Sound Doctrine E-Book

Bobby Jamieson

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Building Healthy Churches
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 131

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

How do you feel about doctrine? Whatever answer comes to mind, this book will not only convince you that sound doctrine is vital for living a godly life, it will also explain the essential role of theology in the life of a healthy church. Thinking rightly about God affects everything, from guiding us in practical issues to growing a church's unity and witness. This short, readable book shows how good theology leads to transformation, life, and joy. Part of the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series.

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“Scripture is for sound doctrine, sound doctrine is for real life, and real life is for real church growth. So says Jamieson, and he hits the nail on the head brilliantly every time.”

J. I. Packer, Board of Governors, Professor of Theology, Regent College

“‘Pay heed to your doctrine.’ That imperative for faithful Christianity sounds to many Christians altogether abstract and remote from the life of the church. Bobby Jamieson believes otherwise, and Sound Doctrine is a masterful argument for doctrine that is not only deeply rooted in the church, but also produces a church that demonstrates both the grace and glory of God.”

R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“A true Christian experience involves more than sound doctrine, but it is nothing without it. Bobby helps us see how sound doctrine not only shapes but also empowers all ministries in the local church, from effective outreach to authentic small groups. This book could serve as a starting point for thinking through a philosophy of ministry.”

J. D. Greear, Lead Pastor, The Summit Church, Durham, North Carolina; author, Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

“Truth is for life. Teaching is for living. Sound doctrine is for love, unity, worship, witness, and joy. That is what this book is all about. Christians need to understand how sound biblical teaching—doctrine that is based on and drawn from the Holy Scriptures—informs every aspect of Christian life and experience. Bobby Jamieson makes that case in Sound Doctrine. The argument is brief, biblical, interesting, and compelling. The book won’t take you long to read, but its contents will pay dividends to Christians and churches for a long time to come.”

J. Ligon Duncan, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi; John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary

“Do you think doctrine is at least impractical—at worst, loveless? Give this author a few minutes to help you reconsider this. Well-written, precise, provocative, and practical—Jamieson has produced a jewel.”

Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC

“I sit next to Bobby Jamieson in a seminary class, so I can tell you that he is a very smart guy, a genuine nerd, theologically discerning, and—surprisingly—an avid surfer. Prior to my conversion, I sat next to smart guys like Bobby in order to cheat, but now I do it to learn—and there’s a lot to learn from Bobby! If you don’t understand why sound doctrine is important, or realize the difference it can make, then Bobby has something to teach you. In this book you’ll learn that sound doctrine is as delightful as it is practical—for everyday life and for the church. Come sit next to Bobby with me.”

C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

“Doctrine that is biblically faithful and practically relevant is essential to the health and life of the church. Without it, churches will become anemic and eventually die. Sound Doctrine is a short primer on the key doctrines of holiness, love, unity, worship, and witness. In a careful and well-written treatise, Bobby Jamieson walks us through these crucial doctrines, revealing their importance to our mind and heart—to our individual lives and the community of faith.”

Daniel L. Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

“If ever you’ve been tempted to think that doctrine is boring, divisive, or just plain pointless, this is a book for you. Bobby Jamieson shows that sound doctrine is beautiful, life imparting, and deeply desirable. I hope this message goes far and wide.”

Michael Reeves, Head of Theology, UCCF (UK); author, Delighting in the Trinity and The Unquenchable Flame

SOUND DOCTRINE

Building Healthy Churches series

Series Editors: Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman

Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Church, Matt Smethurst (2021)

Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church, John Onwuchekwa (2018)

Biblical Theology: How the Church Faithfully Teaches the Gospel, Nick Roark and Robert Cline (2018)

Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global, Andy Johnson (2017)

Conversion: How God Creates a People, Michael Lawrence (2017)

Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus, Mark Dever (2016)

The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ, Ray Ortlund (2014)

Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today, David R. Helm (2014)

Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus, J. Mack Stiles (2014)

Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus, Jeramie Rinne (2014)

Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God, Bobby Jamieson (2013)

Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus, Jonathan Leeman (2012)

Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus, Jonathan Leeman (2012)

Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God

© 2013 by Robert B. Jamieson III

Published by Crossway 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Dual Identity inc.

