Contending For the Faith in Doctrine

Contending For the Faith in Doctrine

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 1:3 (KJV)

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42.

Are you wondering why we are looking at this topic? It is because Sound Biblical Doctrine is more important than any gift, calling, office or tenet in the scripture. Once the doctrine is wrong everything is wrong. Because it is the foundation upon which everything is built and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; Eph. 2:20.

That’s why some places call it the Apostles Doctrine.

2. Another reason why this is important is that, you cannot save your life or others once you fail to know God’s doctrine on a particular aspect of your life. You cannot live a life beyond what you believe.

3. Even though several denominations have several doctrine, there is ONLY ONE DOCTRINE, it’s either someone added something to it, the bible calls it THE FAITH, in Jude 3 and stated that it was ONCE delivered to the saint. It doesn’t matter that we have several denominations today with different doctrines, THERE IS ONLY ONNE DOCTRINE delivered in the Bible and is your responsibility to find it out not the responsibility of someone to find it out for you.

4. Be very clear that Biblical Doctrine is different from Church Administration and that should be very clear, you are accountable to God for Biblical Doctrine but only accountable to the Church for Administrative Tenets of the Church, please don’t ever mix up these two, that is the beginning of error. Once you subject yourself to the administrative tenets of the Church, you should not complain about it, you personally subject yourself to it and once you decide to change you have not sinned but for the doctrine FOREVER O LORD YOUR WORD SETTLES IN HEAVEN Psalm 119:89.

Question 1: What are some confusions that people do have about what exactly is Biblical doctrine and Denominational Tenets?

It is the way the central themes of God’s revelation in Scripture are summarized and taught. This doctrine underlies and, indeed, explains the practice of Christian faith. There is, in fact, no Christian ethic without a foundation of Christian doctrine. The daily practice of this faith is the daily living out of its doctrine. Apostolic Christianity was nothing if it was not about knowing, believing, living, and preaching apostolic doctrine.

This is key, one verse does not qualify to be a doctrine, for instance several men have person view of not dancing and only picks where David dance and was naked and said because of that, dancing is wrong. That is not how doctrine is framed. It must be done with rigour and labour and serious search to look for the repeatability of the nature of God, his word and look for the trend all along the scriptures especially the 3 key dispensations. 1Tim 5: 17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

The framing of Doctrine is not done by a single person, just the same way a Constitution is not done by one person, the elders have to labour in word and doctrine …not one Bible verse. These are the Key topics we shall review What is a Doctrine?

-What are Christian Doctrines?

-What qualifies tenet as a doctrine?

-How do you labour in doctrine?

-How to know if something is not a biblical doctrine?

-What is the difference between a Doctrine and Church Administration?

This teaching, this doctrine, is an enduring body of truth to which the church is always bound. It is “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Faith in its truth content cannot be individualized. Christian belief cannot mean one thing to one person and something different to another. It is not different from one age to the next, nor is it different from one culture to another. Genuine Christian faith is genuine only when structured around the same enduring biblical doctrines. Christian faith is always the same because the God at its center is always the same, and because the redemptive acts on which it is based, centrally the cross and resurrection, can never be changed. There is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5).

Our greatest challenges comes from when people comes with different doctrine as the mind of God, God mean something to everyone and it has been clearly revealed in the scriptures. Today, check all that you believe if you truly believe or just following the dictate of men. The word translated “doctrine” also means “instruction, especially as it applies to lifestyle application.” In other words, doctrine is teaching imparted by an authoritative source, the Bible, the word always refers to spiritually related fields of study. The Bible says of itself that it is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Any doctrine that is not inspired repeatedly by the Bible is NOT BIBLICAL DOCTRINE. One other reason why it is very important to understand doctrine is that, as stated in 1 Tim 4:16 16 “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” We have to be VERY CAREFUL of the doctrines that we keep exposing ourselves to daily,  it may wreck such persons faith and also influence others negatively.

HOW TO KNOW IF A TENET QUALIFIES AS BIBLICAL DOCTRINE

1. They are built over the teaching and development through the Old Testament.

2. It sees them as having culminated in Christ’s incarnation, words, and work. His teaching (Matt. 7:28)

3. Expanded and applied by the apostles.

4. Paul placed his own teaching side-by-side with the “preaching of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 16:25; cf. 1 Thess. 4:2). All of this was committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These inspired writings are now preserved within the biblical canon. This revealed Word defines for us how we should think about God, ourselves, our world, the church, and the future.

Question 2: Can you bring any doctrine and let’s check it with the above requirement? Salvation, Healing, Judgement, Eternal Life, Holiness, Heaven and Hell… All these pass the above test. But can you show me some that never passes these test: Women should not talk in Church, Yes, was in the scripture but was for a particular people at a time Corinthians, was not in the an Order in the Old Testament, was not taught by the Apostles, was not taught by Jesus ….Therefore do not qualify as a doctrine but can be used as administration where such issue happens.

Question 3: Does Covering of Head Qualify as a Biblical Doctrine?

OK Yes is in the Bible but for a Biblical Doctrine! It must have its foundation from the Old Testament? It must be taught by Jesus, It must be taught by the Apostles.

Question 4 : What are the Key Biblical Doctrine that reveals God to us today, which were all consistent through the Bible?

1. Purity and Holiness: Heb. 12 : 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:.. It was consistent in the scripture.

Correct ! Faith is even the core foundation of almost all teachings .. in the OT, NT, Apostles etc

3. Eternal Life: Even from Garden of Eden to Jesus coming to give eternal Life, to eternal life after here on earth.

4. Heaven, Hell, and Judgment: This was consistent from the garden of Eden, man was judged and lost the nature of God and all through the scriptures.

5. Healings : Healing was consistent from the Old testament, even when he created herb it was for their healing, the Prophets even raised the dead, when Jesus came he was healing, the Apostles were healing etc.

I will not like to rush this teaching, I will like to take each of this doctrine, one after the other and we all exemplify it based on the requirement and why they qualify as a doctrine.

6. Giving without Praise : It was clear that from the Old testament God want all giving to be done without others knowing, the offering boxes during the tabernacle worship was placed where none will see it, when Jesus came he taught same thing with the widows mite and the Apostles taught same thing. It qualifies as a doctrine, we are not to give things with public praise.

When we talk of doctrine today we are not just referring to the one in our Church manual it is the totality and foundation of what defines our walk with God.

7. Servant-hood in Leadership : This is one core doctrine, that God taught, Jesus did and the Apostles.