A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®

We live in a time and age where alot passes for Christianity that the early church would outrightly have called heretical or even pagan. A cross-sectional look at the state of the pulpit shows…

Churches today are suffering spiritually, both because of false doctrine and because of other doctrine, that is, ideas and activities which are far removed from God’s revealed will. So much of what we hear from modern Christian ministries is not necessarily wrong in itself, but a distraction from the core of the apostolic message, and to the degree it diverts us from the most important truths, it really is “contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:10). Ironically, in the name of relevance, Christian pulpits and presses and media spew forth many things completely irrelevant to the nature of God and man, the plight of sinners without Christ, and the way of salvation through Him. Doctrine itself is generally despised, and an appreciation for accurate gospel doctrine is rare. Weak and sickly churches glory in having no doctrinal statement and being nondenominational, or having one vague enough for every professing Christian to agree. This is not fringe evangelicalism, but its impoverished mainstream…

A biblical church is a fellowship of Christians, and the core of what holds us all together, despite many differences superficial in comparison, is the person and work of Jesus Christ or gospel doctrine. The first local church at Jerusalem is thus characterized by Luke: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” (Acts 2:42), linking these two. The “apostles’ doctrine” is the teaching that distinguished their message from others, and any study of the apostolic gospels and epistles and apocalypse, indeed, of their preaching focus seen throughout the whole book of Acts, our inspired church history, reveals that it centered upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul testified of the apostles’ doctrine this way, “We preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1:23), and “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). ~D. Scott Meadows

Excerpt from The Non-Negotiable Centrality of Gospel Doctrine. [HT Refocusing our Eyes]