Cover image: Wayne Brezinka for brezinkadesign.com

First printing 2013

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-3589-5 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-3590-1 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-3591-8 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3592-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Jamieson, Bobby, 1986–

Sound doctrine [electronic resource] : how a church grows in the love and holiness of God / Bobby Jamieson.

1 online resource — (9marks)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN 978-1-4335-3590-1 (pdf) ISBN 978-1-4335-3591-8 (mobi) ISBN 978-1-4335-3592-5 (epub) ISBN 978-1-4335-3589-5 (hc)  ISBN 978-1-4335-3589-5 (hc)

1. Church growth. 2. Theology, Doctrinal. I. Title.

BV652.25

250—dc23

2012045638

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

For Kristin, with all my love.

CONTENTS

Series Preface

Introduction

1 Sound Doctrine Is for Life—the Life of the Church

2 Sound Doctrine Is for Reading and Teaching the Bible

3 Sound Doctrine Is for Holiness

4 Sound Doctrine Is for Love

5 Sound Doctrine Is for Unity

6 Sound Doctrine Is for Worship

7 Sound Doctrine Is for Witness

Postscript: Sound Doctrine Is for Joy

Special Thanks

For what use is it to know the truth in words, only to defile the body and perform evil deeds? Or what profit indeed can come from holiness of body, if truth is not in the soul? For these rejoice together and join forces to lead man to the presence of God.

IRENAEUS OF LYONS, ON THE APOSTOLIC PREACHING1

1 Irenaeus of Lyons, On the Apostolic Preaching (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1997), 40.

SERIES PREFACE

Do you believe it’s your responsibility to help build a healthy church? If you are a Christian, we believe that it is.

Jesus commands you to make disciples (Matt. 28:18–20). Jude says to build yourselves up in the faith (Jude 20–21). Peter calls you to use your gifts to serve others (1 Pet. 4:10). Paul tells you to speak the truth in love so that your church will become mature (Eph. 4:13, 15). Do you see where we are getting this?

The Building Healthy Churches series of books aims to help you fulfill such biblical commands and so play your part in building a healthy church, whether you are a church member or leader. Another way to say it might be, we hope these books will help you grow in loving your church like Jesus loves your church.

9Marks plans to produce a short, readable book on each of what we call the nine marks of a healthy church, plus one more on sound doctrine. Watch for books on expositional preaching, biblical theology, the gospel, conversion, evangelism, church membership, church discipline, discipleship and growth, and church leadership.

Local churches exist to display God’s glory to the nations. We do that by fixing our eyes on the gospel of Jesus Christ, trusting him for salvation, and then loving one another with God’s own holiness, unity, and love. We pray the book you are holding will help.

With hope, Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman, series editors

INTRODUCTION

What do you think about doctrine? Does it only cause fights and divisions between Christians? Does it distract us from the real work of evangelism? Is it important for pastors but not really anybody else?

Maybe you have a more positive attitude toward doctrine. Maybe you love learning about God, but sometimes it seems that your head is growing much faster than your heart.

Whatever your stance toward doctrine, the goal of this book is to convince you that sound doctrine is essential for living godly lives and building healthy churches. Why? Because sound doctrine is for life—the life of the church.

There are two main ideas that run through this book. The first is that sound doctrine is for life. That is, it’s practical. It’s not a set of abstract facts, but a road map that shows us who we are, where we are, and where we’re going. Therefore, sound doctrine is essential for living lives and building churches that bring glory to God.

The second main idea of this book is that sound doctrine is for the life of the church. That is, sound doctrine produces lives that are shaped like a healthy local church. The fruits which sound doctrine nourishes are not merely individual, but corporate. Therefore, sound doctrine is essential for every aspect of the corporate lives of our churches.

This means that as we as individual Christians study sound doctrine, we should constantly apply what we learn in our local churches. And it means that pastors should faithfully nourish their flocks with sound doctrine, and should shape every aspect of their churches around sound doctrine. Doctrine isn’t just for a statement of faith that’s hidden away on a back page of a church website; it’s for sermons, small groups, personal conversations, prayers, songs, and more. Sound doctrine should course through our churches’ veins and nourish every aspect of our lives together.

