“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”
Doctrine is defined as “teaching or instruction;” and usually refers “to a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief.” In religion, doctrine sets the boundaries on which the belief system is based. For Christianity all Doctrine must be based on the Word of God.
II Timothy 3:16-17 and II Peter 1:20-21 clearly teach that the Bible is not a invention of man, but is Divinely inspired - originating from God not men, inerrant - being found without error, and infallible - without mistakes; making it the only source and norm for truth. In other words, all teachings and beliefs are to be rooted in and taken from the Bible alone. No other source should be used, and when a thought, belief, or teaching is held up against the Bible and found to disagree; it must be rejected and disregarded.
Throughout the New Testament, believers are encouraged to hold on to “Sound Doctrine” or “healthy, uncorrupted truth and teaching.” In II Timothy 1:13-14 we are called to “keep as the pattern of sound teaching” and I Timothy 4:16 “watch your life and doctrine closely.” I Timothy 6:3 warns that anyone who teaches false doctrine (something that doesn’t agree with the Word of God) doesn't agree with Jesus Christ.
We are to weigh all teachings by God’s Word; carefully watching what is being taught and what we believe is rooted in the Word of God. This will keep us from being swayed away from false teachers and will enable us to oppose those who teach it. All true and sound doctrine is always rooted in and taken from the written Word of God, the Bible.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
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