Sermon Tone Analysis

I’d like to take the opportunity to discuss a very foundational subject today: the subject of doctrine.

What is it?

We talk about doctrine of the Church.

Just what do we mean when we talk about doctrine?

What comes to your mind when we address the subject?

I would like to look at the perception of doctrine today, in terms of how the “Christian” world perceives doctrine, and in terms of what should be OUR perception, by the way in which God’s word presents doctrine.

The reason for this is that the end result of the two are diametrically opposed to one another.

To give you a little insight, I will flesh out two concepts that divide us from the rest of the world when it comes to understanding doctrine.

We are really going to deal with the most foundational aspect in terms of our calling.

How does the world define Christianity?

If one wants a simple explanation, it does so by the use of a creed.

“Creed” comes from the Latin; “belief.”

A “credo” is the first word of many of the creeds that have been translated into Latin.

It simply means “I believe.”

Christianity today is defined by creeds.

It is defined by what it BELIEVES, not by ACTION.

If you don’t believe me, read the Nicene Creed ...

 

“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of the Father, that is, of the substance [ousias] of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one substance [homoousion] with the Father, through whom all things came to be, those things that are in heaven and those things that are on earth, who for us men and for our salvation came down and was made flesh, and was made man, suffered, rose the third day, ascended into the heavens, and will come to judge the living and the dead.”

If you were going to become a member of a Christian denomination, in most cases before you were confirmed, you would have to be able to repeat that verbatim, without any glitches.

I have spoken to various people who have grown up in the Catholic background.

They have given me some interesting experiences of trying to learn, not necessarily the Nicene Creed, but the Apostles’ Creed; the way in which they had to get a particular percentage on the test before they could be considered a good Catholic.

Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans all went through that type of thing.

Many of you who grew up in the churches of the so-called “Christian” world, will probably find that you can cast your mind back to your own experiences.

Judging from the smiles on some peoples’ faces, you can remember it, oh so well!

Having been able to recount it, you were suddenly “a good Christian,” because you BELIEVED something.

Did you understand it?

Some of you are shaking your heads!

You were probably a teenager, and what teenager is interested in people being of the same substance, and the nuances between ousias on the one hand and homoousion on the other hand, etc, etc? It’s not the normal type of substance that teenagers tend to be interested in these days!

Christianity is defined by creeds, and not just the Nicene Creed.

Others have had an attempt at the Westminster Confession.

Here’s an interesting comment about the Westminster Confession from one of the luminaries of the evangelical Christian groups.

“[The Westminster] Confession was intended to amplify the Thirty-nine Articles, ... it is something of a masterpiece, “the ripest fruit of Reformation creed-making” as B. B. Warfield called it,” [Packer, J. I. Concise Theology : A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs].

Aren’t you glad you aren’t a Puritan, because this was the Puritan creed, and there were 39 articles!

All 39 are about as dense as the Nicene Creed but it was described as being the masterpiece, the ripest fruit of reformation creed making, as B. B. Warfield called it.

J. I. Packer is one of the luminaries of the Evangelical Christian movement.

So the Christian world defines itself in terms of creeds.

The Nicene Creed became a test for orthodoxy.

What is orthodoxy?

One of the Oxford Dictionaries defines “orthodox” as an adjective relating to the:

 

“Holding usual or accepted opinions, especially on religion, morals etc.”

If you accept and believe in the Nicene Creed, or the Apostles’ Creed, you are an orthodox.

You may not think of yourself that way.

Most people in the Methodist Church would not necessarily think of themselves as being orthodox, but in so far as they hold to a creed, they hold an accepted opinion.

They are, therefore, orthodox.

The Oxford dictionary has a second usage of the term:

 

“Generally approved, conventional /(orthodox medicine)/.

[The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English, © Oxford University Press 1996]

 

It is normally applied to the medical field.

They go on to show that it is derived from the noun “orthodoxy,” a Greek word.

“Ortho” means “right or correct,” and “doxa” is “opinion or thought.”

So the world defines itself in terms of orthodoxy which is a CORRECT OPINION.

You become a Christian by having a correct opinion, or you are a Christian because you have a RIGHT THOUGHT.

Your mind is constantly going back to the Nicene Creed, and plumbing the depths of it.

But every child who learned it forgot it as quickly as they possibly could, unless someone was standing over them with a form of reprimand to keep it in mind.

So the aspect of orthodoxy is a means by which Christianity defines itself.

We recently heard a lament from a lady in France relating to the lack of Christian education on television there.

At the same time, France has also introduced some draconian measures in terms of religion, so that everybody remains orthodox!

They won’t accept anything that is outside of orthodoxy, so to speak.

They want the French to all think the same way.

That’s the world.

We know how the world perceives Christianity in terms of orthodoxy.

What about us?

How do WE perceive Christianity?

To begin, let me make some statements for you in terms of doctrine, then we will come back and establish these from the Scripture.

*w The purpose of doctrine is to change the conduct of the individual, not just to provide a statement of belief.

*

* *

or:

 

*w Doctrine and the Bible exist to reveal the mind of God for us to emulate.

*

 

As I said, the view WE hold of doctrine is diametrically opposed to the world.

Our view of doctrine is that it is something you have to DO, not something you just have to THINK about when you are about to be tested on it.

Doctrine DEMANDS something of us.

Let’s have a look at these statements and see how they can be supported from God’s word.

Notice this example of Jesus Christ:

 

*/Matthew 7:28 /*/(King James Version) *And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:*/

*/ /*

Stop and think; what is the context of this verse?

Have you ever thought of the Sermon on the Mount as being doctrine?

Does it fit your CONCEPT of doctrine?

Most likely it doesn’t, but it fits the biblical definition of doctrine!

Some modern translations play a game with us:

 

*/Matthew 7:28 /*/(New King James Version) *And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,*/

*/ /*

*/Matthew 7:28 /*/(New Revised Standard Version) *Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,*/

*/ /*

We can accept the word “teaching,” but we don’t generally consider the Sermon on the Mount to be doctrine!

However that is wrong.

“Doctrine” IS an appropriate translation.

The word “doctrine” does not come from the Greek.

It actually comes from the Latin, “doctrina” which means “to teach.”

It’s not a statement.

It’s not a creed.

It is to do with TEACHING.

Another word may surprise you as well.

We normally think of a “doctor” in terms of someone who fixes things, mostly the human body.

But why did Luke talk about “doctors of the law” in chapters 2 and 5, and Acts 5? Why did Jesus’ mother and father find Him in the temple with the “doctors of the law” as the King James Version describes it?

The word “doctor” comes from the Latin “docere” which means “a teacher.”

The original concept of a doctor was not one who repairs things, but rather a teacher!

In the Greek the term that is translated “doctor” in the King James Version is “nomodidaskalov” (teacher of the law).

*Doctrine versus Teaching*

 

The concept of teaching is central to the aspect of doctrine.

“Doctrine” or “teaching” is exactly the same word in the New Testament.

There’s no word in the New Testament that conveys the conception of doctrine as it is understand by the “Christian” world at this point in time.

It doesn’t exist!

I will show you a little later how some people TRY to get there.