The Doctrine of Christ
II John 9-11 – “Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the Doctrine of Christ, has not God. (The ‘Doctrine of Christ’ is in brief ‘the Cross.’ If one leaves the Cross, one transgresses, and no longer has the Lord, which means that the soul will be lost if such direction is continued.) He who abides in the Doctrine of Christ, he has Both the Father and the Son (Gal. 5:1-6).
“If there come any unto you, and bring not this Doctrine (Jesus Christ and Him Crucified), receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed (to receive such shows acceptance):
“For he who bids him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. (To help or finance false Apostles makes the person doing such a part of the false doctrine, which is serious indeed!)”
John begins this letter to “the elect lady.” This states that she was a Christian woman of some prominence. The word “lady” in the Greek is “Kunia,” it is the feminine form of “Kurios,” which means “lord master.” It was a common name in those days. It is the Greek form of the name “Martha.”
It is believed she was a devout Christian who lived near Ephesus and from the wording of the Text, it appears that her home was a meeting place for a church and, as well, she probably was the pastor.
WOMEN IN CHURCH
It should be obvious from the accounts given in the New Testament that the Holy Spirit makes no distinction between men and women in the Work of God other than what Paul said in Ephesians 5:22-24: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the Church: and He is the Saviour of the Body. Therefore as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” But that submission only goes as far as that which is Scriptural.
Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Some claim that it is not proper for a woman to preach, however, the Bible does not bear that out. Peter, quoting the Prophet Joel in Acts 2:17 said, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your DAUGHTERS shall prophesy.” The truth is, whatever men can do, as it regards Work for the Lord, women can do as well, as there is no discrimination in the Bible. However, there is one caveat to that. Nowhere in the New Testament do we read of women being called Apostles. As well, I do believe as it regards pastoring a church, I feel it would be better for a man to fill that position; however, sometimes a man is not available.
“LET YOUR WOMEN KEEP SILENCE IN THE CHURCHES”
I Corinthians 14:34 says, “. . . for it is not permitted unto them to speak. . .” This is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. One must understand the context of Paul’s statement. For Paul also would write in I Corinthians 11:5, “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth. . .” The word “Prophesieth” in the Greek is “prophetaia,” and means to predict or foretell or “to serve God as an inspired speaker.” This one verse tells us that women can prophesy, preach, or teach, for prophesying is preaching. The Bible speaks of Prophetesses’ in Exodus 15:20, Judges 4:4, II Kings 22:14, II Chronicles 34:22, Isaiah 8:3, and Luke 2:36. There are many women mentioned in the Bible as preachers, such as Miriam, Deborah, Anna, and Philip’s daughters.
Paul’s statement concerning I Corinthians 14:34 had reference to the fact that in the Early Church, which was then almost exclusively Jewish, the men sat at one side of the room and the women on the other. Many of the women were not very educated and knowing nothing but the Law of Moses were calling out to their husbands as Paul was trying to teach, asking their husbands what Paul was meaning, so Paul was just saying wait until you get home and ask, don’t disrupt the Service. If we are to take Paul literally, then the moment a woman walks into church they would not be able to speak to anyone, sing, or pray. So let’s use wisdom and appreciate the role of women in the Church.
“MANY DECEIVERS ARE ENTERED INTO THE WORLD”
In II John, Verse 7, John warns us of deceivers in the Church. The word “deceiver” here means “fraudulent,” one who is a “fraud,” one who misrepresents himself, one who pretends to be one thing or teach that which they say is correct, but is, in fact, false, a false teacher who leads the Church into heresies. These fraudulent teachers function with the help of seducing spirits, teaching doctrines of devils. They boast great revelations, at times there is even some supposed manifestations taking place, intending to prove they are God’s men. But don’t forget Pharaoh’s magicians produced manifestations, but they were not men of God.
John was so adamant about not tolerating false prophets, that it is said of John that while visiting a public bathhouse he saw Cerinthus, a noted false teacher, and crying aloud stood up and shouted, “Let us flee, lest the building fall; for the foe of truth is within.” Now listen to me, if the preacher you are sitting under is not preaching the Cross in all its fullness, he is a “foe of truth.”
WHAT IS DOCTRINE?
In the Greek, “doctrine” means “instruction,” or “teaching,” as it regards a specific matter. It is a “principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief.” “Doctrine” is fundamental truths of the Bible arranged in systematic form. “Bible Doctrine” is God’s Revelation of truth as found in Scripture.
Myer Pearlman, a noted Bible scholar, said:
“It is often said that it does not matter what a man believes so long as he does right. This is one way of dismissing doctrine as having no importance in relationship to life. But every person has a theology or doctrine whether he knows it or not; man’s actions are influenced by what he believes.”
D.C. Hodge, another Bible scholar, said:
“Let no man think error in doctrine a slight practical evil. No road to perdition has ever been more thronged than that of false doctrine. Error is a shield over the conscience, and a bandage over the eyes.”
WHAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST?
Simply put it is, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
The Doctrine of Christ pertains to:
- Who Christ is; and,
- What Christ has done.
Who “He is” is God. He is God manifest in the flesh, which means He is “very God and very Man.” He is the Living Word Who was made flesh, “Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world,” John the Baptist would proclaim.
What He did was to die on Calvary’s Cross to atone for man’s sin. The Blood of the Law (lambs, bulls, goats, and turtledoves) couldn’t take away sin but only cover man’s sin. But one drop of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, could and did take away all sin, past, present, and future.
That’s the Doctrine of Christ, not silver or gold and baubles that will better no one, but the Cross, man’s Redemption from sin is, was, and shall ever be the only Doctrine that can save mankind.
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