This book has its roots in a Bible study I wrote called The Whole Truth about God: Biblical Theology.1 The contents have grown and evolved, but if you want to explore some of this material in a Sunday school or small-group context, you can check out that study.

We’ll begin in chapter 1 by establishing that sound doctrine is for life—the life of the church. Chapter 2 focuses on how sound doctrine shapes how we read and teach the Bible, both as individuals and in the church. The rest of the book examines five fruits in the life of the church that sound doctrine feeds and nourishes: holiness, love, unity, worship, and witness.

Are you ready? Good. Me too.

1The Whole Truth about God: Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012). This Bible study is part of a ten-volume set called the 9Marks Healthy Church Study Guides, all published by Crossway.

1

SOUND DOCTRINE IS FOR LIFE—THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH

I’ve always had a thing for maps. When I was a little kid and my family went on a road trip, I’d monitor our progress from the back seat, eagerly poring over the easel-sized Rand McNally Road Atlas that sprawled over my lap. Call me a nerd if you like, but it sure beat asking, “Are we there yet?” every five minutes.

Of course, the lines-on-paper variety aren’t the only useful kind of maps. We all make mental maps that help us do the things we need to do—like pick up groceries, run to Target, and drop off library books, all before the little one’s nap time—or do the things we love.

I love surfing (even though I currently live an appalling distance from the coast—in Kentucky!), and surfing is all about catching good waves. But finding good waves can be tricky. They are the product of a delicate interplay between swell direction, size, period (the distance between waves), tide, wind, shifting sandbars, and more. So a dedicated surfer constantly refines a mental map of where he or she will find the best and least crowded waves. For the region I grew up surfing in Northern California, the mental map readings sound something like this: A 10-foot northwest swell that’s washing out a northern pointbreak will be perfect for the inside section of a certain spot in town once the tide drops. And a negative low tide will drain the life out of the points on the east side, but it will awaken that fluky little reef around the corner. The payoff, of course, is good surf. Though the hunt is part of the fun, too.

Maps serve a very practical purpose: they help you get where you want to go. In fact, if you’ve got a good map and a sense of direction, you will basically never get lost. As I’ll occasionally remind my wife when a minor uncertainty arises concerning driving directions, I may not know what to do next, but I’m not lost—I know exactly where I am. (The Jamieson men are renowned, at least among ourselves, for our sense of direction.)

That’s one reason why I stubbornly refuse to use a GPS. It’s a useful tool in its place, but it’s no substitute for a map and a sense of direction. A map gives you the whole picture. It enables you to see far beyond the next freeway exit. And the very act of using a map helps you to make sense of where you are. But when you rely on a GPS, you’re wholly at the mercy of some disembodied voice named Stella telling you in her pseudo-British accent that, because of that last turn you just missed, she will now spend the next several minutes “recalculating” while you barrel blindly down the freeway. A map, on the other hand, tells you not just where to go, but where you are.

SOUND DOCTRINE IS GOD’S ROAD MAP FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

Now the point in what I am saying is this: God has given us a road map for living the Christian life, and that map is sound doctrine.

In an ultimate sense, the Bible itself is our map—and the lamp for our feet and light for our path (Ps. 119:105). But sound doctrine simply sums up the message of the Bible. It synthesizes whatever Scripture has to say about any given topic, whether that topic arises from Scripture or from life in the world. It’s like what English teachers sometimes say about new vocabulary words: you don’t know what a word means unless you can define it in your own words. You cannot just define a word with the same word. Doctrine is like this—it’s putting the Bible’s teaching on a particular topic in our own words. And doctrine is sound whenever our own words summarize the content of the Bible rightly or faithfully, like getting an A+ on a vocabulary quiz. In English class, you get an A+ whenever your words rightly or soundly reproduce the meaning of the vocabulary words.

So how exactly should we define “sound doctrine”? Here’s a working definition: