for doctrine in churches and expect nothing better. From some previously unimpeachable sources are now coming vague statements consisting of a milky admixture of Scripture, science, and human sentiment that is true to none of its ingredients because each one works to cancel the others out. Little by little Christians these days are being brainwashed. One evidence is that increasing numbers of them are becoming ashamed to be found unequivocally on the side of truth. They say they believe, but their beliefs have been so diluted as to be impossible of clear definition. Moral power has always accompanied definite beliefs. Great saints have always been dogmatic. We need a return to a gentle dogmatism that smiles while it stands stubborn and firm on the Word of God that lives and abides forever.”
2. I agree with Tozer, we need that gentle dogmatism that stands stubbornly on the Word of God.
G. So what is the Biblical prescription for these perils? It is the Word of God.
1. That’s why Paul told Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and teaching. (1 Tim. 4:13)
2. Paul told him to watch his life and doctrine closely. Why? Because if Timothy persevered in them he would save both himself and his hearers. (1 Tim. 4:15-16). And if he did not he and they would not!
3. Paul also instructed Timothy to do his best to present himself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)
4. Timothy was to continue in what he had learned and become convinced of, because he knew those from whom he had learned it. (2 Tim. 3:14)
5. Paul wanted Timothy to know this about Scripture: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
6. And it was that God-breathed Word that Timothy was to be prepared to preach with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Tim. 4:2)
7. And it is that God-breathed Word that we must cling to today!
H. That’s why I’m so proud to be associated with churches of Christ, because we have always stressed the importance of Bible authority for what we believe and practice as Christians.
1. We encourage people to read and study the Bible.
2. We emphasize Bible classes and Bible study.
3. We want to be known as people of the Book.
I. Why do we believe that we need the authority of the Bible for what we believe and practice?
1. Let me give you several reasons.
J. First, we need the authority of the Bible for doctrine, because of human nature.
1. There is a minister who starts each of his foundational classes with a jar full of beans.
a. He asks his students to guess how many beans are in the jar, and on a big pad of paper he writes down their estimates.
b. Then, next to those estimates, he makes a list of their favorite songs.
c. When the lists are complete, he reveals the actual number of beans in the jar.
d. The whole class looks over their guesses to see who’s estimate was the closest to being right.
e. Next he asks the class, “Which of these favorite songs is the closest to being right?”
f. The students protest saying that there is no “right answer.” A person’s favorite song is purely a matter of taste.
g. Then he asks them the most important question of this exercise: “When you decide what to believe in terms of your faith, is it more like guessing the number of beans in the jar, or more like choosing your favorite song?”
h. Amazingly and disturbingly, that minister has found that from both young and old he receives the same answer: “Choosing one’s faith is more like choosing a favorite song.”
2. We need the authority of the Bible because we are basically selfish people – by nature we seek to please ourselves.
3. That becomes a distorting influence on our perspective. It makes us blind to what we need to see.
4. We, humans, are masters of rationalization – justification – and selective attention.
5. We see what we want to see – we hear what we want to hear – and we believe what we want to believe.
6. We have an inherent bias, a vested interest in NOT listening to God’s will. And why is that?
7. Because God’s will often conflicts with our will!
8. Because of the distortion that comes from our selfish human nature, we can’t even trust our own inclinations. Jeremiah tells us that the heart is deceptive.
9. General Dwight Eisenhower never carried out a major military campaign until he could find a general who completely disagreed with his plans and strategy.
a. He wanted to make sure, before he went into battle, that he had thought through every factor, and hadn't overlooked anything.
b. That is likely why he was such a successful general.
10. We need the Bible to be read, preached and taught to us in a group setting, because it tells us what we need to hear, not simply what we want to hear.
11. The Bible must be accepted as the only authority, because our own human nature and understanding cannot be trusted.
K. Second, we need the authority of the Bible for doctrine, because of religious confusion.
1. The very fact of denominationalism ought to demonstrate to us the necessity of an objective standard.
2. We can’t rely on ecclesiastical authorities to chart our journey to eternity, because they are driving in a multitude of directions.
