I'd like to offer some thoughts I had while reading Pappy's Sunday Devotion, about those who have followed their "itching ears" and fallen away from the true doctrines of the Bible. St. Paul writes to Timothy (2 Tim 1: 8-14):
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
While the study of theology can get pretty involved and complex, the way of salvation and the doctrines of the Bible aren't exactly rocket science. Thankfully, the Lord made it that way!
God entrusted to His people in Christ, a "treasure" that is not ours to tamper with. We cannot add to or subtract from these God given doctrines (doctrines = the Bible's teachings). They are a trust to His people. We dare not pick and choose those we like, nor can we reject those we don't like (This is how people fall away). It's either all or nothing. Again, God's teachings are not ours, but His.
Willfully relying upon "itching ears" and drawing to oneself false teachers (or false theologies) who gladly scratch that "itch," is foreign to St. Paul.
Paul is not ashamed of his witness to the Lord and the Lord's teachings. He would suffer for the truth, rather than fall away from it. He encourages others to do the same.
Paul is fully confident that the Gospel and its attending doctrines are God's own treasure, and He knows that the Lord will guard this divine and precious treasure. This treasure (literally, "good deposit") is worthy of Paul's suffering and death. He even goes so far as to say, "Retain the standard of sound words." I take this to mean that as much as possible hold on to the actual biblical wording when presenting the Gospel and its teachings. Explanations and applications are where we can use our own words.
Each teaching of the Bible is true and supports the Gospel (Gospel = the Good News of our salvation in Christ). If a man's teaching isn't in harmony with a Bible teaching (and most certainly the central doctrine of the way of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone), then it has no place in biblical Christian doctrine.
Those who have fallen into the arms of false teaching, as Pappy taught Sunday, need to be reclaimed with the truth of God's Word. This is a hard task, for many have hardened themselves to God's truths.
How do we "crack the crust" of this hardness?... By applying the appropriate teaching from the body of the pure doctrines of God that have been entrusted to us. Since they are God's doctrine, there is no need for us to be timid or ashamed of them. Since they are God's life-giving doctrine, we can willingly suffer for them. After all, we are not declaring ourselves, but the "treasure" of God.
It has been my experience that its easier to keep Christians in the true faith, than it is trying to reclaim them. This means that we must be careful to teach correctly in our congregations. Woe to congregations' preachers and teachers who give the impression that correctly believing and using God's "treasure" is not necessary.
Guard and use this "good deposit" with your life -St Paul did.
May God the Holy Spirit bless us as we study God's Word, remember God's Word, and apply God's Word to the fallen. I pray this for myself and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ on this forum.
-Dale
