Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
Christians, most importantly pastors, are called by God to know and teach sound doctrine. This is one of the foundations of strong Biblical churches that guides and grows the next generation of Christians from an early age. God’s Word warns us that some pastors will incorrectly handle God’s truth leading to false doctrines, heresy, or weak and anemic Christians.
I recently read and recommend this article by Jim Elliff, “Why Do Some Pastors Deliberately Avoid Teaching Their Church Doctrine?” In it, Elliff uses the phrase, “unintentional doctrinal imprecision.” Great term! He goes on to say what to some is “unintentional,” to many is “intentional.” Pastors learn quickly that many people tend to shy away from sound doctrine, but instead gravitate toward pastors and churches that feed them junk food about positive thinking, new age philosophy, pop psychology, and liberal theology. These pastors don’t preach and teach sound doctrine, but tickle people’s ears with worldly enticements of what they want to hear. The Apostle Paul warns of this in 2 Timothy 4:3:
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.
Instead, pastors who are called by God to shepherd the flock of God must preach the full counsel of God and present themselves to God “rightly handling the word of truth.” This charge from God is found in 2 Timothy 2:1-2:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Most pastors receive this charge at the time of their ordination – I know I did. The charge is a command from our Lord Jesus Christ to further the Kingdom of God through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. From the time of the early church, pastors were called to preach the truth of God’s Word, and nothing but the truth of God’s Word, to equip followers of Christ for the work of the Kingdom.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God is complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Many Christians are spiritually weak today because the teaching and preaching in the church is weak. There is too much “unintentional” and “intentional doctrinal imprecision.” However, Christians grow strong in their faith from God’s Word and God’s Word is sound doctrine. Today more than ever, Christians, and most importantly pastors, must have the conviction and courage to be intentional about “doctrinal precision.”
May God bless you with His grace, love, and truth!