The Value of Sound Doctrine
Of the value of sound doctrine and right belief, the Northwestern Christian Advocate has this to say:— Right belief is the spring of right living; and right living is the end of all religion. It may be the fashion in our day to depreciate the preaching of “doctrine;” but, in the main, as a man believeth, so is he. Mr. Carlyle was wont to preach “sincerity” as the sufficient virtue. No matter what a man believes, he would say, just so he is sincere. Nevertheless, a man may be sincerely wrong; and being wrong, sincerity can do nothing for him by way of remedy. One going in the wrong direction, however sincerely, never reaches home. Sincerity is a fundamental, but not the all-sufficient virtue. Some years ago a favorite phrase on people’s lips was, “An ounce of charity will outweigh a ton of doctrine.” But for the doctrine, there never would have been the charity. Men and women are not natively and irresistibly charitable. It was the doctrine of the brotherhood of man in the common Fatherhood of God which first made man think of charity sufficiently to become charitable. The test of all truth is the Word of God. Men’s opinions count for but little. The Word is the standard by which every life will be judged at last; it should, therefore, be the rule of living. This should be ever borne in mind in these days of many “doctrines” as well as of many delusions. There is a jargon of voices sounding about us, each professing light, some claiming an authority above the plain written Word. The leadings of God’s Spirit will always agree with the teachings of the Scriptures. Any spirit which leads contrariwise is from other than a divine source.