Continue Steadfast

Today’s lesson is to encourage you to remain true to the Faith (Acts 14:22). But first, let's ask whether you are even in the Faith. Are you?

The Faith is sound doctrine, the official teachings of the Apostles. Are you in it, or are you someone who prefers hearing sermonettes for Christianettes? Do you prefer "Christianity lite" over the original version of Christianity, the one first-century believers would die for?

More than anything else, the first church ‘continued steadfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles’ (Acts 2:42; NASB). Did you know that doctrine was their number one commitment?

If you’re firm in the set of truths the Church has inherited from the Apostles, you’ll be spiritually sound, and you will remain spiritually healthy. You won’t slip into error, heresy, or apostasy as many have already done.

Sound doctrine will become more and more important as we draw closer to the Return of Christ. Jesus’ most famous warning for the Last Times is that we not be deceived! In order to avoid deception, you'll need to be firm in the Truth. You'll need sound doctrine.

Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5).

Growing and Maturing

If you’ve had some years in sound doctrine, you should be able to state what it is, and you should be able to teach it. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews was growing impatient with the congregation of the Hebrews because they were not maturing in the sound doctrine. They were not growing, so he rebuked them by saying:

… though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food (Hebrews 5:12).

So, what about you? Can you state what sound doctrine is? How long have you been in it? Should you now be able to teach it? Are you growing and maturing? Have you moved on to meat, or are you still drinking spiritual milk?

A Success Story

Thank God the churches founded by Paul, Silas, and Timothy were true to the Faith. They didn’t drift away from it, but were what we might call “faithful to the Faith.” Their congregations followed sound doctrine in the same manner Paul and his team presented it to them. Those churches didn’t deviate from the Truth.

The churches founded by Paul didn’t let their doctrine become contaminated or corrupted. Ephesus was one of those churches Paul founded. Jesus praises them because they uncovered the false doctrine of men who came to them claiming to be apostles. The Ephesians had a low tolerance for false teachers. Jesus said to them:

I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false (Revelation 2:2).

So the Ephesian church is a success story. They fought against the supposed “apostles” who came to them. They revealed the false teaching of those wicked people. When was the last time you have found a teacher to be false?

The only way to fight for sound doctrine is to argue. You've got to debate people. Most churches today don't allow any time for questions, but the early Church was a forum in which people were allowed to question preaching. Dialogue was encouraged.

Keep What You Have

As they did with the Ephesians, Paul and his missionary team encouraged all the churches they founded to remain true to the Faith.

Then they [Paul, Silas, and Timothy] returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch—strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the Faith (Acts 14:21-22).

How do we remain true to the Faith? Well, nobody can remain true to something they don’t already have. A believer must first possess the Faith if he will remain true to it. Do you possess it?

Two Definitions of the Faith

How does the Bible define the Faith? The best definition of the Faith, the sound doctrine, is here in Hebrews 6:

… the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the Dead, and of eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:1-2; NKJV).

In this passage we see that sound doctrine, the seven foundations or "fundamentals" consists of: 1. repentance from sin, 2. faith in God, 3. how to be baptized in water, 4. the baptism in the Spirit, 5. the laying on of hands, 6. the Resurrection, and 7. the Judgment. These are seven doctrines we need to understand--and we need to know them experientially too. That is, each of them is real. You need to participate in them sooner or later.

The second best definition of the Faith is in Ephesians 3, where we find the Faith among the seven great Truths Paul preached. We understand the Faith in that passage from its context. You find it among another six Truths. Those six Truths buttress the Faith.

Those Truths include the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They also include the Kingdom, the Church, and Holy Spirit baptism, which is equivalent to the new birth (Ephesians 4:3-6). So the Faith is a Truth on the same level as the other six Truths on this list.

Since all sound doctrine emanates from a knowledge of these seven Truths, you must know them. We call them the Seven Realities. Anyone who loves Truth will cherish them, and will think rightly with the enlightenment they give.

Faithful to the Faith

Let’s say you’ve proven that you’re in the Faith. Congratulations—but it won’t be enough. You haven't done God's will unless you have remained true to the Faith. Is it enough for a man to get married to a woman? Is a wedding ceremony enough to bless his new bride? No. The man must be faithful to his wife. All else is worthless if he does not remain true. If he loves another women secretly or cheats on his wife, the wedding ceremony, the ring, and even their children will fall under a curse.

But if a husband keeps his affections focused on his wife, and remains true to her, the memory of their wedding day, the ring, and the children are blessed. Likewise, if you have committed to the Faith, you have only begun. The long road of faithfulness lies ahead of you, and you will be tested! As certain as any man is tested in the area of faithfulness, so will you be tested by God to see if you’ll remain true to the Faith.

False doctrines, apostate teachings, human theologies, and fake Christianity [often taking the form of empty traditions] attempt to seduce us from the Faith. There’s only one correct response to these temptations: to be faithful to the Faith.

We’ll only finish what we started if we continue in the teachings of Christ. That’s what makes us true disciples. That’s what makes us alive. If you remain in the Word, you remain in Christ.

Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed him, ‘If you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples’ (John 8:31-32; NASB).

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:4-7).

Treasure the Treasure

If we treasure the Faith and hold it dear, it’s because we understand its great value. Do you understand the value of sound doctrine? Most people who have come out from the tutelage of a false teacher will appreciate sound doctrine—they have come to understand how precious it is. They are like a person who has spent a long time in the dark and finally come into the light.

If you esteem sound doctrine as you should, you’ll be willing to pay any price for it. You will treasure the treasure. You'll embrace the light.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field (Matthew 13:44).

Once a truly wise person has found the Truth, and they have obtained sound doctrine, they will cling to it. Because they paid a high price (by losing friends and being disenfranchised from their previous fellowship or family) they realize how valuable sound doctrine is—and they will not be bought. They cannot be bribed or otherwise compromised. They will not sell out!

Buy the Truth and do not sell it (Proverbs 23:23).

If you have found the Faith, you have found a veritable treasure. What’s the first thing that a man does when he finds a treasure? He hides it. He rightly loses confidence in everyone around him. He stops trusting in his friends. He knows that anyone might try to steal his treasure from him, so he hides it.

A man who finds a treasure does not speak of that treasure (lest his friends betray him to obtain it). You too must be careful. Carnal people among your family and friends may attempt to take your sound doctrine away from you.

When a scientist discovers a new principle of physics or an inventor creates an invention that increases production or manufacturing—they will use all legal means to protect their work. They’ll get patents and they’ll publish their discoveries in scientific journals. They use the means they have at their disposal to protect their discovery.

You also, protect what has been given to you!

Do Not Conform, Transform

If you hear preaching that contradicts the Fundamentals, how do you react? Do you stand against it? Will you question it? Will you challenge it? A believer who is true to the God, the God who inspired the Faith, will demonstrate his disapproval. It’s not easy to remain true to the Faith, but to what else will we remain faithful?

There are many lies being preached in churches everywhere, tempting us intellectually. Will you allow your mind to conform to those lies, or will you resist? There is confusion and ambiguity in worship music, tempting us emotionally. Do you sing those songs or do you question them? We’re being tempted intellectually and emotionally all the time. The Devil is attacking our minds and our hearts. He does not want us to remain true to the Faith.

If you’re going to remain true to what you have learned, you’ll need perseverance. Do not be conformed to the World. Rather, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The key is remaining in the Word of God. Read it every day. Pray over it. Make sure you know its teachings.

… do not be conformed to this World, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).