Doctrine Matters, Jesus Matters

I did not like Symphony for the Devil, by the Rolling Stones, when it first came out. However, I have come to appreciate how accurate this song is. In it, Satan takes credit for bringing Communism to Russia and for the atrocities of World War II, among other things.  

 

The devil is doing his best to mess up God’s civil world, sometimes referred to, “God’s left hand.”

 

Today’s reading is 1Timothy 4. Paul, on a mission trip, is advising Timothy. Timothy was filling in for Paul and leading the church at Ephesus. Paul wants Timothy to be an effective leader.

Let’s focus on two passages, 4:1 and 4:16a. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits …. Watch  ...  your doctrine closely …”

 

Paul describes Gnosticism to Timothy. Gnostics believed that material things were bad and spiritual things were good. They also believed that special knowledge was necessary for eternal life, not faith. That is, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection mean nothing – it is knowledge that saves.

 

False doctrine exists today. It is in the civil world, and sometimes even within the church.  The devil has been trying to mess up God’s spiritual world, sometimes referred to as, “God’s right hand,” for a long time.

 

In Symphony for the Devil, Satan is also espousing false doctrine.  He says, “all the sinners are saints.” The actual theology is, “all the saints are sinners.”


Is this an honest mistake done by a dyslexic devil? Hardly. It is an intentional statement meant to discredit Christ!

 

This subtle error, if left unchecked, has ripple effects throughout the church. If all the sinners were saints, then there would be no need for the church to spread the Gospel. There would be no mission for the church. The need for God-given faith disappears. Our sins would not matter. And if our sins do not matter then Jesus' life, death and resurrection do not matter.

 

False doctrine takes us away from Jesus. It often makes us feel like we control our own destiny. It ultimately leads us to the devil, who wants to “lay your soul to waste.”

 

Doctrine matters. Jesus matters.