What Agrees with Sound Doctrine

[Christsfreeservant]

Titus 2:1 ESV

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.”​

I am going to summarize verses 1 through 10.

Sound Doctrine

What is “sound doctrine”? It is biblically sound (unblemished, undiluted). It agrees with the foundations and the foundational truths of the Christian faith and practice as taught all throughout the New Testament (in context). It is not based in Scriptures pulled from their context and twisted to say what they do not say in order to tickle itching ears. But it teaches the whole counsel of God, even if it offends those who hear it.

For, “sound doctrine” teaches us to be serious-minded about God and his word and his purpose and will for our lives. It teaches us to walk in the fear of the Lord and to honor Jesus Christ as Lord, and to put to death in our lives evil deeds, and to walk in obedience to our Lord. And it teaches us to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives, and to be steadfast in faith, and to teach what is good, i.e. what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

It teaches us that we are not to be slanderers nor drunkards nor to live in sexual immorality (in adultery or fornication or sinful lust). We are not to cheat and steal from others. We are not to have potty mouths and speak in ways which are lewd or which are using God’s name in inappropriate and disrespectful ways. But we are to be kind, a model of good works, people of integrity, dignified, and sound in speech that cannot be condemned.

For many people today are not teaching what is sound in doctrine, but they are teaching a diluted half-truth adulterated gospel which has been altered in order to appease human flesh. I just ran across an author today I had not heard of before. He is a grandson of Billy Graham. He has written numerous books. The one that stood out to me was called “One Way Love,” by Tullian Tchividjian. And he is definitely teaching this half-truth adulterated gospel.

The description of the book I read online said, “Sadly, however, Christianity is perceived as being a vehicle for good behavior and clean living – and the judgments that result from them – rather than the only recourse for those who have failed over and over and over again. Tchividjian convincingly shows that Christianity is not about good people getting better. If anything, it is good news for bad people coping with their failure to be good.”

So, the solution the author provided was to call “the church back to the heart of the Christian faith – grace. It is time for us to abandon our play-it-safe religion, and to get drunk on grace.” But what kind of grace? If the grace he is talking about gives people a free pass to continue living in their sin without guilt, that is not God’s grace. And if this grace perceives Christianity as not about good people getting better, it is not true grace.

Titus 2:11-14 ESV

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”​

The Grace of God

The grace of God is not just God forgiving our sins (past, present, and future), and delivering us from the punishment of sin, and promising us heaven when we die based on a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. God’s grace delivers us from our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin so that we can now live free from addiction to (over and over) sin. And it is empowerment to now walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit.

God’s grace trains (instructs, teaches, commands) us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly (over and over) sinful passions and desires. And it instructs us in godly and holy living, and in how to live self-controlled lives, and not to “get drunk” on anything. God’s grace definitely instructs us in “good behavior and clean living,” for “clean” is righteous and pure and holy. And it definitely teaches “good people,” i.e. the righteous in how to continue to walk in holiness and righteousness until the end of time.

And the “good news” for “bad people coping with their failure to be good” is to humble themselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways and then God will hear and he will heal and he will forgive. For Jesus gave himself up for us on that cross to redeem us from all lawlessness, i.e. that we might no longer live as slaves of sin, and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, i.e. he is now our Master.

And now we are to be his people, his possession, who are zealous for good works, “for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). So, we are to be “good people” who are “getting better,” who are growing in our walks of faith in Jesus Christ in holiness and righteousness, who are by the Spirit putting to death the deeds of the flesh and who are walking in obedience to our Lord for the glory of God in the power and wisdom of God.

Titus 2:15 ESV

“Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”​

Now, we don’t all have authority over people like the apostles did or like pastors and elders do, but we can all speak with the authority of the Scriptures and we can teach what they teach. And if we are teaching what they teach, i.e. if we are teaching the whole counsel of God, we are going to be opposed, and mocked, and disregarded, and falsely accused and called all sorts of things, and we won’t have much control over that. But we are not to let it shake us or put fear in us to where we stop telling people the truth.

But we are to trust the Lord with our lives and with the things he gives us to share with the people and trust that his words will not return empty but that they will accomplish the purpose for why he sent them. And we need to keep speaking the truth and opposing the lies no matter what. And then we need to rest in the Lord and find our strength in him to keep persevering.

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Rev. 2-3; Rev 18:1-6; Rev 21:8, 27; Rev 22:14-15]

Master, The Tempest is Raging!

Lyrics by Mary A. Baker, 1874
Music by Horatio R. Palmer, 1874

Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness,
No shelter or help is nigh;
Carest Thou not that we perish?
How canst Thou lie asleep,
When each moment so madly is threat’ning
A grave in the angry deep?

Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in my grief today;
The depths of my sad heart are troubled—
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o’er my sinking soul;
And I perish! I perish! dear Master—
Oh, hasten, and take control.

Master, the terror is over,
The elements sweetly rest;
Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored,
And heaven’s within my breast;
Linger, O blessed Redeemer!
Leave me alone no more;
And with joy I shall make the blest harbor,
And rest on the blissful shore.

The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will,
Peace, be still!
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,
Or demons or men, or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, be still! Peace, be still!
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, peace, be still!

*Caution: This link may contain ads

 

[GDL]

Thank you for calling out this unsound teaching. What an expanding tragedy being put forth in the name of Christ.

