Sound Doctrine?

5 min read

7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?”

8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.
— 1 Kings 22:7-8

We should add here what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy:

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
— 2 Timothy 4:3

“Sound doctrine” is less about “right” theology than it is about wise living in the fear of God. Jehoshaphat recognized that when Ahab called upon his 400 prophets, they were not prophesying sound doctrine. Perhaps these were the prophets of Baal that Elijah had defeated at Mt. Carmel (biblical history is not always chronological).

“Itching” ears always want war. That is because “itching” ears want only what me, myself, and I want, and who cares about what other people want or need?

And if what other people want or need conflicts with what me, myself, and I want, then war it is, and war it will be.

But the word of God always contradicts me, myself, and I. In fact, when our Lord Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world, me, myself, and I were crucified with Him. Which is why the apostle Paul also wrote,

[Me, myself, and] I have been crucified with Christ and [me, myself, and] I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
— Galatians 2:20

“Sound doctrine” can never divide the people of God. Yet there are “a great number of teachers” today who use “sound doctrine” to divide the body of Christ. They use “sound doctrine” to determine who is “in” the kingdom of God and who is not. They insist on excluding those who do not share in the same “sound doctrine.” Isn’t it funny how everyone who is included tend to look and act very much the same. Is it the chicken or the egg?

For sure, Christians must adhere to the truth of Christ, the Son of God, and Him crucified, resurrected, and returning. Beyond this sound doctrine, we ought to be more humble—more aware of our own sinful nature and the grace of Christ that saves us.

“Sound doctrine” will always lead us to witness. When me, myself, and I died with Christ, our sin was dealt with once and for all. No more “itching ears” to distract us from hearing the word of God that tells us over and over again to love those whom God loves and to bear witness to a dark and dying world, “I need Jesus, and I need Jesus now. And so do you.”

Heavenly Father, You have dealt with our sin once and for all. Let me know “sound doctrine” so that I won’t waste my life trying to “manage” the sin that You have dealt with once and for all. But sanctify me and sanctify this Canvas family according to Your promise. Let us not be distracted from going where You go, doing what You do, saying what You say. For Your glory and our joy. In Jesus’s name. Amen.