THE IMPORTANCE OF STICKING TO SOUND DOCTRINE

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine." Titus 2:1

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thess. 5:21

 The Bible has much to say about sound doctrine and that we should prove all things by the Word of God, only holding on to that which is good and Scriptural.

There are several criteria for identifying sound doctrine and filtering out wrong doctrine:

 1. If someone preaches something that is supposedly the truth, and by looking back through the 2000 years of Church history, you cannot find that anyone has ever preached or interpreted the Scriptures in such a manner, then you can be sure that it is not of God. Some people teach new things these days, claiming that everyone else has it wrong, but that they have it right. One can wonder how the Church has survived for 2000 years without the "revelation" of truth that they supposedly have.

 2. If something is not solidly anchored in the Bible and is not found in at least two or three places, do not receive it or teach it. If a preacher finds an obscure solitary verse in the Old Testament and twists it or bends it to prove a point, then you can be sure that it is not of God.

 3. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. There is wonderful harmony and flow in the Word of God. If there is a doctrine which is being taught by interpreting certain Scriptures, but there are other Scriptures that clearly contradict it, then discard that doctrine. In this case there is clearly something wrong with the way in which Scriptures are being interpreted.

 4. When looking at a Bible verse, always look at the context in which it was written.

 5. If someone preaches something new and different from everyone else, and claims that all the other preachers are "legalistic," that he alone is preaching the truth, then that is not of God. Such self-proclaimed exclusiveness is never of God.

 6. Do not look for Scriptures to support a doctrine that you like, but rather let the full counsel of the Word of God dictate what you are going to believe and embrace as sound doctrine. The "full counsel of the Word of God" means the totality of the Bible.

 7. Just because something is popular and draws crowds, does not mean that it is of God.

 8. Be careful not to create doctrine by interpreting Scripture in the context of your culture. Culture should be respected, but the Bible speaks the same thing to all humankind. Be careful about deeming cultural values, taboos, or even personal preferences as being Biblical or unbiblical, and then imposing them upon others.

 9. Do not interpret Scripture through the prism of your experiences and make doctrines out of them. You have to believe the Word of God even if your experiences say the contrary!

 10. Never put charismatic experiences or manifestations above the Word of God. If you see and experience manifestations that are not in line with Scripture then do not make those things a part of your life or doctrine.

 Lastly, never cease to be a student of the Bible, the Word of God. Listening to good sermons is one thing, but true life, spirituality, wisdom, faith, and understanding of spiritual things comes by studying and practicing the Word of God. Jesus said, "Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." Luke 11:28

 Adapted from a Facebook post written by Pastor Christopher Alam