Sound Doctrine: God

Titus 2:1 But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.

Introduction:

The gospel is the truth that makes us worthier candidates for the Kingdom of God and gives us authority to become sons of God. It is like a door which is opened up for us so that we can go inside the Kingdom of God without being worthy in any way. But we cannot stay unworthy and the Bible expects us to become pure and holy as we mature. For this we need a sound doctrine to understand and follow. This doctrine keeps us from confusion and deviation. The word “sound” or “healthy” shows that the new born person has be become healthier spiritually.

Definition

1 Timothy 6:3 and 4 defines what a sound doctrine is. It is a doctrine which transforms us into godliness that is the image of God. Every teaching in the church should have this sole purpose. We can transcribe Sound Doctrine as “God, teaching about God, to bring us towards God”. 2 John 1:9 excludes everybody who do not abide in this teaching from being with any relationship with God.  

Why?

In Luke 1:4, the author explains why this gospel was written: that the reader will be certain of things he was taught. 2 Timothy 4:3 shows how the current generation will want teachings to be made in the Church. A sound doctrine or understanding of the scriptures in very much required for the church in this time. Titus 1:9 explains that a sound doctrine keeps the church away from confusion.

Doctrine about Trinity

The Trinity is the most misunderstood teaching in Christianity. We think God as a human being who cannot be in three persons. We have to understand Him not as 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 but rather 1 x  1 x 1 = 1. This means that Jesus is fully a product of the Father and so is the Holy Spirit. With this understanding, if we look at our Lord, our reverence will increase to the highest.

God the Father is “God in Heaven”, Jesus is “God with us” and the Holy Spirit is “God in us” as per Ephesians 4:6. We read the Trinity during the baptism of Jesus where Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came upon Him and the Father was pleased in heaven. We also read the Trinity in Ephesians 2:22 where we are being built on Jesus by the Holy Spirit for God the Father to come and dwell.

The more important understanding of the Trinity is that we cannot understand Him fully in our minds. If we can, then we are limiting Him and are seeing that He has boundaries. He is God because He is beyond my understanding.

Doctrine about God, the Father

The first thing we should understand about God is in Rev 4:8 which says that the Almighty God was, is and will come as Holy, Holy and Holy. The emphasis here is that He is holy and clean than every person or thing ever is and He is almighty to stay Holy and to come in Holiness. Unless we revere Him in this attitude we are worshipping a false God who just helps us in times of trouble or just is a super-powerful magician. 

We do not know all the attributes of God as our mind is very limited to understand Him. But the Bible reveals some as He is Spirit (John 4:24), Light (1 John 1:5), Love (1 John 4:8), Peace (Judges 6:24), Perfect (Mathew 5:48), etc. If God is a spirit, He has no flesh in Him that connects Him to sin. Purity in its highest form is the image we should have about God.

Doctrine on Christ

Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. Many of us see Jesus only as 100% divine and having powers and a solution provider. This is true and has to be accepted. Jesus accepted worship according to many verses like Mathew 14:33. Angels and humans should not be worshipped but Jesus did. We should understand that Jesus is God Himself but is addressed as the Son of God because of his arrival here. We read that in Luke 1:35.

But primarily Jesus addressed Himself as Son of Man because He wants us to see him as 100% human. More than Jesus wants us to worship, He wants us to follow Him. To become human, we read that Jesus emptied Himself (Phil 2:6,7). We also read that He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:40,52). Jesus conquered Sin and death completely and thus Satan’s head was crushed. We got saved by this one single victory. We cannot attain life unless we believe in this victory. This is why Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. We may understand that Jesus could not sin because He is the Son of God, but we read in John 6:38 that Jesus had a will different than that of the Father, but chose to do the Father’s because of His love towards us. We see that will when Jesus pleads to the Father at Gethsemane.

Doctrine about the Holy Spirit

We should understand that God is Spirit meaning, the Holy Spirit is God Himself coming to live inside us. He deserves this honor and that’s why in Mathew 12:31, Jesus speaks how unpardonable it is to speak against the Holy Spirit. He is not just a power or feeling, but a person living inside us encouraging, comforting, disciplining and bringing to remembrance as per John 16:13-14.

We should not look at the Spirit for or in signs as Jesus never did. He wanted us to see the Holy Spirit as a most precious and the highest gift (Luke 11:13) that God has given mankind so that we can live. If we do not honor or listen to Him, we are wasting our lives in unwanted things.