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SOUND DOCTRINE: WHAT IS IT?
(notes)
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Sound(g5198) ὑγιαίνω=hugiAIno=”who-gee-I-know”=to be sound, to be well, to be in good health
– Syn: Solid, rigid, long-lasting; regarding teachings: logical, irrefutable, well-proven…
..(as opposed to arguing over words: 1Ti6.3-5, 2Tim2.14-15 & Titus 3.9-11)
SOUND WORDS: (1 Timothy 6.3) Gr: To be sound, to be well, to be in good health / Syn: Solid, rigid, LONG-LASTING; regarding teachings: logical, solid, irrefutable, well-proven…
Ant: Wobbly, unsolid, won’t last as long.
(SEE: 1Ti6.3-5, 2Tim2.14-15 & Titus 3.9-11 regarding arguing over words)
Implies: logical, provable, harmonious, contextual; agrees with both simple and complex texts,
FOUNDED on non-technically difficult facts.
(“when interpreting the Bible, always go from simple to complex, from the clear to the unclear, from the easy to understand, to the difficult to understand.”; understand how to count > add and subtract > before tackling algebra 1,2 and calculus 1,2,3)
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PLEASE UNDERSTAND WHEN READING THE BELOW VERSES THAT “DOCTRINE” SIMPLY MEANS “TEACHING.” IN OTHER WORDS, “SOUND TEACHING” AND “SOUND DOCTRINE” ARE SYNONYMOUS.
1 Timothy 1:8-11 ESV
8 Now we know that the law (OF MOSES, see prev verses) is good, if one uses it lawfully,
9 understanding this, that the law (OF MOSES, see prev verses) is not laid down (made) for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,
10 the sexually immoral (porneia), men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to SOUND DOCTRINE (g1319: didaskalia)..
11 ..in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
(v.10) PLEASE NOTICE THAT THESE ARE OBVIOUS FACTS OF THE BIBLE! SOUND TEACHING = OBVIOUS TEACHING;
FT=DISAGREEING WITH SOUND TEACHING! EVEN THE COMPLEX MATTERS OF THE NT (e.g, Paul’s writings, per 2 Peter 3:15-17, WERE
BUILT UPON ALREADY SOLIDLY DEFINED TEACHINGS OF THE NT!!
E.G.: the teachings of Jesus, James, etc, already solidly established as Truth regarding the need to not believe only but also OBEY, and that works (obedience) certainly does matter!!)
*1 Timothy 6:3-4 ESV
If anyone teaches a DIFFERENT doctrine (than sound doctrine) and does not agree with the SOUND WORDS (i.e., SOUND DOCTRINE) of our Lord Jesus Christ AND the teaching that accords with (csb:promotes; nasb:conforming to) godliness..
..he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
-“From such withdraw yourself” not believed to have been in Paul’s original writing, but is suggested elsewhere:
-1 Cor 15:33 KJV: Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
(Note that the context concerns those who teach the FD about the resurrection)] Others we should “keep away from”: 2T4, etc.
-FOLLOW THE MONEY!!! Those advancing these things are after money!!
*2 Timothy 1:13 ESV
Follow the pattern of SOUND WORDS(logos: “sayings of God”) which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
– Also means: “EXAMPLE” of sound words.
– PATTERN/EXAMPLE!!! Strongly implies doctrine that has been repeatedly taught already!! Not doctrine that rarely appears in the NT!! And t/f could be easily misunderstood by sincere Christians.
– Preachers are REQUIRED to teach only, sound, solid, easily provable, logical, well-established doctrines that have already been taught multiple times in the NT, to the extent they form a “pattern” of teaching, and “example” of what teachers must teach in the Church!
*2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV
For the time is coming when people (implied: Christians!) will not endure SOUND TEACHING, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the Truth (they used to value the Truth!) and wander off into myths (i.e. FALSE DOCTRINE!).
– Sound teaching is apparently too boring for them…and doesn’t sell many books!
*Titus 1:9 ESV (instructions for elders!!!)
He must HOLD FIRM to the trustworthy word AS TAUGHT (ALREADY BEEN TAUGHT IN BIBLE ELSEWHERE!), so that he may be able to give instruction in SOUND doctrine and also rebuke those who contradict it.
