What’s More Important: Doctrine or Practicality?

I recently talked to a man of God who said, “I have never cared to look into the doctrine of soul sleep. Sometimes we can get so theological (in other words so caught up in doctrine) that we lose sight of what’s important: a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Is this a fair or accurate statement? Is looking into the doctrine of soul sleep distinguishable from your relationship with God? I think not. I and probably most people would not care to study what the Bible has to say about the after life (soul sleep) without Christ.

This statement also fails to recognize that God has specifically enabled certain believers with a hunger for the truth of the Word and then to use this truth to teach others. If God were not to give certain believers this hunger for the truth of the Word, how could we ever fulfill 2 Timothy 4:1-3:

“¹ I[Paul] charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus…²preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound^[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”

Do you see what Paul is charging us with? He is charging us with God as his witness to be ready at all times (in and out of season) with true teaching. In the future, people will not endure sound teaching. Does God care about sound teaching? Does God care if we know the truth? Or is this underneath His desire to have a relationship with His children? Certainly not! God doesn’t want your relationship with Him to be based off falsity, but truth.
John 4:23:
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

What is the Lord seeking? Is he seeking people to just worship him? Or to worship him in spirit and in truth? How do we discover such truths? Doctrine! Doctrine is not outside of our relationship with the Father and Son; it is an absolute necessity.

So how does this relate to an issue such as soul sleep? Jesus constantly talks about the hope to come. All of Christianity is based on the concept of the resurrection, i.e salvation. Is salvation in this life or the next? Therefore, understanding fully the hope to come is important. Lastly, if you want to declare for or against soul sleep you should be sure that your doctrine is correct, for James 3:1 declares:
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

God gives a greater strictness for those who teach the Word of God, because he is concerned with doctrine. He doesn’t want teachers misleading believers into worshiping God in falsity. See again that Paul prays for the Colossians in verses 1:9-10:

…[I] pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

He asked the Lord to fill his Colossian saints with knowledge of his will in all spiritual understanding (doctrine). Why? To fill us up with knowledge and not work? To become walking libraries? Absolutely not! The Word of the Lord says this knowledge or doctrine results in, or is supposed to result in, walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him. Notice that knowledge not only equips the believer to bear fruit in every good work, but it also is an end-state in and of itself “increasing in the knowledge of God.”

God wants his saints to learn about him; to care about him; to love him with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength,” — Matthew 22:37/ Mark 12:30/Luke 10:27

Doctrine is not about you. It is about the Lord almighty. The problem with so many Christians today is they are so wrapped up with themselves. They will not subconsciously confuse this. It is a practical reality for them– that they themselves are the center of gravity and God revolves around them. This could not be more wrong. God is the world and we are nothing more than a detail held within. The sun is a typology of God; the dust particle revolving around the sun is a typology of us humans.

This is God’s world and we are simply here to give God glory. Being filled with a mind full of knowledge of Him, and hands full of work for Him should be the goal we all strive for. Doctrine doesn’t take us away from the Lord, it only brings us closer.

Repentance: Change of the Mind or Change of Action?

The word of God states in Ezekiel 18:30:
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.
In Matthew 4:17 Jesus says “ … Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These are just a few of the many verses God speaks directly about repentance. God is very concerned about His people repenting of their evil actions, thoughts, and ways. This is a truth that, I believe, has fallen by the wayside in today’s Christian culture. I seldom hear Christians speak about repentance. I only hear, “believe and that’s all you need.” Is this a true statement? I would say yes and no.

I agree with Martin Luther and the reformers that your are saved by grace alone, through faith alone. Amen, hallelujah! However, we must remember the caveat that they place on this statement that is so often excluded: “I believe in faith alone, but not a faith that is alone,” – Martin Luther.

What did he mean by a faith that is not alone? At first glance, it appears that Martin Luther is merely contradicting himself. However, after careful examination, one sees that Martin Luther was speaking about a great paradox in the bible.

James says that faith without works is dead. Faith needs works to be alive or existent. You, however, don’t need faith plus works. They are invariably interwoven. If you have faith without works, then the reality is that you don’t have faith at all. See James illustrates this in 3:15-17:
¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good^[b] is that? ¹⁷So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Take note to what James is saying: that faith without works is like a man saying go in peace and be warmed and filled without actually doing anything for him. This is ridiculous. This is not true concern or charity. This “concern” or “charity” lacks consistency. There is no substance found within.

This is how faith without works is. It lacks validity. How can you say Jesus is Lord, and not do his will (works). How can you say Lord not my will but your will be done (works) and do only your own? You my friend have a dead faith, which will produce nothing.

Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 7:21:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven

What is Jesus saying here? He clearly states that not everyone who professes faith (Lord, Lord) is truly saved. It’s not the one who professes to have faith and has no works, but the one who does the Father’s will.

Can you do the Father’s will and not believe in him? Of course not. As Martin Luther said, “Faith alone, but not a faith that is alone.” How much works do you have to have? There is no such requirement given in scripture. If you truly have faith in Jesus Christ, you will be born again, and your new redeemed person will have works.

One of these works that will result from your new redeemed life is repentance. God will give you not only the desire, but also the power to repent of your former ways. Philippians 2:12 :
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

So who then is doing the work? Is it you or is it God? The Word of the Lord says it is God. So whether it is faith (Ephesian 2:8 …it is a gift from God…) or your work (Philippians 2:12 …it is God who works…) it all comes from the Lord. Therefore, if you are in Christ, you will have no problem doing Jesus’ command, “to believe and repent,” for both of these things will be given to you.

This is all, however, God’s perspective. Man’s perspective is that you need to believe and repent — work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Don’t let any tradition of man rob you from the truth. It is not enough to simply believe. You must believe and repent, for this is true faith — the former will only get you to Matthew 7:21 “…Lord, Lord…” The latter will bring you to Revelation 21:1 “…a new earth and the new Heaven… “