the apostle Paul describes the nature of people
in the last days.
In his description,
he warns of people who are characterized as
“having a form of godliness but denying its power” (verse 5).
Paul then issues this command: “Have nothing to do with such people.”
Paul often uses contrast to emphasize an attribute he wishes to highlight.
In 2 Timothy 3:1–4, he gives Timothy a long list of sinful behaviors and attitudes that are contrary to God’s will. In verse 5 he tells Timothy to avoid those who state they are Christians with their mouths—they
have a “form” of godliness—but who act as unbelievers--
they deny the power of godliness.
Those who have a form of godliness are those who make
an outward display of religion.
They present themselves as godly, but it is all for show.
There is no power behind their religion, as evidenced in the fact that their lives are unchanged. They speak of God and live in sin, and they are fine with that arrangement. As commentator Charles Ellicott wrote, “These, by claiming the title of Christians, wearing before men the uniform of Christ, but by their lives dishonouring His name, did the gravest injury to the holy Christian cause” (Ellicott’s Bible Commentary for English Readers, entry for 2 Timothy 3:5).
These false Christians are destructive. Paul warns that they will “creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts” and that they are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:6–7, NKJV). He compares them to the wicked magicians who opposed Moses and warns that their folly and corrupt minds will be revealed to all eventually (verses 8–9).
The power of God,
which should accompany the form of godliness,
is shown through the Holy Spirit
and results in the
transformation of our lives.
The Holy Spirit
indwells the believer
(1 Corinthians 6:19)
and enables him to bear certain fruit:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
(Galatians 5:22–23).
These are the attributes of a true Christian, as opposed to
Paul’s list of sins in 2 Timothy 3:1–4.
Paul’s exhortation to Timothy falls in line with James’ explanation
how to identify a true faith
(James 2:14–26).
True faith will be evidenced by good works, which will occur naturally. If a person says he is a Christian but shows no evidence in his life by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, we have to make a judgment about him and avoid that person. He may have a form of godliness, but he is
denying God’s power by not letting himself be controlled by the Spirit.
In fact, if his faith is not genuine,
he cannot be controlled by God’s power,
because the Holy Spirit does not dwell in him.
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
The natural person may have a form of godliness,
but he denies God’s power in the way he lives.
Only faith in Jesus Christ can bring justification and the transformation
he so desperately needs
(Colossians 1:21–22; Romans 5:1–2).
Following God's Call comes through The Word of God in Truth,
Test 1: The Test of Origin
The first test is the test of origin. Sound doctrine originates with God; false doctrine originates with someone or something created by God.
The Apostle Paul
went to great lengths to convince the church in Galatia that the
gospel he taught was not his own,
but God’s.
“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12). Even Jesus was clear that he taught only what God had instructed him to teach: “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me” (John 7:16).
True doctrine originates with the God who is true (Titus 1:2).
It is this simple: Sound teaching originates with God and false teaching originates with men or demons.
Just as true doctrine is marked by its divine origin,
false doctrine is marked by its worldly origin.
Paul warned the Colossian church to avoid doctrine that is
"according to human precepts and teachings"
and told Timothy that some would “depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (Colossians 2:22, 1 Timothy 4:1). It is this simple: Sound teaching originates with God and false teaching originates with men or demons. When it comes to doctrine, if man made it, then we should not hold it. God is the Father of truth and Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).
The test: Does this doctrine originate with God or has it been fabricated by someone or something else?
This leaves us with an obvious question: How can we know the origin of a doctrine? Sometimes its origin is obvious, but more often it is not. When we are uncertain, we can turn to our second test.
Test 2: The Test of AuthorityThe second test is the test of authority. Sound doctrine grounds its authority within the Bible; false doctrine grounds its authority outside the Bible. The Bible is God’s inerrant, infallible, sufficient, complete, and authoritative revelation of himself to humanity. Doctrines that originate in the mind of God are recorded in the Word of God.
There is a clear and necessary correlation
between origin and authority,
between God and his Word.
We can think here of those noble Bereans who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so”
(Acts 17:11).
They knew that all doctrines must be compared to
God’s Word, his source of truth.
Likewise, Paul praised the
Thessalonians for their
careful assessment and acceptance of his teaching because they
understood its divine authority.
"And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you
received
the word of God,
which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God,
which is at work in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Sound doctrine originates in the mind of God
and is recorded in his authoritative self-revelation,
the Bible.
The test: Does this doctrine appeal to the Bible for its authority? Or does it appeal to another scripture or another mind?
But a concern remains, because two teachers may both claim the authority of the Bible while teaching very different things.
How can we know whose interpretation is correct?
This is where we turn to the third test.
Test 3: The Test of Consistency
The third test is the test of consistency. Sound doctrine is consistent with the whole of Scripture;
false doctrine is inconsistent with some parts of Scripture.
There is a sameness or familiarity to true doctrine and a strangeness or unfamiliarity to false doctrine.
The man who wrote the letter to the Hebrews warned his congregation about “diverse and strange teachings,” while Paul warned Timothy about accepting “different doctrine” (Hebrews 13:9; 1 Timothy 1:3, 6:3).
Both meant to emphasize that doctrine must always be compared to the established, accepted body of truth.
Those who are knowledgeable about that
body of truth
will be in the best position to
immediately identify and
refute what is false.
Because there can be no contradiction in the
mind of God,
there can be no contradiction in the
revelation of God.
