Apostle Paul in his advice to Titus, who was leading the church in Crete, emphasized the importance of “Sound doctrine.”
Usually that term is associated with orthodox doctrine – things the Church through the centuries has believed about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, sanctification, and other theological themes. Some of them have big, high-fluting, terms: Christology, pneumatology, soteriology, anthropology, hamartiology, angiology, eschatology, to name just a few. It is often Intimidating, sounds stuffy, and tends to communicate that “sound doctrine” is out of the reach of the average person!
That, however, is NOT how the Bible uses the term “sound doctrine!” To be sure, the core beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, and our future as Christians are all included… But it should be noted that Jesus never resorted to technical sounding terminology to communicate the truth of the “Gospel!” And Apostle Paul in writing to Titus, didn’t either when He talked about “sound doctrine.”
I read about it this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord”… It was the stuff of practical Christian living in a work-a-day world! It had to do being a consistent Christian, a faithful spouse, raising kids, being a godly-good neighbor, paying your bills, doing good, watching your mouth, being an employee with integrity… that was “sound doctrine!”
Doubt it? Here, read it for yourself!
“But as for you, TEACH WHAT ACCORDS WITH SOUND DOCTRINE. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, SO THAT IN EVERYTHING WE MAY ADORN THE DOCTRINE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR!” (Titus 2:1–10 ESV)
Believe me, that’s the kind of “sound doctrine” I was to exhibit! Don’t get me wrong, I want to believe what the Bible teaches about the other things – that’s really important. But I want to “adorn the doctrine of God my Savior” with practical Christian living as well!
I don’t know if you’ve ever had to face something alone… I mean ALL ALONE! It was unpleasant, it was filled with tension and danger, there was great risk involved. You desperately wanted someone to be there with you – to help you, to support you, to defend you, and to encourage you. But there was no one! Everyone abandoned you! Scary… unpleasant… and probably disheartening!
