Text: Ephesians 4:11-15; 1 Peter 3:13-17

Over the past few years our pulpit ministry has been based on books of the Bible, like the Gospel of John, the Acts of the Apostles and the book of Daniel. For this quarter (July-September) we will not be going through any particular book of Bible, but taking a more topical approach instead in order to meet an important need – the need to know what we believe as Christians, and more specifically – the Beliefs of our Church. There are at least four reasons why we all need to know what we believe. The first is…

1. To be able to discern between true and false doctrine.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians about the spiritual gifts God has given to build up the Church, he included doctrinal discernment as one of the signs of a mature Christian. This is what he wrote in v.14: “That we henceforth be no more children [i.e. to be no longer immature], tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive…” This immaturity is the result of not being well-grounded in the right doctrine. Unfortunately, many Christians today are not interested in doctrine at all. They regard doctrine as something that is dead, dry and divisive. To them, doctrine is only for theologians to study. And so, they think that it is not important for them to learn any doctrine.

That was what I thought when I was a young Christian. I did not bother to know any doctrine. So, when somebody mentioned the term ‘Arminianism’ to me, I thought he was referring to what is taught by the Armenian church at Armenian Street! All that I knew then were some portions of the Bible and some basic truths of Christianity that I had learned as a kid in Sunday School. As a result of this lack of doctrine, my Christian life and my understanding of spiritual things wandered in all kinds of directions.

I once thought that I had found the way to explain the Trinity on the basis of God existing in different forms at different times. Now I know that this is actually a false teaching called modalism. Since I was unable to discern between true and false doctrine, I was easily swayed by every Christian seminar or talk that my friends invited me to attend. I was exactly, as Paul described in this verse, “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”

But by the grace of God I began to realise how confused I was, and how little I knew about Bible doctrines. Somehow the Lord put in me the determination to be well-grounded in the teachings of the Bible, and to learn what I must believe about God, and about Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, sin, salvation, the church, Bible prophecy and all the other doctrines. And as I learned these doctrines, I was shocked many times that I had believed many erroneous things.

All of us need to know what we believe. We live in a nation that is striving to become a knowledge-based economy. We invest plenty of resources in education, pursue degrees and build intellectual capital. And yet we give little attention to the kind of knowledge that really matters and is eternal. How can we be satisfied with having a merely superficial knowledge of Bible doctrines? Please make it your goal to know what you should believe about God, man, sin, salvation, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Church and the End times. You need this knowledge in order to grow in spiritual maturity so that you can discern between true and false doctrine.

One way to do this is by taking courses on Systematic Theology like those offered in Emmanuel Reformed Bible College each semester. There will be a course on Anthropology and Soteriology eight days from now. This 16-week course will provide you with a good understanding of the doctrines of man and of salvation.

For those who are unable to attend such courses because of other commitments there are good books on theology available for your own personal study. Here is one that I can recommend: Everyone’s a Theologian by the late Dr. R.C. Sproul. This book which was published just five years ago presents theology in terms that can be easily understood. Next month we will have a Saturday afternoon seminar in our church by the well-known theologian, Dr Joel Beeke. It is all about how to translate Christian doctrine into Christian living. Please make sure that you come for this seminar so that you can learn how doctrine has much practical value and relevance to your daily life.

Making all these efforts to know what you believe will certainly help you to become spiritually mature, so that you will no longer be “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” Then you will understand that there are essential doctrines that you must never compromise because they are taught clearly in the Scriptures. These would include doctrines like the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. Any church that deviates on an essential doctrine cannot even be considered as a Christian church at all.

Now, there are Christians who stand firmly with us on all the essential doctrines, but they have differing views from us on some other doctrines and practices. The differences may at times be significant enough to justify keeping separate ministries. But some differences in doctrine and practice are quite minor and non-essential – which means that as Christians we can respect each other’s convictions on them while holding on firmly to our own. For instance, we recently had Rev Dr Bill Ebert to speak to us at our church camp, missions seminar and worship services. Rev Ebert comes from a Baptist church, and so he has different views from us on certain doctrines. But he shares the same views that we have on all the essential doctrines. So how can we tell whether we are likeminded enough with a particular Christian group, church or Bible teacher to learn from them or serve with them? It requires discernment, which comes only as we know what we believe.

Such discernment can also be useful when we are looking for the right church to worship in. Imagine a situation where you are studying or working overseas for a few months or years, and you are trying to find a church to worship in on Sundays. And so, you look at the churches located in your area, and read their signboards and websites to find out more about them. You discover that some churches have no statement of faith at all and would welcome anyone on board no matter what beliefs they hold. Other churches have a statement of faith that seems to be fine doctrinally, but when you attend their worship service it turns out to be more like a rock concert! Eventually you manage to find a small humble-looking church that satisfies all your criteria except one – it takes more than an hour to get there. And so, you begin to ask yourself, “Is it really worth all the effort to travel so far every Sunday, or should I just attend the church nearby even though I don’t agree with its doctrines and practices?”