"Sound" means accurate, free from error, healthy. "Doctrine" means teaching, instruction. Paul uses the phrase 4 times:

The law when used lawfully was made for the lawless and disobedient, the ungodly and sinners......and any sinful people living in opposition to accurate teaching - this is according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God

There will be a time when people will not tolerate accurate teaching (that is according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God) but will accumulate teachers (like the ones mentioned in this article) for themselves (to oppose accurate teaching about the Gospel, God's Law, and increasingly overcoming sin)

Paul sent Titus to put qualified congregational leaders in charge who hold fast the word according to the faithful teaching so they could encourage others by accurate teaching and correct those who oppose it.

Paul commanded Titus to speak about behavioral matters with regard to accurate teaching.

Any spread of this false gospel is an indication of how extensively people are not tolerating accurate teaching that conforms to the Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God - the Good News of the fact that Jesus Christ defeated sin and is working in His People to do the same within them. It's simply supply and demand: The more the demand for (people accumulating for themselves) false teaching - the more the supply of the false teachers. It's clearly taking place and has been for quite some time. Opportunity knocks (for teachers of lawlessness).

 

[bèlla]

There’s nothing worse than watching someone build their life on appeasement. They have no solid ground to stand on and will only embrace feedback that agrees with their own or agenda.

They inevitably become stagnant and disillusioned. Trading one lie for the next until the whole thing comes crashing down.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Thank you for calling out this unsound teaching. What an expanding tragedy being put forth in the name of Christ.

"Sound" means accurate, free from error, healthy. "Doctrine" means teaching, instruction. Paul uses the phrase 4 times:

The law when used lawfully was made for the lawless and disobedient, the ungodly and sinners......and any sinful people living in opposition to accurate teaching - this is according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God

There will be a time when people will not tolerate accurate teaching (that is according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God) but will accumulate teachers (like the ones mentioned in this article) for themselves (to oppose accurate teaching about the Gospel, God's Law, and increasingly overcoming sin)

Paul sent Titus to put qualified congregational leaders in charge who hold fast the word according to the faithful teaching so they could encourage others by accurate teaching and correct those who oppose it.

Paul commanded Titus to speak about behavioral matters with regard to accurate teaching.

Any spread of this false gospel is an indication of how extensively people are not tolerating accurate teaching that conforms to the Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God - the Good News of the fact that Jesus Christ defeated sin and is working in His People to do the same within them. It's simply supply and demand: The more the demand for (people accumulating for themselves) false teaching - the more the supply of the false teachers. It's clearly taking place and has been for quite some time. Opportunity knocks (for teachers of lawlessness).

Yes, the moral and spiritual decline of what God intended his church to be is quite evident. Very sad.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

There’s nothing worse than watching someone build their life on appeasement. They have no solid ground to stand on and will only embrace feedback that agrees with their own or agenda.

They inevitably become stagnant and disillusioned. Trading one lie for the next until the whole thing comes crashing down.

Yes, sadly this is the case with so many professing Christians today.

 

[bèlla]

Yes, sadly this is the case with so many professing Christians today.

Every now and then we witness miracles that renew our spirit. Have you seen his testimony?

Keep pressing Sue. The seed lands where its meant and will yield a harvest.

 

[GDL]

Yes, the moral and spiritual decline of what God intended his church to be is quite evident. Very sad.

I've watched, studied, and prayed about this for decades. The solace in this is that our Lord informed us that nothing would stand in the way of His Ekklesia. I think it's just a matter of who those are who are actually His. But He knows them and has them firmly in hand, and He also taught that there are few who would enter and walk the narrow gate and way. It may not be comforting to know that many have not entered and are not walking, but as Bella says, the seed lands where it's meant to... It's only the 4th of 4 soil conditions that becomes productive.

Indeed, very sad, but nevertheless true. I know you'll keep spreading such seeds. I find it fascinating and refreshing to watch you doing just that so consistently, and how He keeps providing the opportunities to accept and believe the truth.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

I've watched, studied, and prayed about this for decades. The solace in this is that our Lord informed us that nothing would stand in the way of His Ekklesia. I think it's just a matter of who those are who are actually His. But He knows them and has them firmly in hand, and He also taught that there are few who would enter and walk the narrow gate and way. It may not be comforting to know that many have not entered and are not walking, but as Bella says, the seed lands where it's meant to... It's only the 4th of 4 soil conditions that becomes productive.

Indeed, very sad, but nevertheless true. I know you'll keep spreading such seeds. I find it fascinating and refreshing to watch you doing just that so consistently, and how He keeps providing the opportunities to accept and believe the truth.

When God first called me to this ministry in September 2004, all I understood at that time is that he was taking me a different direction ministry wise than I had been headed and that I was to write what he taught me through his word and that I was to put it on the internet. And then he began to teach me so much but it wasn't until the end of June of 2006 that this became my full-time ministry. I am amazed all the time at how God coordinates so many things together so that I will share what he is teaching me from his word in exactly the way he wants me to share it. He leads the way and I follow his lead. And then he takes these writings where he wants them to go.

 

[GDL]

And then he takes these writings where he wants them to go.

Precisely. And wherever that may be, which it takes much more capacity than we have to know. That's the partnership and it's astounding.