A while back I lost one of my good hearing aids. Finances were a bit tight, so I bought a set advertised in a magazine. Unfortunately, they aren’t very good. They do amplify sound, but I still am unclear at times on the words spoken. They also do not fit as well as the old ones and make my ears “itchy” after a few hours wearing them. I take them off early in the evening when I can, and Bob and I just shout “What?” at each other a lot.
That had me thinking about Paul’s admonition in 2 Timothy 4. “Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.” [2 Timothy 4:2-4 HCSB]
2 Timothy 4 is an interesting chapter to read. From what we know, these may be the final written words of Paul to not just Timothy, but to the church. Often the final thoughts of a great person’s life hold wonderful truth and meaning.
Paul warned the church that a time was coming (and has certainly arrived) when people would not want to hear sound doctrine. Instead, they will want religious novelties and things that neither challenge nor offend.
Sound doctrine often offends. It offends our old fallen-flesh nature. The old fallen-flesh nature neither wants to be convicted of sin, nor does it want to repent. It wants to gather around preachers who tell it what it wants to hear.
I read an article titled, “How We Moved from Theological to Therapeutic Preaching.” Just the title got me thinking!
And yes, there are some churches that do not teach sound doctrine – theological peaching. Instead, they give people what their itching ears desire. Therapeutic preaching that makes them feel good and never offends. Paul’s warning could not be more relevant for today.
Let’s make sure we are in a church that teaches and preaches sound doctrine.
