Sound Doctrine

“holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
‭‭Titus‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭
More of the New Testament is devoted to the subject of doctrine than any other. Jesus and the Apostles emphasized the importance of sound doctrine but also refuted false doctrines, rebuked false teachers and warned the church about both. Some of the epistles were written with this as their primary purpose and even point to the proliferation of false teachers and false teaching as signs of the end times. (Matt 24:36)
Sadly, there is an abundance of false teachers propagating “doctrines of demons” today more than ever. When concerned believers take a stand for the truth they are labeled as divisive and unloving. While we cannot speak for the motives of everyone, the writers of the New Testament also took similar stands and they were men who loved Christ and his church! Additionally, truth by its very nature is divisive. When seasoned ministers of the gospel “rightly divide the word of truth”, distinctions are necessarily drawn that cannot be compromised. And, the clearer the truth is preached, the clearer the lines of division become visible.
In his pastoral instructions to Timothy, Paul the Apostle, knowing his life on earth was nearing its end, gave Timothy this exhortation.
“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” ‭‭( 2 Timothy‬ ‭4:1-4‬)
We should be struck by the solemnity of these words of Paul. His impassioned and serious plea for biblical truth jump from the page imploring us too, to be like minded.
Living Waters Fellowship, we need to thank God for the ministry of Pastor Randy and the Beatty family. May God himself impress on us just how blessed we are as a church to have leaders that are sound in doctrine and are not afraid to preach and teach the truth. Such leaders are worthy of our highest honour. (1 Tim 5)