This is where you must be guided by a principle that is laid down in the scriptures. Rather than being a gathering of believers who are “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine,” the local church should be a place where God is worshipped and served by those who have the same beliefs. This is mentioned by Paul in v.13 of our passage – “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ…” This leads us to the next reason why we all need to know what we believe. It is…

2. To foster unity of faith in the church.

As church members, we need to know what we believe so that we can all worship and serve God together with one common faith. Unity of faith is important for any congregation to be effective in serving together and in bearing a good testimony for Christ. Disagreement on doctrinal matters is always unhealthy for the church. One example of this was the Church at Corinth – there was much disagreement among members, even on important doctrines such as the resurrection of Christ. That is why Paul wrote to them: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)

Without unity of faith there will be confusion, strife and division among members. And that is why every sound church needs to have a doctrinal statement that all its members agree with. All that is taught in its pulpit ministry, Sunday School and Bible study groups must be consistent with it. For Life Church, this statement is found in our church constitution. The section on doctrine begins like this: “The doctrine of the Church shall be in accordance with that system commonly called “the Reformed Faith” as expressed in the Confession of Faith as set forth by the historic Westminster Assembly together with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.”

Our doctrinal statement is rooted in the history of Life Church which dates back to 1950. Its origins can be traced even long before that, to the 16^th century Protestant Reformation. As we are now approaching our 70^th year in 2020, it is good to be reminded about what we believe, so that we can strengthen the unity of faith we need in order to move forward together as a church. All of us should know what a rich spiritual heritage we have, so that we will all see it as a good heritage that is worth preserving and passing on to the next generation. This need is great enough to make it the focus of our sermons for this quarter.

Over the next three months we will have messages in our morning worship services on the Great Commission, on our stand on Creation as opposed to evolution, and on Biblical separation. We will also explain the reasons why we believe that the supernatural gifts like speaking in tongues have ceased, why we believe in literal fulfilment of prophecy, especially that Christ will reign on earth for a thousand years after He returns, and why we believe that women have a subordinate role in the church and home. We will also explain our stand concerning contemporary styles of worship, and the baptism of infants.

This may sound very heavy-going to you. Is this too much doctrine for us to receive? I don’t think so. Perhaps you think: How relevant will all these sermons be to me? How will they minister to me personally? The answer is given right here in vv.11-13 of our text: “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ…”

From this we see that knowing what we believe is actually very relevant to every member simply because it is God’s purpose for us to be built up together as a church in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of Christ. Whatever your individual needs may be, they will be met within the framework of God’s purpose. And God has specially equipped the church with spiritual gifts to fulfill this specific purpose. So please don’t think that these messages on the beliefs of our church are irrelevant to you or too heavy going for Sunday sermons. God has a good purpose for us all to receive them – we all need to know exactly what we believe so that we can be built up together as a church in the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God! Beside this, there is another reason why we should know what we believe. It is…

3. To be ready to give an answer to those who ask.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us to “…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you...” In your daily interaction with people around you, you are bound to face questions, doubts and excuses they have when they know you are a Christian and you share the Gospel. They will ask questions like: How do you know that God exists? Why does God allow pain and evil to exist? Why do you believe that the Bible is the Word of God? How can you say that Jesus is the only way to God? How will you answer them? Are you able to give good answers to questions like these? Some others may ask you: Which church do you attend? Why did you choose this church?

To make things more difficult, we are now living in a post-modern age, an age where there are no moral absolutes, and where there are many competing views on religion and false perceptions of Christianity. We live in a world where our beliefs constantly being challenged on all sides – from doubts cast on the accuracy and authority of the Bible, to denials of the existence of Jesus Christ. Besides that, many of our non-Christian friends and colleagues are now a lot more knowledgeable about their own beliefs because of the instant online access they have to all their teachings. They are therefore much more equipped now to challenge your beliefs.

And so, if you do not know what you believe, how can you be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you? (1 Peter 3:15) Incidentally the word ‘answer’ that is used in this verse is ‘apologia’ which is defined as “...a speech in defense of what one has done or of truth which one believes....” It is from this word that we get the term ‘apologetics’ which is the study of the defence of the faith. By knowing what you believe, you will be able to defend the faith and speak up for the truth.

