Answers for Pastors

Why is sound doctrine essential for the unity of the church?

9Marks

Sound doctrine is essential for the unity of the church because the only true unity is unity in the truth (1 Jn. 1:1-4; 2 Jn. 10-11).

Think about it. Without sound doctrine the church will be a jumbled mess of everyone’s personal beliefs. If the church without sound doctrine is united, it will either be united around whimsical sentiment or an explicit untruth. In either case:

Why is sound doctrine essential for the health of the church?

9Marks

Sound doctrine is essential for the health of the church because the church will always listen to someone, and it will always follow whoever it listens to. The only question is, will a church follow God or Satan? Will it confess the truth or lies? Will it uphold sound doctrine or false teaching?

To be specific, sound doctrine is essential for:

How does inattention to sound doctrine kill churches?

9Marks
Inattention to sound doctrine is inattention to the gospel. The gospel is doctrine. It is a proclamation about God, our sin, Christ’s saving, substitutionary death and resurrection, and the human need to repent of sin and trust in Christ.

What priority do the authors of the New Testament give to sound doctrine?

9Marks

The authors of the New Testament constantly argue that sound doctrine is of first importance.

9Marks says “biblical theology” is one of the marks of a healthy church. What’s meant by “biblical theology”?

9Marks

The term “biblical theology” can be used in two ways:

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