Spiritual Boot Camp (Part 3): The Sound Doctrine of the Gospel

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Timothy 1:10-11

These laws are for people who are sexually immoral, for homosexuals and slave traders, for liars and oath breakers, and for those who do anything else that contradicts the right teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.

NLT

Last Wednesday we looked at the importance of building on a foundation of truth.  We looked at how the Apostle Paul equated truth with the belt worn by a roman soldier, which held his sword and allowed him to synch up his garments for swift movement in battle.  In this posting, we will look at the importance of the sound doctrine of the Good News of the Gospel.

In 1 Timothy 1:8-11 Paul teaches about the proper use of the Law in establishing sound doctrine.  He begins by reminding believers that the law was not laid down for the just, or those justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, but the unjust, or those not yet justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. 

In Romans 7 Paul reminds us that the law only applies to the living and cites the example of a woman married to a man released from being bound to her husband by law when he dies.  In marriage vows today those being married say, “Till death do we part.”  We were all under the bondage of the law of God prior to our accepting Jesus as our savior.  However, once we gave our lives over to the Lord and accepted his substitutionary death on the Cross, we died to our sins with Jesus on the Cross and therefore, are no longer under sin's bondage (Romans 7:4).  Since we have all sinned and violated the law of God (Romans 3:23), we are all guilty of sin of some sort.  However, our fate is not eternal damnation because the purpose of God’s law is not to condemn (John3:17) but to reveal the sin in our lives and point us to the one who came to die for our sins, Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

In 1 Timothy 1:9-10, Paul lists activities that are in violation of the Law of God.  Among these activities are sins of sexual immorality, such as homosexuality, which are a violation of the Law (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13).  Unfortunately, some well-meaning Christians have taken to bashing Gays and people engaged in other sins instead of using the law as a light pointing people to salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. 

The horrific massacre in Orlando was a tragic loss of life in the name of a radical hate filled religion.  Let me make this clear, hatted towards sinners, of which we all are,  is not the sound doctrine of the Gospel and those engaging in bashing those engaging in homosexuality instead of sharing the love of Christ with them is not what the sound doctrine of the Gospel is about.  Let us instead do what I believe Jesus would have done, minister to those victimized by this brutality. 

In 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Paul testifies about his own conversion citing it as a demonstration of God’s mercy and grace.  Even though the Apostle Paul did not engage in homosexuality in his life, he did much worse by persecuting Christians which most likely led to their death and blaspheming God by denying Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:13).  He later realized his actions were done in ignorance and unbelief and became thankful for the overflowing grace of God, which rescued and saved him from eternal separation from God in his sins.  Therefore, as those enlisted in fighting well in the Lord’s battles, let us begin using the law of God as a beacon of light instead of a club citing how God has redeemed us from sin through the illumination of the law and the grace of God by sending his only Son to die for our sins (John 3:16).

Paul’s encouragement to Timothy, and might I add to us following Christ today, is to fight the Lords battle with faith and a clear conscience.  A conscience clear through the knowledge that the grace of God that has saved us from our sins, and faith that the blood of Christ has the power to save from sin, even the sins of homosexuality with a word of caution not to shipwreck our faith as Hymenaeus and Alexander did. 

2 Timothy 2:17-18 tells us the specific blasphemy committed by Hymenaeus and Alexander and was a teaching that the resurrection of the dead had already occurred.  The resurrection of the dead is in the context of the rapture or catching up of the Church mentioned in 1Thessalonians 4:16-18 and to teach it has already occurred is to believe that we as believers are now living in a glorified post resurrection state.  All one has to do is observe what is currently occurring in our world today to know this teaching is false. 

However, the Apostle Paul does not permanently condemn these men to eternal damnation but instead speaks of turning them out to Satan, or excommunicating them from the church until they learn not to blaspheme through their false teaching (1 Timothy 1:20).  Let us be careful to follow Paul’s example when encountering false teaching today so these false teachers will have an opportunity to find redemption.

Next Wednesday we will look at how we are to worship God.