As the early Church rapidly grew, Paul spent much of his time writing to younger leaders to encourage, equip, correct and impart wisdom to them. He tasked a young leader named Titus to raise up church leaders in each town on the island of Crete. But not just any type of leader - Paul gave Titus extremely clear guardrails.
One of the things Paul mentions repeatedly throughout the New Testament is this concept of "sound" doctrine or being "sound" in the faith. The Greek word being used here is where we get our word "hygienic." Paul is literally talking about being healthy in our doctrine, in our teaching, in what we believe and tell others about God and Jesus. He's stressing to Titus the importance of raising up spiritually healthy leaders. And Paul is warning that there are people who will teach unhealthy doctrine, people who must be corrected and silenced.
You're always being taught, always being preached to. You can't avoid it. It's just a matter of who the preacher is. Are you listening to God, as He reveals His will and His character in the Bible? Or are you listening to false doctrines drawn from the lies of Satan, peer pressure, cultural standards, and your own sinful nature? Someone is always teaching you doctrine, but is it sound doctrine? We each have things we believe about God, but are they true? Are they sound?
If we consume unhealthy doctrine, we will be spiritually sick. We'll have wrong views of God. But if we consume sound doctrine, we will be spiritually sound. We'll be healthy Christians. Sound doctrine is crucial for our spiritual growth because without it, we'll be open to believing what Paul calls "empty talk" and "deception." Without it, we're bound to fall for anything.
Used by permission from NewSpring Church
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