Sound Doctrine

“Scriptures Taken From the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible,
Third Edition, Copyright © 1995.
Used by Permission of the Copyright Holder,
Jay P. Green, Snr.”

The term, ‘Sound Doctrine,’ is used on four occasions in the KJV of the Bible.

T he references are  1 Timothy 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:3, Titus 1:9 and Titus 2:1. Both Greek words used are constant throughout. 

 

Many are perplexed by the word, doctrine. They need not be. It is a synonym for the more popular word, “teaching.”

The word sound, means, to be sound, to be well, to be in good health, It is used metaphorically of  Christians whose opinions are free from any mixture of error.

2 Timothy 4:3 For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, they will heap up to themselves teachers tickling the ear;

Regretfully, the predicted time is upon us! 

All teaching must be investigated. Error must be pursued, identified and extracted. The objective is freedom from error. It is the mixture of truth and error that is the problem and must be eliminated. Mixture weakens any teaching. 

Proverbs 11:1 False balances [are] hateful to Jehovah, but a perfect stone is His delight.

Isaiah 59:14 And justice is driven back; and righteousness stands afar off; for truth stumbles in the plaza, and right is not able to enter. 

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil, good; and to good, evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Matthew 4:7  Jesus said to him, Again it has been written: “You shall not tempt [the] Lord your God.” [Deuteronomy 6:16]

Isaiah 34:16 Search and read from the Book of Jehovah; not one of these misses, each not lacking her mate; for He has commanded my mouth, and [by] His Spirit He has assembled them.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17  Every Scripture [is] God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully furnished for every good work.

Revelation 22:18, 19  For I testify that everyone hearing the words of the prophecy of this Book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add upon him the plagues having been written in this Book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and of the things having been written in this Book.

2 Timothy 2:15 Be eager to present yourself approved to God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

The phrase, “rightly divide,” is only used once in the Bible. It means to cut straight, to cut straight ways, to proceed on straight paths, to hold a straight course, to do right, to make straight and smooth, to handle aright, to teach the truth directly and correctly.

John the Baptist was a forerunner, a preparer of the way, a preparer of a people, in readiness for the first coming of the Lord Jesus.

Likewise in this day, the Christian Church finds itself in preparation of a people ready for the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

Consider the major words used in the ministry of John the Baptist:

Isaiah 40:3-5 Straight, desert, highway, valley, exalted, mountain, hill, low, crooked, (straight), rough, plain

Luke 3:4-6  Straight, valley, filled, mountain, hill, low, crooked, (straight), rough, smooth.

From the New Testament (Greek) alone:

Straight:

straight, level, straight forward, upright, true, sincere, straightway, immediately, forthwith.

Valley:

a valley shut off by cliffs and precipices, a ravine.

Filled:

to make full, to fill up, i.e., to fill to the full, to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally, to render full, i. e., to complete, to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim, to consummate: a number, to make complete in every particular, to render perfect, to carry through to the end, to accomplish, to carry out, (some undertaking), to carry into effect, bring to realisation, to realise, of matters of duty: to perform, to execute, of sayings, promises, prophecies, to bring to pass, ratify, accomplish, to fulfil, i.e., to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment.

Mountain:

a mountain

Hill: a hill, eminence, a mound

Low:

to make low, bring low, level, reduce to a plain, metaphorically to bring into a humble condition, reduce to meander circumstances, to assign a lower rank or place to, to abase, to be ranked below others who are honoured or rewarded, to humble or abase myself by humble living, to lower, depress, of one’s soul bring down one’s pride, to have a modest opinion of one’s self, to behave in an unassuming manner, devoid of all haughtiness.

Crooked:

crooked, curved, metaphorically perverse, wicked, unfair, surly, forward

Rough:

rough, rocky, of places of the sea.

Plain:

smooth, level

Consider the English synonyms for crooked: Curved, bowed, bent, incurved, twisted, winding, disfigured, disformed, askew, awry, wry, distorted. Fraudulent, tricky, trickish, false, faithless, deceitful, unfair, perfidious, unscrupulous, treacherous, knavish.

The antithesis is straight. Synonyms are: direct, undeviating, vertical, unswerving, near, short, perpendicular, rectilinear, upright, erect. Honest, fair, square, just, equitable, upright, straightforward, conscientious, honourable.

The only way of treating any teaching in the Bible is to consider every usage within a subject and to embrace every Scripture reference related to that subject.

A sheet of paper should be taken and divided in the middle. On one side all relative positive citations should be listed, and on the other all (seeming) opposites.

This procedure is to be strictly followed for any teaching in order to rightly divide the Word of God. (Very, very few people do it. They possess neither the inclination nor the time.)

The opposite of perverse is straight.

Consider the ordination of homosexual priests and bishops. Society debates the issue. It not only tolerates but embraces this behaviour. Even the ‘so-called’ Christian church declares the matter controversial.

The result of this examination is homosexuals are shown to be bent. Even by their own admission they are bent. There are straight men. There are bent men.

Turn to the Bible. There is no controversy here.  Romans 1 makes it absolutely clear. The Good New Bible labels bent men as ‘homosexual perverts.’ No homosexual has eternal life.

The employment of the word ‘gay,’ is a vain ‘word craft’ attempt to eliminate guilt. So much of hypocritical society is like this.

The Greek word for perverse means to distort, to turn aside, to oppose, to plot against the saving purposes and plans of God, to turn aside from the right path, to pervert, to corrupt.

All Christian ministries are charged to teach the truth directly and correctly.

Let their objective be to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Let their pursuit be to examine all things and hold fast to that which is good. Let their goal be sound doctrine.