Nowadays we are obsessed with being healthy. We work hard at doing the right exercises. We want to rid our bodies of toxins, pollutants, and other unnatural things. We seek only to put in those things which are pure, natural, and beneficial. Some of us go to extreme lengths to ensure this. Why? We want to stay healthy, feel good, and be able to live long productive lives.
Yet when it comes to our souls and our eternal lives we often take a decidedly more apathetic stance. As I mentioned in my sermon on Good Shepherd Sunday, we sheep will eat just about anything that looks good, drink from just about any poisoned well. How so? By being undiscerning about the doctrine (that is, the teaching) that we listen to about God.
However, striving for pure doctrine is expected of us as Christians. We cannot overlook that the last “marching orders” that Jesus speaks to His Church is that as they make disciples they would teach these disciples “to observe all that I [Jesus] have commanded you.” Jesus also condemns false doctrine when He quotes from the psalms against the Pharisees, who were “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
We cannot ignore that when the Apostle Paul instructs Pastor Timothy or Pastor Titus in how to shepherd the congregations they have been set over, Paul emphasizes true, pure doctrine:
“…remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine…” (1 Timothy 1:3)
“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” (1 Timothy 4:6)
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.” (1 Timothy 6:3-4)
(Paul writes of qualifications for pastors): “He 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)
(Paul writes to all Christians): “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” (Romans 16:17)
Paul also writes in Ephesians 4 of God giving pastors to teach God’s people, so that they would grow up and mature in the faith and would not be “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine…”, that is by teachings that aren’t based on God’s Word and therefore are untrue.
I recently came across a very helpful analogy as to why we Lutherans make pure doctrine (remember, doctrine simply means teaching) such an important thing. It’s from the Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb, a long-time professor at the St. Louis seminary and one of the foremost scholars on Martin Luther and our Lutheran Doctrine in the world. Here’s what Dr. Kolb writes:
Some people define biblical teaching as a series of topics. Like pearls on a string, these topics are all roughly of equal importance for them. If we conceive of doctrine in this way, we could say that losing any one pearl has about the same effect on the whole of biblical teaching as losing any other pearl. Some people could say that you dare not lose any pearl if you are to be dressed for the host of the heavenly banquet. Others could say that as long as you have a pearl or two left on the string, you are ready to be received at his table.
Others conceive of biblical teaching as a wheel, with a hub and spokes and rim. They suggest that wheels cannot exist without hub and rim and some spokes, but other spokes may be broken without immobilizing the wheel.
Neither of these metaphors adequately describes the nature of biblical teaching. It is better to compare the doctrine of the Scripture to a human body. The body of doctrine cannot exist if Christ the head is decapitated. It dies without the heart of our understanding of how we become right with God pumping away—although the heart, the doctrine of justification, may be partially diseased and still pump, it is true. This was evident in the medieval church, where preachers put a high but false premium on good works and still pointed people to Christ’s saving blood. We see this in contemporary Christians who empathize the contribution of our own personal decision in coming to Christ and still try to cultivate trust in his grace.
If an arm, the doctrine of Baptism, for example, is severed, the body may be able to survive. But it may hemorrhage and die. If the leg of the doctrine of the church become paralyzed, the body may survive, but it will be crippled at best, and it may fall down in a heap and crack the head, too.
So the question, “How much doctrine must be pure if one is to remain a Christian?” is simply a wrong kind of question. The whole of our conveying of biblical teaching needs to be accurate and on target—both because believers need to know what God wants us to know and because God’s Word is true. Nonetheless, sinful doctrinal error does not always break our relationship with the Lord even though it makes it more tenuous.
From The Christian Faith: A Lutheran Exposition (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1993), 13-14.
The Lord bids us seek pure doctrine because false doctrine can kill faith, which leads to condemnation. What does this mean for us Lutherans here at Good Shepherd? First and foremost it means we should be hearing true doctrine in the Divine Service and, whenever we can, be studying the Scriptures together. Only in hearing from God in His Word can we know what is true and what is not. If you have questions about what we believe, you should come talk with me about them! I love to talk theology; it’s possible I’ll talk your head off about theology if you let me. I’ll try to restrain myself, though.
Husbands, you should be seeing to it that you and your wife are in the Divine Service as often as possible. If the Lord has blessed you with children and given you the vocation of father, they should be here as well, as often as possible. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) Mothers, if you’re in the position of having to be the chief teacher of the faith in your home (for whatever reason), be here with your children whenever you can.
All this is not to burden us. The Lord desires that we would hear the truth of His Word. I look forward to uncovering the true, pure doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ along with you.
Pastor Schuermann