Sound teaching
“Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:13
Living the Christian life doesn’t come naturally to any of us. We all need teaching to help us to live for Christ. However, there’s a problem with the word ‘teaching’ – it tends to make us think about classrooms and exams.
We might be tempted to think that there is a textbook somewhere with the answers to every question of the Christian life. But there isn’t. The teaching that we need is intensely practical. You may have a complete understanding of every biblical passage about love, but if you are not loving then you have missed the point.
You may be able to offer a very good definition of faith, but if you don’t exercise faith then it will do you no good. Paul believed that there was a core of Christian teaching that was absolutely crucial, but knew that that teaching needed to be shaped by the faith and love that Timothy had experienced since he met Christ.
The teaching that Paul speaks about here is “wholesome”. Other versions of the Bible refer to it as “sound” – a word which has a medical background. It refers to teaching that is healthy and brings life. We all need that kind of teaching to enable us to live faithfully for Christ in a world where many of the issues we face were totally unknown to Paul and Timothy.
Our world of air travel (and even space travel), internet connection, nuclear fission and DNA is a far cry from the first century. And yet the core, sound teaching hasn’t changed. The heart of that teaching is the declaration that Jesus is Lord. However much the world has changed, that stays the same.
Paul tells Timothy to hold on to this pattern of sound teaching, and we desperately need the same today. That’s absolutely fundamental to our spiritual health.
QUESTION
Where do you receive the sound teaching that you need?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, help me today to live according to the sound teaching that I have received. Amen