Category: Doctrine

God told Ezekiel that he would “take away from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke” (Ezekiel 24:16).  The “desire” of the prophet’s…

Studying the Bible is a great joy.  The truths that are found within the pages of God’s word have value that the world cannot measure…

Issues seem to be more numerous among brethren today than they were two or three decades ago. Denominationalism and Institutionalism were the two main areas of concern when I began to preach the Gospel. Over the last few years, Divorce and Remarriage, the Deity and Humanity of Jesus, AD 70 Doctrine, Days of Creation, plus where to draw the line of fellowship regarding these subjects have become matters of importance that need to be resolved.

Some hold to the contention that the gospel accounts are all the direction we need in our lives, and that the apostle Paul actually corrupted the teachings of Christ. This contention is false.

Neo-Calvinists make an unscriptural distinction between gospel and doctrine

Is it possible to have unity in doctrinal matters? It is increasingly proclaimed that we cannot all believe the same things and practice the same things in doctrine. Thus, the need for “unity in diversity.” What used to be a voice from ultra-liberalism has now become a common theme among more conservative brethren. “We cannot have unity in doctrine; the only unity we can have is unity in Christ.”

Now make the application to the “cross.” If I re-define “word of the cross” to mean only the passion and death of Jesus on Calvary and then complain that when you preach about elders, organization of the church, morality, etc., you are not preaching the “word of the cross,” I am also playing fast and loose with the truth. The real and only fair consideration is, “How does the Bible define the ‘word of the cross,’ and what does it mean to ‘preach Christ and him crucified’?” Let the Bible define its own terms.

Impure doctrine—speaking smooth things to satisfy an ungodly yearning for guilt assuagement rather than true redemption—both hinders the spread of the glad tidings of Christ and leads to a severance of fellowship with God and brethren. Tolerating impure doctrine is a deal with the devil, a willingness to exchange everlasting peace with God for a temporary peace on Earth among men. Woe unto both those who propagate and those who tolerate the cancer of impure doctrine.

This is the lesson of ancient Israel. Immoral lives of sexual debauchery and riotous drinking parties with music and dancing were a part of the lives of those who had “no knowledge,” and who were not instructed in “doctrinal” truth regarding the word of the Lord (Isa. 5:11-13; Hos. 4:6-11). Will we never learn?