Baby Steps

When parents teach their children to walk, their goal is firmness. They want to see their child standing with stability. They want the child to achieve strong legs, coordination, and stability.

A pastor also strives for firmness with each person he teaches. A good pastor will aim at attaining stability in the sheep he shepherds—but not somatic stability. He doesn’t seek physical firmness. Rather, he seeks firmness in the Faith. Paul was one of those pastors, and he spoke this way:

Not that we lord over your Faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by the Faith you stand firm (2 Corinthians 1:23-24).

We capitalized the word Faith twice in the passage above. That’s because there is a big difference between saving faith and the Faith. Can you tell the difference? The passage above is about the Faith--the one with a capital F. The passage has nothing to do with saving faith. Saving faith is complete trust in Christ--for example, the kind of trust a new believer demonstrates in their baptism.

The Faith

So, what is the Faith? It’s the set of doctrines the Christian Church received from the apostles. It includes:

1. the doctrine of repentance

2. the doctrine of faith in God

3. the doctrine of baptisms

4. the doctrine of anointings

5. the doctrine of the Resurrection from the Dead, and

6. the doctrine of eternal judgment.
   

If you are clear on these six doctrines, you will stand firm, and hold your ground like a soldier. It's by these doctrines, the Faith, that you stand firm.

We read about these six teachings of the apostles throughout the New Testament, but there is a very special list which enumerates them in Hebrews chapter 6. The author of Hebrews calls these six doctrines the foundations.

… not laying again 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).

The Faith

The passage we’re dealing with today states that by the Faith we stand firm. To be precise, it says '... it is by the Faith you stand firm' (2 Corinthians 1:23-24).

The original Greek has a direct article in front of the word Faith. That is, it says the Faith. Paul was not talking about saving faith here. He was talking about sound doctrine. Speaking of the doctrine of the apostles, another apostle said:

… contend earnestly for the Faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3; NKJV).

Winds of Doctrine

Spiritual maturity comes by being grounded in sound doctrine. That’s what Paul meant when he spoke of being firm. Once we become established in sound doctrine, we cannot be shaken. When a believer gains a mastery of sound doctrine, he becomes spiritually stable. He’s not carried away by every wind of doctrine.

Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastor-teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the Faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of doctrine and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming (Ephesians 4:11-14).

Giving Time and Space

Notice that Paul says that he and his companions did not lord over the Corinthian’s faith. He said: 'Not that we lord over your Faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by the Faith you stand firm' (2 Corinthians 1:24).

What does Paul mean by this? He meant that he wasn’t bossy about the doctrine that the Corinthians held to. He gave them time and space to discover the Truth. All pastors should behave likewise. We have to let the Holy Spirit lead God’s people into all Truth. We cannot lord over them by shoving sound doctrine down their throats.

… when he, the Spirit of Truth, has come, he will guide you into all Truth (John 16:13).

Paul insisted that it was through the Christian Faith—the doctrines passed down to us by the apostles—that the Corinthians would stand firm. How about your church? Is it firm in sound doctrine?

Have you discovered the sound doctrine yet? Have you committed to it? If you’ve believed in sound doctrine already, has it strengthened you and made you firm?

Maybe you need more time and space to commit to sound doctrine. If so, invite the Holy Spirit to lead you. Give him the role of Teacher in your life. He’ll take you there. He specializes in leading us to all Truth.

… the Anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as the Anointing teaches you about all things and as the Anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as he [the Spirit] has taught you, remain in him [Jesus] (1 John 2:27).