Titus 1:10-13 CSB – For there are many rebellious (not humble/submissive) people, full of empty talk and deception(misleading, misinformation[missing information] & disinformation), especially those from the circumcision party (Jews who thought Jewish Christians MUST be circumcised, a popular doctrine among Jewish Christians). It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly. One of their very own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply**, so that they may be SOUND in the faith…
-**IMPORTANT!!! They were being REBUKED b/c of UNSOUND LIVING (per v. 10-12).
-For: being insubordinate, both idle talkers (gossip, empty talk) and deceivers (intentional misleading!), leading away whole households from the truth because of greed, always liars, evil, and lazy.
*Titus 2:1 NKJV–But as for you (Titus), speak the things which are proper (i.e., consistent, appropriate for) for [ver: is in accord with] SOUND* DOCTRINE…
– We must teach SOUND DOCTRINE (g1319–teaching, instruction; didaskalEEah)!
-“Sound” (g4241: Solid, rigid, long-lasting); “sound teaching” suggests solid, well-proven, factual, logical, clearly provable, irrefutable, etc.
– See “SOUND DOCTRINE–What is it (verses also)”
Titus 2:2 NKJV
that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, SOUND in faith, in love, in patience;
*Titus 2:6-8 NKJV
Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself [to be] a pattern of good works; in doctrine [showing] integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, SOUND SPEECH that CANNOT BE CONDEMNED (logical, provable, harmonious, contextual), that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
– If what we teach can be Scripturally condemned, it needs to change!
– The Uncut Hair doctrine can be condemned in several ways! It is not a sound doctrine!
TRUE DOCTRINE IS SOUND DOCTRINE. THIS IS WHAT WE MUST STRIVE TO ALWAYS TEACH IN THE CHURCH.
SOUND DOCTRINE LEADS TO A SOUND FAITH WITH LEADS TO CONSIST AND SOUND LIVING THAT PLEASES OUR LSJC!!
BY CONTRAST, FALSE TEACHING IS UNSOUND. IT MAY LOOK GOOD ON THE SURFACE, BUT WHEN TESTED FAILS TO BE SCRIPTURALLY SOUND. (e.g., termite eaten framing)
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SUMMARY OF “SOUND TEACHING/DOCTRINE” VERSES…
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– ONLY sound doctrine is permitted in the COC!
– “SOUND” in the Greek(g5198) suggests something that is sound, well-constructed, solid, rigid, long-lasting, etc.
– “SOUND TEACHING” would suggest teaching that is logical, irrefutable, well-proven, harmonious, contextually accurate, etc.
– This implies that complex teachings must be founded only on solid, irrefutable, Biblical doctrines. It would also imply that complex
teachings must be based on a foundation of simpler truths (i.e. from “simple to complex; from the clear to the unclear”);
sound and solid arguments/logic, easily provable to honest truth-seekers, i.e., to those who love the TRUTH above their church’s TRADITIONS.
GIVEN THESE FACTS, the above verses would be strongly suggesting the following:
– PREACHERS are REQUIRED to teach only SD (Titus 2:1), only teachings that are solidly established in the Word.
– PREACHERS also must continue to teach the same “pattern/example” of sound words (Titus 1:3), words have been repeated so frequently
that they form a “pattern of teaching,” and about which there would be multiple examples in Scripture upon which to base our
conclusions, and so that we can fully understand the invaluable teachings of our God.
I believe that SD is something that cannot be easily misunderstood by sincere Christians who have examined the related Scriptures. CONCLUSION: EVERYTHING A MINISTER TEACHES MUST HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY ESTABLISHED IN SCRIPTURE.
– ELDERS must do the same (Titus 1:9)! They must HOLD FIRMLY to the Truth “as taught”–in other words, these are doctrines that have
(ALREADY BEEN TAUGHT IN BIBLE ELSEWHERE). Doing this will ensure that elders will not only teach their churches with SOUND Truths,
but also they would be able to logically rebuke anyone who contradicts their SD.
– TEACHERS: must obviously do the same, since the Church is to be the “pillar and bulwark of the Truth.” (1 Timothy 3:17)
*Titus 2:6-8 NKJV
Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
in all things showing yourself [to be] a pattern of good works; in doctrine [showing] integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
SOUND SPEECH that CANNOT BE CONDEMNED (logical, provable, harmonious, contextual), that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
– If what we teach can be Scripturally condemned, it needs to change!