But you must be careful about how you give your answer. Don’t do it in a manner that may turn people away from the Lord rather than to Him. There are times when we become impatient with people while sharing the truth with them, because they refuse to see things the way we do. In the end, even if we win the argument, we are not able to bring them to Christ. The end of verse 15 tells us that we should answer with meekness and fear.  “Meekness” is the attitude that trusts the Lord to do the work of changing a person’s attitude to the truth, instead of ramming it down his throat. When we give an answer, we need to apply what Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Above all, we should always pray for wisdom and rely on the Holy Spirit to help us give an answer. In Acts 7 Stephen found himself in the midst of a large group of hostile Jews, and he gave an excellent defence of the Christian faith. It left the Jews with no answer. The only thing they could do was to silence him by stoning him to death. How was Stephen able to do this? Verse 55 tell us that He was full of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit, somehow the right words to speak will be given to us when we need to give an answer. And it is good to make a short silent prayer in your heart, whenever someone asks you a question about your faith, or challenges you about what you believe. You can pray on the spot for wisdom from God to answer him with meekness and fear.

There are times, however when the best answer you can give is simply, “I don’t know.” E.g. when someone asks you, “What was God doing before He created the world?” If you encounter a difficult question the best answer is to humbly admit, “I am sorry I do not know the answer to this question, but I know that God does, and one day He will reveal it.”  A useful verse to quote is Deuteronomy 29:29 – “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Some of the questions that people ask are best left unanswered, because if we try to answer them, we might end up venturing into blind speculations and guesses that may be totally wrong! Then we would have no more firm footing to stand on. And so it is best to keep silent where the Bible is silent.

Thus far, we have seen three reasons why we should know what we believe: To be able to discern between true and false doctrine; to foster unity of faith in the church, and to be ready to give an answer to those who ask. There is one more reason why we need to know what we believe…

4. To be prepared to suffer for what we believe.

As the return of Christ draws nearer, the time may come when Christians will have to face persecution from the world. We may then have to suffer for what we believe. This will be very hard to do if we do not know what we believe.

If you look at our passage of scripture again, you will notice that the context is that of suffering persecution. Look at the two verses just before v.15 – “And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” Suffering is also mentioned in the two verses just after v.15– “Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.”

It is often in moments of suffering persecution from a hostile world, that we find it most difficult to talk about Jesus Christ. We feel so intimidated that we choose the easy way out – we keep silent, or worse still, we just conform to the world. But the scriptures tell us in no uncertain terms, that even when we find ourselves in the worst situation, we should be ready to give an answer or defence of the faith to those who ask us about it.

In order do this, we must have a strong desire to live for Christ, and if necessary, to die for Christ. Ultimately, the courage you need to take a firm stand for what you believe actually comes from knowing who you believe. This is because Jesus Christ is the sum and substance of all that we believe. It is through Christ alone that God has revealed Himself to us. Jesus Himself has said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) Hence, anyone who wants know God or the things of God, must first know Christ!

And more than that, according to the first part of verse 15 of our text, in order to give an answer to those who ask you for a reason of the hope that is in you, you need to “sanctify the Lord God in your heart.” This means having firm, settled convictions in your heart that Jesus Christ is truly your Lord and Master. Christ must always be all the world to you. You must treasure Him so much that your love and passion for Him would overcome any fear you have to speak up for Him. If you want to speak up for Jesus, give yourself unreservedly to His cause. Your commitment to Him has to be full and entire. Then, even if everyone around you takes offence against your faith in Christ, you would rather suffer and die than give up living for Christ and speaking for Him. One reason why some are not able to speak for Christ in difficult situations, is that they have not sanctified the Lord in their hearts. So please make sure that Christ is the Lord of all in your life.

Among Christians who have lived behind the Iron Curtain one name that stands out is Richard Wurmbrand. He was a Rumanian Jew who became a Christian and then suffered tremendous torture at the hands of the authorities. In his book, “Tortured for Christ,” Wurmbrand testifies that at moments when he was so worn out physically and mentally and almost felt like giving up, because of the constant torture and harassment he went through, the one thought that sustained him was that He loved the Lord Jesus.

On one occasion he was very sick and delirious in a prison hospital and the authorities put him on trial with all kinds of false charges. When Wurmbrand was asked to give an answer, he was hardly able to say anything except “I love Jesus.” It was this all-consuming love for the Lord Jesus that enabled him not only to endure 14 years of imprisonment, but even to convert some of the communist officers who tortured him!

The lesson is this: The more that we love the Lord Jesus Christ, the more we will be able to give an answer to those who ask us about what we believe. Let us therefore sanctify Christ in our hearts every day. Spend time to cultivate a close walk with Him. Only then can we share what we believe with deep personal conviction.