3. Out of all of the confusion and conflicts of so many different groups and doctrines, we can know that one thing is right – the Bible is right! The Bible is always right.
a. What we say or teach about the Bible may not be right, but the Bible is right.
4. Paul urges us in Galatians chapter 5 to display the “fruit of the Spirit (vs.22),” to “live by the Spirit (vs. 16),” to be “led by the Spirit (vs. 18),” and to “keep in step with the Spirit (vs. 25).”
5. But how can we do any of those things if we’re not willing to listen to the Spirit? Ephesians 6:17 says that “the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.”
6. Some folks can get all excited about being “spiritual,” but they are just not interested in getting into the Word.
a. We can’t be spiritual, the way God wants us to be spiritual, without the Word of God.
7. We need the Word of God to cut through the fog of man-made traditions and distortions and confusion in order to lead us confidently to the Lord and his grace.
L. Finally, we need the authority of the Bible for doctrine in order to know how to please God.
1. How can we ever achieve unity in religion? Well, that depends upon who you want to please.
2. The hope and goal of the Restoration Movement, from which our present day churches of Christ in the United States were born, is the unity of all Christians on the basis of God’s Word.
3. You can have unity without having righteousness and truth, but that’s not what God wants.
4. Even the wicked can be united in their evil!
5. In Galatians 1:10, after Paul rebuked the Christians in Galatia for allowing themselves to be led away from the gospel, he asked: “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
6. If we really want to please God, rather than men, then we must be most concerned about what God says and what God wants.
7. And the only place we will discover those things is in the Word of God.
M. Someone might ask, “But don’t all churches pay their respects to the Bible?” And the answer is “yes” and “no.”
1. Most churches recognize that the Bible is a special book, and most would say it is from God.
2. But not all believe that it is authoritative in the same way that we have understood it.
3. Some look to their denominational authorities and accept their rulings as equal or even above the Bible.
N. As we approach the Bible we must realize that it is “the truth.”
1. In John 17:17, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
2. When we consider various issues in religion, it is not a matter of “who’s right” but of “what’s right.”
3. It is not a question of sincerity, but of Scripture.
4. We must see the Bible as authoritative, not just as “helpful.”
a. We must see the Bible as inspired, not just inspirational.
b. We must see the Bible as a summons from God, not just as “stories about God.”
5. When we abandon the authority of the Bible, we are cut loose from the anchor of certainty and will be forever adrift on the waves of confusion and conflict and convenience.
O. And so we insist on not just “the truth, but the whole truth.”
1. Anything less than the whole truth, may not be the truth at all.
2. In the Great Commission Jesus commanded his disciples to “teach them everything that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:20)
3. In Acts 20:26-27, Paul said, “I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.”
4. We must be careful to preach, and teach, and practice all that God says, and not just the parts we like the best.
P. And in addition to “the truth, and the whole truth” we want “nothing but the truth.”
1. Truth mixed with anything else is not truth.
2. The Bible is not just inspired, it is complete and sufficient (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
3. Let’s not add anything to it, and let’s not take anything away from it – that’s what the Bible says in Deut. 12:32 and Rev. 22:18-19.
Q. Next week, Lord willing, we will discuss the task of interpreting and applying the Bible.
1. But for now let’s try to appreciate the importance of the Bible as the source of doctrine.
2. What we believe about the Bible and what is says really matters.
3. The Apostle John wrote, “We can be sure we know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him just walk as Jesus did.” (1 Jn 2:3-6)
4. As Jesus concluded the “Sermon on the Mount” he said some sobering things.
a. He said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21)
b. “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matt. 7:24-25)
5. Let’s be sure our foundation is on the rock.
6. Let’s be sure we are doing the will of our Father who is in heaven.
7. The only way to be certain of that is to be sure that our doctrine is truly and completely biblical.
8. And that takes continual attention and diligent effort.
9. Doctrine matters – don’t be tempted to think otherwise!