– The Uncut Hair doctrine can be condemned in several ways! It is not a sound doctrine!
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SOUND DOCTRINE LEADS TO SOUND LIVING
Sound doctrine is required in the COC:
1Tim1.10; 1Tim6.3; 2Tim.4.3-4; Tit2.1; 1Tim1.10; 2Tim1.10-13; Tit1.9; Tit2.1, Tit2.2 Tit2.8.
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——————————————————————————————–ARGUMENTS OVER WORDS (i.e., small things), should not be divided over, regardless of who is right or wrong. (1Ti6.3-5, 2Tim2.14-15 & Titus 3.9-11). We must sincerely work to understand and follow all the teachings of the Word. Even the so-called “lesser matters of the law.” Jesus said that the one who is faithful in least is faithful in much, and vice-versa (Lk16.10-11).
-SEE VERSES–ARGUING OVER WORDS
PREACHERS IN OUR CHURCHES HAVE A DANGEROUSLY PERVERTED VIEW OF WHAT “FALSE DOCTRINE” IS!
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GO TO THIS LINK TO FIND OUT MORE: Sound doctrine
(Start w story of multi-congregational elder explaining what FD was:
“Isn’t anything taught that differences from what the man at the Preachers Study agree is the truth?”
(ADD BELOW: please notice that sound doctrine refer to obvious facts of the WOG!!)
CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND DOCTRINE:
When explaining what we believe, we must be able to clearly articulate what we believe with proper, logical, Script. backing, and must be able to handle counter-questioning logically, and to clearly and logically answer several rounds of counter-questions. If it takes too long to explain, or can’t be clearly articulated or plainly backed by multiple Scripture, or has problems properly answering counter-questions, even though our position may be right it’s probably based too much on speculation to be called “sound doctrine.’
CHARACTERISTICS OF non-SOUND DOCTRINE:
When doctrinal disagreement, some preachers will simply answer some issue with a rebuttal article–And the one they’re attacking may never know about it.
Some will send their rebuttals to the “offender” in question. Then they feel their job is done. They’ve contacted the offender, they’ve warned him, they’ve sent their explanation. Now, they can confidently disfellowship him and never need to handle counter-questioning to their sometimes flawed positions.
In this way they close their eyes and ears to the Truth. By burying their heads in the sands of error, they are able to, with a “clear conscience” (as a opposed to a “good” one) proceed in their traditional views. Some will Answer their opponents with a terse explanation and ignore any feedback from that point on, washing their hands of the matter. Others will post open rebuttals on the web that the “offender” which the offender may know nothing about, too arrogant (like the Pharisees) to contact him. Others will actually send articles directly to the “offender.”
But in all cases above, they refuse to handled rebuttals or counter-questioning to their positions, and in all cases they cut the person off. By cutting him off, this permits them to continue along in error thinking that a terse statement or rebuttal absolves them from responsibility. Of course, the problem is that they will never see inconsistencies of their position unless they sincerely search for Truth, which requires more than cursory articles or statements, or more than just posting a rebuttal to the web. We must be able to sincerely answer counter-q’. By burying their heads in the sands of ignorance, they doom themselves to their erroneous positions. They close their eyes and ears to the truth. In this way they are able to brush aside crucial questions that would have given them insight into their doctrinal errors, and wisdom in being more cautious about how they handle such matters in the future.
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“You say that the church must have ‘sound teaching.’ But what exactly is ‘sound teaching’?”
[Titus 2.1; 1 Tim. 6.3-5; 2 Tim 4.3-4]
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Virtually every member of every Christian-like church probably thinks that what he/she grew up being taught was “sound teaching.” But very often that is not the case.
When the Bible speaks of “sound teaching” it refers to those teachings that are solid, easily provable, and typically oft-repeated facts of the Word. This should not be confused with issues that hinge solely on the understanding of technical Biblical facts, Greek definitions, conjugations, individual Greek words and their definitions, and the like. Paul told Timothy to “…WARN THEM before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. [But instead]…do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth… (2 Tim. 2.14-15).
Paul also pointed out that false teachers will often use technical knowledge to mislead others. He described such men as having “an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction…” (1 Tim. 6.3-5).
