Some will not endure sound doctrine
Paul warns
Timothy, an elder of the church in Ephesus, that there will come a time when people “will not endure sound doctrine” (
2 Timothy 4:3, NKJV); instead, “they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” The idea of “enduring” sound teaching has to do with “tolerating” it or putting up with it. In other words, people will refuse to listen to what is good and right. They will be intolerant of the truth.
Prior to the warning, Paul establishes the source and utility of the Scriptures. The Scriptures are from the mouth of God, or
God-breathed, and are beneficial for teaching, among other things, which leads to the maturing and equipping of the Christian (
2 Timothy 3:16–17). This maturing and equipping has the purpose of allowing the believer to complete every good work that God has ordained.
Paul exhorts Timothy to be ready to proclaim the Scriptures at all times (
2 Timothy 4:1–2), exhorting and correcting others by using the Word of God. Timothy is to study, practice, and then teach the Scriptures (cf.
Ezra 7:10). In
2 Timothy 4:3, Paul provides the reason for urgency in such a task: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.”
The Greek word translated “doctrine” is simply referring to “teaching” or “instruction.” Often, teaching and instruction systematized is understood as doctrine. The Greek word translated as “sound” can also be understood as “healthy” or “free from error.” Paul is warning Timothy that there will come a time when people will not desire to hear true or correct teaching—teaching that accords with reality. Instead, “they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (
2 Timothy 4:3, NLT).
Usually, understanding sound doctrine requires the individual to change his actions. If it is something he does not want to do, he may reject the teaching. At first, Peter did not want to preach the gospel to the Gentiles due to an improper understanding of what God desired for him to do (
Acts 10). However, God patiently corrected his understanding and prepared Peter to proclaim the gospel to
Cornelius, a Gentile leader. Peter responded to the sound doctrine and moved forward without fear.
It is important that we, as teachers and learners, heed the words of Paul in
2 Timothy 4:3. As teachers, we must teach sound doctrine, holding to the truths of Scripture regardless of the consequences. As learners, we must seek sound doctrine and receive it, if we are to live according to the truth. The learner’s desires must take a back seat to the truths of Scripture. Prayerfully, as the learner matures and is transformed by the renewing of the mind, his or her desires align more and more with the sound doctrine of Scripture.
It is beneficial for the learner to desire sound doctrine. It is also important for the learner to test what is being taught. During Paul’s
second missionary journey, he travelled across Greece, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to all. Many believed in the gospel (
Acts 17:4). Paul eventually reached the town of Berea where he also presented the gospel. The
Bereans notably received Paul with eagerness, and they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (verse 11). The Bereans are a perfect example of how the learner ought to desire sound doctrine and examine the Bible to test whether an unfamiliar doctrine is truly sound.
What is sound doctrine ?
Sound doctrine is important because
our faith is based on a specific message. The overall teaching of the church contains many elements, but the primary message is explicitly defined: “
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [and] . . . he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This is the unambiguous good news, and it is “of first importance.” Change that message, and the basis of faith shifts from Christ to something else.
Our eternal destiny depends upon hearing “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (
Ephesians 1:13; see also
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).
Sound doctrine is important because
the gospel is a sacred trust, and we dare not tamper with God’s communication to the world. Our duty is to deliver the message, not to change it. Jude conveys an urgency in guarding the trust: “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (
Jude 1:3; see also
Philippians 1:27).
To “contend” carries the idea of strenuously fighting for something, to give it everything you’ve got. The Bible includes a warning neither to add to nor subtract from God’s Word (
Revelation 22:18-19). Rather than alter the apostles’ doctrine, we receive what has been passed down to us and keep it “as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (
2 Timothy 1:13).
Sound doctrine is important because
what we believe affects what we do.
Behavior is an extension of theology, and there is a direct correlation between what we think and how we act. For example, two people stand on top of a bridge; one believes he can fly, and the other believes he cannot fly. Their next actions will be quite dissimilar. In the same way, a man who believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong will naturally behave differently from a man who believes in well-defined moral standards. In one of the Bible’s lists of sins, things like rebellion, murder, lying, and slave trading are mentioned. The list concludes with “whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” (
1 Timothy 1:9-10). In other words, true teaching promotes righteousness; sin flourishes where “the sound doctrine” is opposed.
Sound doctrine is important because
we must ascertain truth in a world of falsehood. “Many false prophets have gone out into the world” (
1 John 4:1). There are tares among the wheat and wolves among the flock (
Matthew 13:25;
Acts 20:29). The best way to distinguish truth from falsehood is to know what the truth is.
Sound doctrine is important because
the end of sound doctrine is life. “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (
1 Timothy 4:16). Conversely, the end of unsound doctrine is destruction. “Certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (
Jude 1:4). Changing God’s message of grace is a “godless” thing to do, and the condemnation for such a deed is severe. Preaching another gospel (“which is really no gospel at all”) carries an
anathema: “let him be eternally condemned!” (see
Galatians 1:6-9).
Sound doctrine is important because
it encourages believers. A love of God’s Word brings “great peace” (
Psalm 119:165), and those “who proclaim peace . . . who proclaim salvation” are truly “beautiful” (
Isaiah 52:7). A pastor “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (
Titus 1:9).
The word of wisdom is “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (
Proverbs 22:28, NKJV). If we can apply this to sound doctrine, the lesson is that we must preserve it intact. May we never stray from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (
2 Corinthians 11:3).got?
hope this helps !!!
