For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Here is the plain truth of Scripture. It has been the case throughout the history of the church and it remains the case today.
Notice: They WILL NOT endure sound doctrine. This literally means that they will not put up with it, they will not bear it.
We can find in passages like this what sound doctrine consists of:
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Titus 2:11-12
Sound doctrine will teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. What is the standard by which one is taught how to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world? It is God's law/word. This is the standard and there is no other standard.
Notice: Those who will not endure sound doctrine are said to "heap to themselves teachers". That is they literally accumulate false teachers. As a person continuously denies and suppresses the truth of God's word, they are "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and their cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" Eph. 4:14. This passage provides us a clear explanation for why we see so many trends in the modern church. Year after year, there is said to be a "new move of God" or some latest and greatest "revelation". "Christian" bookstores have shelves filled with the "next great thing" (as if the Bible needed any improvement). Bible study groups are now studying from some new trendy book rather than the Bible itself.
Those that do not endure sound doctrine are given to emotionalism and will continuously seek after a better or more exciting religious experience rather than the sincere milk and meat of the Word.
Notice: When a person turns away from the truth, they are said to be "turned unto fables". The word fables here literally means: fictions or myths. Now, this should not be surprising at all. If we look in Genesis, we see that this is the very same thing that happened to Eve. When she rejected God's law, she was turned to the fiction of the serpent.
There are no greater fictions than that of "free will" and antinomianism. Those who have itching ears love to be told that "they can be as gods, determining for themselves what is good and evil". They do not like to hear that God is Sovereign and that His law governs them. Instead, they will insist on their own authority; their own power to will for themselves and to make their own ethics. Sadly, this is the message of much of the modern church. They have been turned away from sound doctrine and given over to fictions.
To all of this, there is a solution given in this same chapter. "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine".
2 Tim. 4:2 This is the charge to the leaders, to the men of God, that they preach the word, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with longsuffering and doctrine. The man of God must not feign his duty or shun his responsibility before God even if nobody is willing to hear.
I John 2:3-5: We know we have come to know Him {Jesus} **IF** we obey His commands. The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But **IF** anyone obeys His Word, God's love is truly made complete in him.
THE GREAT COMMISSION: Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus says, �All authority in heaven and on *EARTH has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of *ALL NATIONS*...teaching them to **OBEY EVERYTHING** I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very *END OF THE AGE*!�
Ephesians 4:11-16: It was He {Jesus} who gives some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.... Speakig the Truth in **LOVE**, we will in all things grow up into Him, who is the Head, that is Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in **LOVE**, as each part does its work!
2 Timothy 3:16; 4:2: All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God my be thoroughly equipped for every good work...**PREACH THE WORD**; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
Acts 17:11: Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and EXAMINED the SCRIPTURES *EVERY DAY*!!
James 1:22: Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. **DO WHAT IT SAYS*...But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, *BUT DOING IT*--he will be blessed in what he does!!
READ GOD'S WORD DAILY AND THEN DO WHAT IT SAYS!!
Psalm 119 has 176 verses praising the Word of God. The Old Testament had 613 laws and the New Covenant of Jesus and His love has about 400 commands of LOVE which Psalm 119 also applies to. Some of my favorite verses is Psalm 119 are:
119:105: Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light for my path.
119:97: Oh how I love your law, I meditate on it all day long.
119:148: My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I meditate on your promises.
119:164: Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.
119:169: Give me understanding according to your Word.
119:2: Blessed are those who keep His statues and seek Him with all your heart.
119:11: I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.
Deuteronomy 4:2: God says, "Do not *ADD* to what I command you and do not *SUBTRACT* from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you!!"
Deut 18:17-19: The Lord says, "I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in His mouth, and He will tell them evereything I command Him. If anyone does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My Name, I Myself will call Him to account."
John 14:23,24: Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, He will obey My teaching. My Father will love Him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching.
Revelation 22:16,18,19: "I, Jesus. have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the Churches.... I warn everyone who hears the words of this prophecy of this Book: If anyone *ADDS* anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this Book {Including **ETERNAL HELL**} And if anyone **TAKES WORDS AWAY** from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the Tree of Life and in the Holy City {The New Jerusalem}, which are described in this book."
I Peter 1:23-25: You have been born again.. through the Living and Enduring Word of God. All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field, the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the **WORD OF THE LORD STANDS FOREVER**. And this is the Word that was preached to you.
They {The Calvinists} will not endure sound doctrine since they only send missionaries to areas that already have a Calvinistic church.
Matthew 28:19; Jesus commands "Therefore go and make disciples of **ALL** nations!"
Matthew 24:14L Jesus says, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to **ALL** nations, and then the END will come."
"They {The Calvinists} will not endure sound doctrine since they only send missionaries to areas that already have a Calvinistic church."
Looks like driving around in his Jesus car has adversely affected his brain. Again, he makes claims that are just absurd and patently false. Sir, your ignorance (lack of knowledge) is blinding.
"Calvinism is largely anti-missionary. True or False?
It is historically false. Surprisingly, the charge that it is true seems to have grown up especially since 1960 when it was given respectability by the Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology professor W. Richey Hogg. More recently, the charge has been repeated by the late historian of Southwestern Baptist Seminary, William Estep and the evangelical apologetics writer, Norman Geisler. A better knowledge of mission history would have kept them from making this indefensible claim. "
"Does Calvinism kill missions? The evidence suggests something wholly other. This is just a small sampling of some of the influential Calvinist missionaries and mission�s leaders in the history of the church. Biblical Calvinists understand that God uses means to call His elect to salvation. Therefore, we don�t shy away from missions or evangelism. As history shows, Calvinism actually encourages missions and evangelism. In fact, many of the greatest missionaries and leaders in missions throughout the history of the church have been Calvinists."
"Late twentieth century prognosticators about an assumed dampening effect of Calvinism upon missions have therefore made their pronouncements rashly. Apprehensive statements made in these last decades in the face of the current resurgence of interest in Reformed theology surely ought to give way to more careful assessments if mission history is to be trusted"
"It seemed so obvious at the end of the nineteenth century that Calvinism and missions had been good partners that few felt pressed to document the full extent of it. One who did claimed at the century�s end that of the world�s Protestant missionary force, a full 25% were recruited from that family of churches. His figure took no account of the many Congregationalists, Anglicans, and Baptists whose convictions substantially overlapped. It is good to be reminded just how many �household names� from that great era of missionary expansion were both sent out by agencies upholding and served within a Calvinistic framework
The topic of this thread was about "NOT Enduring Sound Doctrine". It was NOT about Calvinist missionary efforts. I myself have grown weary of your TROLLISH efforts to derail threads with off topic comments and spamming. Please find some respect for others members of this forum.
In 2013 the main Calvinist churches are the Christian Reformed Church, the United Reformed Church in North America, and the Protestant Reformed church. These churches are mainly in 5 areas of the United States where there are Calvinist schools and you can count the number of missionaries who go outside of these 5 districts on one hand.