This is tied to a key theological principle, “the analogy of faith,” which is often explained with the phrase “Scripture interprets Scripture.”
If the Bible originates in the infallible mind of God,
it must be consistent throughout.
Because there can be no contradiction in the mind of God,
there can be no contradiction in the revelation of God.
What the Bible teaches in one place it
cannot refute in another.
Therefore, any true doctrine
must be consistent with the whole of Scripture.
Doctrine must never be treated in isolation,
but always in light of a correct
understanding of the entire Bible.
Too many false teachers isolate verses or ideas that
cannot withstand the scrutiny of the whole Book.
The test: Is this doctrine established or refuted by the entirety of Scripture?
Once we have tested doctrine and found it to be true, according to these three criteria, we can also see its soundness by its effects on us and those around us.
That requires two more tests.
Test 4: The Test of Spiritual Growth
The fourth test is the test of spiritual growth.
Sound doctrine is beneficial for spiritual health;
false doctrine leads to spiritual weakness.
After instructing Timothy, Paul told him, “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained [“nourished”] in the
words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed”
(1 Timothy 4:6). Timothy had trained himself in the Bible and Christian doctrine. He had
nourished himself in the truths
he had been exposed to since he was a child.
And he had never stopped.
Through this continual nourishment, this ongoing
dining on the Word of God,
He has grown spiritually healthy in knowing the Word of God
He had accumulated a
thorough
knowledge
of
God and his Word.
This is why Paul called him a “man of God” with “sincere faith” (1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 1:5).
Timothy’s constant nourishment in sound doctrine from the Word of God made him the man he was.
Sound doctrine
makes spiritually healthy,
mature, knowledgeable Christians.
False doctrine makes spiritually unhealthy, immature, ignorant Christians
who may be no Christians at all.
Test 5: The Test of Godly Living
The fifth test is the test of godly living. Sound doctrine has value for godly living, false doctrine leads to ungodly living.
Truth never stands on its own, but always has implications in life.
Doctrine is always meant to lead to doxology, worship, and purposeful living.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God,” says Paul, “and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Scripture is not to be known in an abstract sense,
but intimately.
It is to inform not only our minds, but our hearts and hands as well.
Truth has not been grasped
until it has been lived.
Paul charged Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine,” reminding him that such doctrine is
"excellent and profitable for people” (3:8, 2:1).
"What accords with” sound doctrine is its far-reaching
implications,
the duties that flow out of it.
This, sound doctrine has value.
It is profitable in teaching us to live as we ought to live. It equips us to do those things that are are good for our neighbor
and that bring honor and glory to our God.
Truth has not been grasped
until it has been lived.
Sound doctrine profits us by training us to live in a way that pleases God.
False doctrine weakens us by training us to live in a way that dishonors God.
Evaluation: The Determination of Quality
At this point we simply take all of the evidence from the three tests and make a conclusion about the quality of the doctrine in question.
Sound doctrine originates with God, is recorded in the Word of God, is consistent with the whole revelation of God, and leads to both spiritual health and godly living.
False doctrine originates with men or demons, is foreign to the Word of God, is inconsistent with the whole revelation of God, and leads to spiritual weakness and ungodly living.
It must pass all of the tests in order to be sound.
If it fails one, it fails all of them. This word “sound” refers to health and appears often in the New Testament. For example, Paul instructed Timothy,
“Follow the pattern of the sound [“healthy”] words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).
To Titus he said, “Teach what accords with sound [“healthy”]
doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
The task of the doctor is to evaluate a
patient to declare him fit or unfit.
The patient is fit when his whole body is functioning properly, free of disease.
The task of the Christian is to
evaluate every doctrine to declare it fit or unfit.
John Stott says it characteristically well: “Christian doctrine is healthy in the same way as the human body is healthy.
For Christian doctrine resembles the human body. It is a coordinated system consisting of different parts which relate to one another and together constitute a harmonious whole. If therefore our theology is maimed (with bits missing) or diseased (with bits distorted), it is not ‘sound’ or ‘healthy’.” Doctrine that passes the three tests is sound doctrine.
It is pure and undefiled,
true according to God’s unfailing
standard of truth.
The evaluation: Based on the evidence, is this doctrine sound or false?
Action: Determine Your Responsibility
Having thoroughly tested the doctrine and examined its effects, we are able to determine how to respond to it.
Sound doctrine must be accepted and held fast;
false doctrine must be denied and rejected.
When Jesus spoke to the believers in Thyatira, he commended them for
clinging to truth and told them
to “hold fast what you have until I come”
(Revelation 2:25).
Paul described the elder as a man who
“must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it”
(Titus 1:9).
Our responsibility is
clear:
We must accept and hold fast to what is
true,
and we must deny and reject
what is false.
Likewise, the church must welcome those who
teach sound doctrine and rebuke those who do not.
If they do not heed
correction,
the church must reject them, removing them and their influence
(1 Corinthians 5:9).
ConclusionIn summary,
true doctrine (content) originates with God (origin), is grounded in the Bible (authority), and agrees with the whole of Scripture (consistency). Because such doctrine is sound (quality), it is healthy (benefit), and profitable (value) for us, and we are responsible for holding it (responsibility).
False doctrine (content) originates with man (origin), is not grounded in the Bible (authority), and contradicts portions of Scripture (consistency).
Because such doctrine is unsound (quality), it is unhealthy (benefit) and unprofitable (value) for us, and we are responsible for rejecting it (responsibility).