The Blessings of Sound Doctrine
(Part three of a four-part series)

My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
Psalm 119:171

Sound doctrine honors God.

God is holy. He is just. He is wise. He is true. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. He never changes, and He loves His children with a love we cannot fathom. He keeps His promises. He can be trusted. These facts, taken together, are my starting point.

I start at the point which declares that God is holy and good and that He loves me. Knowing this to be true, I can then see clearly that all He allows in my life (or my loved one’s life) has purpose and works together for good. I am now in a position of trust and can then proceed from there to praising Him and giving thanks to Him in everything. From there, everything else falls into line. This is not what people expect from the bereaved and they take note. God is honored.

If I start with myself and my pain instead of with God, I get stuck in the Slough of Despond. My pain may begin to obscure the facts I know about God. The Adversary now has an opportunity to gain a foothold in my heart. I start to think wrong thoughts about my Heavenly Father and it shows. Others notice. God is dishonored.

The remedy? A firm hold upon accurate teaching from God’s Word, the Bible and faith in the One Who wrote it.  To be optimally prepared for the devastations of life, we must know Him, and we must believe what He has said. We do not have to know much about God to reap the blessings of sound doctrine but what we do know needs to be correct. A firm grounding in the basic truths surrounding the person and work of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, is all that is needed to weather the storms of life. A correct view of God is fertile ground where the seeds of faith can grow.

…he who believes what he knows,
shall soon know more clearly what he believes.
C.H. Spurgeon

I can face today’s trial because I stand on the foundation of Truth, firmly anchored to the blood-washed, unshakeable bedrock of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without God’s Word and sound teaching from it, without the facts regarding His character, without the promises, without the Holy Spirit of God, I would be a puddle of faithless despair.

But, because I know and believe Him, I can say, without a doubt, that the true and living God is real, He is good, and He is worthy to be praised.  By His grace, may I never give occasion to the Enemy to bring dishonor upon my Lord and His holy name.

†

It is good to be able to answer gainsayers;
but we cannot do so if we know not the Lord Jesus
clearly and with understanding.
C. H. Spurgeon

Resources:

How Can I Know God?

The Bible

Grace To You

Who is Jesus?

dts.edu

foi.org