Devotional 05-05-2024

Building Sound Doctrine

Most people's worldviews are the result of a process that could be called the hay bale effect. As people go through their lives, they typically pick up a variety of beliefs and teachings, similar to how rocks, snakes, and other objects can be collected alongside hay when a bale is rolled. For believers, this experience results in a mixed worldview that combines Biblical teachings with various worldly beliefs. While some believers consider this situation to be inconsequential or harmless, Scripture clearly shows otherwise.

Specifically in Jonah's account, the Bible lists multiple consequences that can occur when we disagree with God and His Word. For example, we risk running afoul of His perfect will and falling into otherwise avoidable consequences. In Jonah's case, refusing to obey God's command to preach to the Ninevites led him into a perilous storm and three days in a great fish's belly. Also, holding on to ungodly beliefs hinders our relationship with God. For Jonah, he sinfully resented and argued with God because He spared the repentant Ninevites, whom Jonah wanted destroyed. Finally, disagreements with God create stubborn strongholds that impede our ability to provide Spirit-led service to Him. In Jonah's case, rather than awaiting God's next command or praising Him for His mercy, he angrily insisted on dying after resentfully witnessing the Ninevites' repentance. As Jonah's account clearly demonstrates, harboring any teachings and beliefs that disagree with God and His Word harms our trust in Him, leads us into rebellion against Him, and reaps serious consequences in our lives.

Thus, if we desire to serve Jesus and experience the fullness of His abundant life, we must work with Him to build sound doctrine in our hearts. This requires us to do the following:

Frequently examine our worldviews. 2 Corinthians 13:5 calls us to habitually perform self-examination to see if we are harboring any beliefs that disagree with God's Word and will. When we do this, the Holy Spirit will guide us in identifying them and empower us to, as 1 John 1:9 states, confess and repent of them to receive God's forgiveness. To maintain our communion with and obedience to God, we should frequently examine our beliefs against God's Word as one would compare a structure against a plumb line to ensure it is centered and sound in its placement.
Trust that all Scripture is true. Colossians 2:8 warns us that all beliefs and teachings opposing Christ and His Word are dangerous because they are vain, deceitful, and demonic. Conversely, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 remind us that every word in Scripture is eternally infallible, relevant, and applicable. Because God's Word is perfect and man's is not, we must reject the latter and believe the former's every word (Mat. 4:4).
Avoid rationalizing Scripture's truths. 1 Corinthians 2:11 makes an important point in noting how the Holy Spirit alone can comprehend the Father's Words and thoughts. Despite this, we are often tempted to receive God's Word and respond by personally interpreting it in our mind. Because these soulish rationalizations often form false doctrines, we should instead fully rely on the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture for us.
Test what we hear. 1 John 4:1 warns against believing every teaching we hear, for there are many who purposefully preach false doctrines. Furthermore, even faithful believers can desire to share the truth, but preach from the flesh and produce false teachings. Because of this, it is crucial that we rely on the Holy Spirit to test everything we hear before we apply it as doctrine.

As Jonah and countless other believers learned the hard way, possessing a hay bale of varying beliefs causes unnecessary conflicts with God's Word and will. If we desire to serve and obey Him, we must be willing to surrender our unbiblical beliefs and allow Him to build our worldviews on sound doctrine. By frequently testing what we believe and hear, trusting the truthfulness of all Scripture, and receiving its teachings through the Holy Spirit, we will ensure our lives are built upon the perfect foundation of God's Word and will make ourselves available to agree with and follow His perfect will for our lives.

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