Have you ever heard someone say, “What is true for you is your truth, what is true for me is my truth”? Your truth and my truth have become popular in our world today. To me, these statements sound ridiculous. It is merely people wanting to do as they please and justify it in their minds. They don’t want someone judging them or proving them wrong. The definition of truth is the body of real things, events, and facts. It is the property of being in accord with facts. Truth is the opposite of false. The idea that my truth is different from your truth is ludicrous. When I was in college sometimes a professor would give us a quiz where you marked either true or false as the answer. If I checked true and it did not coincide with what he taught it was a wrong answer. He did not care if it was “my truth” it was still false, and wrong. As Christians, we are to be committed to the truth of God’s word, and it should be translated from the original meaning of Hebrew or Greek. It should not be translated as to what you think it means.
In Hebrews 13:9 the writer is warning us about those who may teach “strange doctrines.” The word doctrine means teaching. So, no matter what kind of religion or church you are affiliated with you have a doctrine. Whatever you are being taught is the doctrine of your church.
Hebrews 13:9 “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”
A strange doctrine would be those doctrines that are taught based on someone’s opinion or some new idea that fits their way of life. It may be that some of your doctrine is based on past teachings or thoughts of certain leaders, and because it is what you know, and it is comfortable you hang on to it. Or your doctrine may be a new idea and the reason you embrace it is because it is new. Not only should our doctrine be based on the word of God it should also be taught in context. For instance, a verse that is often used out of context is Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” This verse is often used to comfort someone who is going through a painful situation. It is used to give them hope that God is going to turn their situation into something good, but that is not what it means. While God can turn situations from bad to good, our situation may end in disaster. In the context of this verse, we find Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” The good that God is referring to is to make us more like Jesus. That is what is best for us. It is teaching us how to endure pain and suffering here as He did. It teaches us how to view and relate to the Father as He did, and I could go on and on. However, the main idea is that God wants us to be like Jesus. We can’t get there without going through difficult times. Wrong doctrine makes us believe that all bad things turn out good.
In America, we have become a nation where the majority live by moral relativism. This is a belief that there are no absolutes in life. That the truth is always relevant to the situation and those involved. Moral relativism says there are no moral principles. The idea is “to each his own.”
Barna research found in a survey in the United States in 2002 that 60% of adults over age 36, 75% of adults 18-35, and 83% of teens believe truth was always relative to the individual and their situation. This shows a decline in those who believe that truth is truth. Each generation is becoming more focused on defining their moral behavior and thinking according to what they consider best for them. This view or logic is making biblical doctrine scarce in the modern church.
The writer of Hebrews warns against opinions determining doctrine. It is to be established and strengthened by grace and the love of God, not by traditions, deeds, or new ideas. When this is our base, we will be committed to God’s truth. A heart established in the truths of the Bible will have a firm foundation when faced with trials and temptations.
So much of what and how things are done in the modern church is done because it is what someone likes. It may or may not have a biblical basis. Today churches want to be relevant, and I understand you must know what is going on in the world to know how to reach them, but that does not mean you become like them. With this attitude you will gain friends, but not disciples of Christ.
If you are looking for a church that is in tune with the world and its ideas, then you are on the path to false doctrine. The route to false doctrine begins when we want to find ideas that please men. Something that will make people feel comfortable in your church or preaching that will make them feel good about themselves. When truth has been reduced to personal preference it is no longer truth. This is a tool of Satan has always tried to use to pull people away from sound doctrine. He used it on Eve when convincing her to eat the fruit God had forbidden, and it worked. He appealed to her human reasoning which yielded to sin against a Holy God. When determining the truth we must start at the source of all truth. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit never change. Biblical truths are timeless. What about you are you committed to truth no matter what it may cost you?
Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not”
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
