Sound Doctrine is Crucial

Several of my Christian blogging friends have been discussing the fact that sound doctrine is immensely importance when sharing true, biblical Christian faith. On second thought, turn that word "important" to crucial! Sound doctrine is crucial to sharing the gospel of Christ and God's Word, the Bible with others.

I often refer to the book of Jude as evidence for the need to reject heresy which leads to apostasy. Jude also serves as an exhortation for believers to adhere to the sound doctrine (i.e. earnestly contending for the faith) that was "once delivered unto the saints" in order to remain steadfast in the direction of true, biblical Christianity. God's Word does not change, no matter how many people wish to make it in line with their own fleshly desires! That is what the phrase, "once delivered unto the saints" is telling us!!

Scripture serves as the plumb line of biblical Christian truth. When any church, preacher, pastor, organization, layperson or even a blogger shares a skewed version of what the Bible actually instructs, your discernment ears should be very wary of them!

How can you determine truth from error? The tools you can use to compare what is being shared with by another who claims to be a Christian with what the Bible reveals as absolute truth include the following:

1. Using proper hermeneutics
2. Sola Scriptura,
3. Exegesis (what the authors meant not what you want it to say)
4. Scripture interprets Scripture
5. Apologetics scholarly review

The utilization of these tools, along with self-study will allow you to follow after the Holy Spirit's leading. Remember, the Holy Spirit's leading will never contradict Scripture!! He is one of the greatest "tools," in your life as a Christian believer to enable you (and/or others) not to be led astray!

Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Jud 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The following are some really good blogposts on this issue.

1. The Importance of Sound Doctrine at Neil's 4Simpsons-Eternity Matters blog. In the comment section, you will see evidence of the battle that goes on when people who don't agree with sound doctrine according to God's Word, but want to impose other things and ideas upon the text in order to confuse, attack, or even be guilty of trying to nullify God's Word in the process; will write anything (and, typically skew the argument) to defend their views.

2. Sound doctrine vs. false doctrine at gcm watch. If you take some time to read the many posts there, you will see that the gay christian movement is filled with heretical doctrine that often does not even want their followers to read, study, or learn from the Bible!

3. Lastly, I just ran across the following one today. More evidence that Christians are supposed to oppose false preachers and doctrines. I may not agree with everything posted there, but the following points are excellent:

People continuously claim that Christians are not supposed to speak out against false doctrines and movements and the false preachers who traffic in them, with the most common refrain being “all of this disunity in the church is the work of the devil.” No, what is the work of the devil is the falsehoods that deceives people from the truth, and the Bible is clear that all who make and love falsehoods are in the world, not the church.

Revelation 22:14-16 “Blessed are they that do His Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

So it is clear: there is only truth and lies. Those who sacrifice everything to follow the truth will enter heaven, those who make excuses and take the easy way out to follow lies will not. None of this stuff about “just sit back, let these so - called Christians and preachers say and do whatever they want to do; God will sort it all out in the end … who is to say who is right and who is wrong?” If that is true, if God thinks so little of us that He would not even give us a clear standard regarding what is right belief (orthodoxy) and right actions (orthopraxy) then our entire faith is in vain! If there is no clear truth, no clear line between right or wrong that God will judge us by one day, then the Bible is untrue because there is no God. Plain and simple. Most of you do not want to hear that because you are not about loving and serving God, but rather yourselves … all you are after is the good feeling. Well God is not your Dr. Feelgood, and the Bible is not your prescription to string you out on the drugs of abomination. God is Holy and Righteous, so His people have to be also.

And please, cease your bleatings about how your favorite false preachers are feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and winning the lost. You know very well that Jesus Christ said in His parables about the sheep and the goats that many people who have done great things in His Name, even miracles such as prophesying and tongues, healings and casting out demons, are going to be counted as goats, with Jesus Christ telling them “I never knew you; depart from me you worker of iniquity” before casting them into outer darkness where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

[W]ell, I have to ask you this: if it is accepted by the world, then how Christian can it be? Let me give you a little exercise: follow this link to a search on D. James Kennedy. Notice all the hateful comments from people that are actually glad that he is dead! Jesus Christ said that the world would reject His followers, but these days so many people that claim His Name won’t even reject the world first, and will get mad at anyone who points that sad fact out to them!

(bold mine)

Jesus said that his kingdom is "not of this world." If your practices and loyalties are lock-in-step with the worldly lusts of the flesh, then perhaps it is very likely that you desperately need to re-examine your beliefs!!

Jhn 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.


Jhn 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1Cr 1:20 Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where [is] the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1Cr 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

2Cr 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

1Jo 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.