ANY OTHER THING. 1st Timothy 1:10. "Sound doctrine," "sound words," "sound in faith," and "sound speech" are terms used to promote healthy truth, much like a medical term. Certain actions we take encourage good health, and similarly, these actions foster spiritual health in God's people. Sound doctrine relates to the teaching we provide. It is not just correct doctrine but a "sound" doctrine - and there is a difference. Correct doctrine can be held in an unhealthy soul and in the wrong way. Some people "held the truth in unrighteousness." Sound doctrine is health-promoting teaching that leads to healthy saints who cultivate godliness in their lives and walk.
Instructed believers can say, "We know" the law and its purpose. It is our conscience that "we know" with. This idea appears 21 times in Paul’s epistles. Six times, it is used in the pastoral epistles. It condemns us when we do wrong. It approves when we do right. These teachers are contrasted with false teachers who only speculate about fables and genealogies. There is nothing wrong with the law itself, but when used improperly or for the wrong reasons, it produces harmful results. The law referred to in verse 8 identifies the Ten Commandments, closely matching the words of the commandments that condemn lawbreakers.
The proper use of the law is for the lawless, who blatantly disregard God's will. The rebellious are disobedient individuals, reflecting the attitudes and actions of law-breakers. The ungodly show no reverence for God, and their conduct makes this clear. This is the obvious condition of sinners who fail to meet God's standard of righteousness and intentionally break the law. Their words and character corrupt the unholy. The profane reject sacred things, and the law condemns both them and their actions.
The following five descriptions closely align with the last five laws. They include those who strike their parents, individuals who commit all forms of homicide, those involved in various sexual sins, thieves (including kidnappers), and people who lie under oath and commit perjury.
Symptoms of declining and poor spiritual health include people who are too exhausted for God's work and thus do not attend the assembly meetings. They seem to lack the energy to help during meetings, participate, or preach the Gospel. Their desire for spiritual nourishment is diminishing; sometimes, it is completely gone. Instead, they suffer from a serious case of "itching ears." Finding fault and engaging in contentious behavior become challenges for those trying to help them. For some reason, those with failing spiritual health know what is wrong with everyone else but fail to see their own true condition.
In contrast, "sound (health-giving) doctrine" emphasizes the words of our Lord Jesus Christ [1 Tim.6:3]. In the book of Matthew alone, the fourfold message of Jesus teaches the principles of "The King and His kingdom" [Mat.4:7 - 11:27], "The Master and His disciples" [11:28 - 16:16], "The Church and the Cross" [16:17 - 8:15], and "The Gospel and the world" [28:16-20]. We learn from Him how to be content with food and clothing, avoid the pitfalls of wealth, and instead be ready to give. He showed us how to build a strong foundation for life and speak wholesome words. His teachings are clear, positive, and life-changing rather than controversial, confusing, or divisive. Those who practice this health-giving doctrine can genuinely experience its benefits, giving them personal knowledge of what they teach, and giving their words greater weight.
Sound doctrine will sometimes reprove, rebuke, and give exhortations in its message. It is free from quibbling over trivial matters and legalistic opinions that people create to promote themselves and their work. Sound doctrine unfolds the Gospel, revealing God's holiness and who He is in Himself—"The Blessed God." It unveils God's power, love, grace, mercy, and majesty. How different sound doctrine is from teachings that misuse the law and its purpose!
This list is long, but I am aware of many other things that go against sound doctrine. People don’t think about those issues because they are involved in them. For many, what they have done isn't considered a crime because “everybody does it,” and to them, that justifies it. But what about excessively high prices or changing standard prices when people need to buy supplies they can’t get elsewhere, and they believe you're helping them like a brother would?
What about a preacher who tells you you’re okay before God if you give him money and try to “toe the line”? Just trust him with what you have, and he’ll take care of your soul. A merciful God will overlook the sin and make you acceptable. What about those who lead us and are supposed to show a better way to live and train our children? “Just let the children have their say” are their instructions to you, but all the time, they seek to take over full control of your labor and life and seek your soul.
What about those who teach our children in schools and steer them away from the truths of the Bible that we have shared with them from their earliest days? Through their actions and words, they claim authority and rights over our children, influenced by the training they've received from modern-day psychologists who think they have all the answers but overlook the real problems. They weaken our children’s faith in God and the long-standing faith we have taught through the holy scriptures, while also deceiving them into believing false doctrines rooted in human ideas and imaginations.
Not everyone whose teaching contradicts sound doctrine ends up in prison. Much false teaching comes from neighbors like ours who do not believe in God and have no time for faith in the Bible or a living God. God permits them to live freely each day but they ignore His free grace.