CARRIED ABOUT WITH EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE

CARRIED ABOUT WITH EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE

The title is a phrase from scripture that comes to my mind every time I hear someone say they have changed from one church to another. When I know the new church has completely differing views on the main tenets or beliefs of the churchthey left, I wonder how they could walk away from the gospel truth they were taught. I understand they might go to a church that makes them feel more welcome, but the beliefs of the church should be non-negotiable if they have been tested by time and approved by scripture. 

Knowledge of the essentials, which are first and foremost Jesus's life, burial, resurrection and ascension, baptism, communion, and the Holy Spirit. Those beliefs should not only be based on the teachings in the Bible but on the acts of the Apostles and other devout Christians of that day and age. For instance, they met on the first day of the week to break bread (communion) and fellowship. They taught baptism as being important. There was no delay in getting baptized, as shown by the jailer and his family, the Ethiopian traveling in a chariot, and Saul/Paul, the special Apostle, who was told by Ananias when Saul/Paul's sight returned, "Why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized." 

We are to repent and confess before being baptized. Babies cannot do either. Jesus and the Ethiopian went down into the water to be baptized and came up out of the water. So did Jesus when John the Baptist baptized him, not because He was a sinner but because He was setting an example for us. Baptism was compared to the great flood when the sins of the people were buried in water, not by a sprinkling of rain. 

The minds of the church people should be of one accord. Otherwise there is controversy, discord, and possibly division. I've seen it happen and heard about it many times. Church hopping without any concern for the truths in the Bible should not be happening.

Ephesians 4:11-16 KJV - "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" 

There's plenty of winds of doctrine, cunning men, and deceivers out there these days and they have many venues in which to use their craftiness. Are we prepared? Are we united in faith and knowledge? Do we know how to answer their questions or even rebuke their questions when asked? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." This verse is self-explanatory.

2 Peter 1:20 KJV - "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." Many claim to know much about the Bible, but if they talk long enough, it is easy to see they don't know as much as they think they do. They are wise in their own eyes. Deep study of the Bible is the only way to accurately interpret the Bible. 

Interpretation should follow the Bible, the practices of the first Christians and Apostles, and what other devout, knowledgeable Christians believe. We are to be unified in our beliefs, or "of one accord," to use the phrase the Bible uses so often.

Believing a subject such as the method of baptism (sprinkling, baby baptisms) because your grandmother did or does isn't being true to the Bible or Christ. Believing it (health and wealth) because a charismatic tv preacher says so doesn't make it true. Not believing a subject such as creation because a college professor said so is just as bad or even worse. 

I believe in studying a subject as a whole, by researching every verse that has to do with that subject. It is wrong to pull a verse out of context and focus on it alone. II Timothy 2:15 NIV - "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." In four words: Know your Bible well.

II Timothy 2:15 KJV - "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

2 Corinthians 4:2 NIV "Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God." Plain truth is a whole lot better than a health and wealth sermon or a theatrical performance from the pulpit.

Hebrews 5:12 NIV - "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!" If you are still at a pre-school or elementary level of Bible teaching, you definitely need to get into the meat of the Word, or in-depth study. We are living in a messed-up world today caught in the battle between good and evil and there's a whole lot of evil going on everywhere. Baby steps won't do. Describing salvation like a child would most likely will not inspire a person to repent and be baptized. Be prepared to answer follow-up questions.

Hebrews 5:13 NIV - "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." It is shocking to me how little people know about the Bible, even those who profess to be Christians. They drift from church to church because they haven't built their faith on solid ground. They are carried by the winds of doctrine. The devil knows scripture well. If he were to tempt a person who doesn't know the Bible well, he would have a good chance of convincing them of his lies because he is persuasive and is the father of lies. Matthew 15:9 KJV - "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." In other words, people go through the motions of worshiping God but teach world views instead of doctrine.

Colossians 4:6 NIV "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Naturally, you don't want to come on too strong or offend anyone but you want to show confidence in what you believe and you need to know well what you believe and why. At least be able to direct the listener to the right book, if not book, chapter and verse.

Matthew 5:19 - "Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Make sure you're teaching Christ's commands accurately from the least to the greatest. If you teach the least command wrong, you will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. 

Ephesians 4:5 - "... one Lord, one faith, one baptism;" It is important to know which baptism is the one to teach and why it is the one true baptism Jesus requires of all Christians. Babies cannot repent or confess. They have not yet sinned though they were born into a sinful world. Sprinkling does not symbolize being buried with Christ in baptism or the sins of the world being washed away like with their burial by water in the days of Noah when all of the people's sins drowned along with them except Noah and his family. 

Our ultimate goal is to live with Jesus in heaven for eternity. How can we have a relationship with Jesus when we don't study our Bibles in order to get to know Him and His expectations? How can we answer others when they ask us what it takes to live a Christian life? Shouldn't one of our earthly goals, if not our main goal, be to know what our church believes and why? Shouldn't we all be seeking the truths of the Bible? If we find a church that exemplifies the Bible, shouldn't we stay with that church?

Speaking of "one Lord," many other gods have entered our country through legal and illegal aliens, but do we welcome them or hold fast to our own one true God? Is our faith in God or is it divided between Him and lesser gods, which are not gods at all? That's exactly what divided Israel to become Israel and Judah. Solomon allowed his foreign wives to bring in other gods to worship. Are we willing to give up God as the supreme ruler of our country? Perish the thought.

Becky Wall