Surely we can see that this is exactly what has happened in many modern conservative churches. Certain church leaders have literally elevated their “word study” conclusions to salvation issues. They’ve convinced themselves that failure to line up with their specific, narrow conclusions will result in eternal condemnation in hell.
One prime example of this is the so-called “Hair Question,” which hinges quite literally on narrow and specific interpretations of a single Greek word, including its verb tenses. The Bible never said that “words” should not be studied, discussed, and understood. We often need to do this to enhance our understanding and application of God’s will. However, “sound teaching” does not hinge on acute knowledge of every specific Biblical Greek word definition, along with nuances of Greek verb and noun tenses, and the like. If men were required to agree on this level of Biblical understanding, consistent application of this would require us to disfellowship even our own selves, for any honest, thinking Christian—due to natural spiritual growth—has likely had to change his / her understanding of such fine Biblical details through time. Such inevitable, differing viewpoints must be handled with wisdom, and in such a way as to not divide the church.
Satan wins when men succeed in dividing the church or casting others from it over “arguments about words.” Even if we have the truth, we can push things to the point of division. And men who cause division over such issues will have to give an accounting to Him who “judges the living and the dead.” To disfellowship Christians over such differences is to greatly sin, for this often results the removal of family members as well, and the potential loss of many souls through time. Jesus was clear that how we treated His people is how we are treating Him. When we excommunicate His people from His church, we should understand that we are essentially excommunicating Christ Himself from His own church. This is what Satan wants.
Christ, on the other hand, wants us to “make every effort” for peace (Greek: “RUN AFTER” peace – Rom. 14.19), and for what “builds up the church.” In that same chapter (Rom. 14), Paul also explained that this involves getting rid of freedoms that prevent this unity. The bottom line is that we must have very clear, Biblically sound, consistently applied reasons for kicking others from the kingdom. “Sound teaching” is solid teaching which can often be shown across a wide range of Biblical teachings (doctrines of baptism and faith are good examples).
This fact is bolstered by an analysis of Bible examples of actual “false teaching.” In every case, “Biblically-defined” false teachings were those that violated a wide range of easily provable teachings (“Jesus did not come in the flesh” [1 Jn 4:1-3; 2 Jn. 7-11], “the resurrection has already happened” [2 Tim 2:17-18; 1 Cor 15:20-33], “Christians must abstain from marriage and certain foods” [1 T4.1-4]; certain laws of Moses are required [Judaism – Acts 20.28], “Jesus is not the Christ” [Pharisees – Mt. 12.23-24; Lk. 23.1-3], etc). Never did Biblically-defined false teaching teeter on technical understanding of single Greek words used in single verses of Scripture; about such differences we’ve been commanded not to argue. (See also 1 Tim 1.10, 6.3-5; 2 Tim. 1.13; 4.3-4; Tit. 1.9; 2.1.)
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AGREEING WITH SOME “WRONG DOCTRINE” (which everyone who doesn’t have perfect knowledge will). IT IS NOT THE SAME AS UNITY IN DIVERSITY!
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The modern ‘Unity in Diversity’ movement…essentially seeks to unite virtually anyone who claims faith in Christ, with very few exceptions. But unfortunately, after two millennia of Biblical manipulation, the Christian religious world is infested with many non-Biblical teachings and practices. Regarding non-Biblical teachings, the Bible has been abundantly clear that “false doctrine” originates in the demonic world (1 Tim. 4.1-3; Jn 8.44). In the Bible, “false teaching” is defined as “unsound” teaching (1 Tim 1.10, 6.3-5; 2 Tim. 1.13; 4.3-4; Tit. 1.9; 2.1). The Bible also destroys the myth that as long as a person appears to be morally upright, he is to be accepted. In fact, a person can appear to be morally upright, but if he promotes unsound teaching, he is to be disassociated from (2 Cor. 11.13-14; Rom. 16.17-18; 1 Jn. 4.1; 1 Cor. 15.12, 33-34; Mt. 15.14). Perhaps that’s because to God, perverting plain Biblical teachings is immoral since it means promoting “unsound teaching,” which the Bible calls “false teaching” and “myths”—and all lies like these things come from Satan (1 Tim. 4.1-3; Jn 8.44).
(see: UNITY IN DIVERSITY file)