| Teachings Beyond the Basic Gospel |
| Contents: All truth (John 16:13), equipping the saints (2Timothy 3:16-17), building on the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10-15), strengthened in the faith (Colossians 2:6-7) |
Hebrews 6:1-3 indicates that Christians should not only learn the Gospel or God’s requirement for salvation (which may be signified by the Greek word for preaching, kerygma) but also go on to learning teachings that will lead to moral maturity (which may be distinguished by use of the Greek word for teaching, didache), and “God permitting”, this study will discuss didachaic doctrines that will build on the kerygmatic foundation–being careful how we build (1Cor. 3:10-11)–and lead believers to become blameless in practice as well as because of forgiveness in Christ (Eph. 1:4-7).
Perhaps we should note that although the didache is not most important or necessary to know/believe in order to be saved, it is very important and requisite for becoming spiritually mature, The distinction between kerygma/saving faith and didache/sanctifying faith was made by Jesus when He commissioned His disciples (Matt. 28:19-20). The kerygma is indicated by verse 19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”, and the didache is implicit in verse 20, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” It is the “all truth” that is taught by the Spirit referred to in John 16:13. The distinction is made also in 2Tim. 3:15-17 and 1 Cor. 3:10-15.
As the didache is studied with the aim of achieving moral maturity, one should not think that it will be perfectly attained during this earthly sojourn, because Paul said (in Phil. 3:12-14), “Not that I have already… been made perfect, but I press on… toward the goal… for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”. Paul went on to condemn those who “live as enemies of the cross of Christ… whose destiny is destruction” (Phil. 18b-19a). Thus, he connected saving faith (Eph. 2:8-9) with sanctifying good works (Eph. 2:10), which is the likely meaning of Rom. 1:17: “In the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed… that is by faith from first to last” (cf. Hab. 2:4).
If we truly believe in Jesus as Lord, we will want to please Him by cooperating with His will (Matt. 7:21, Eph. 5:8-10), but remaining faithful is as easy as an act of our will, even though Jesus referred to His yoke as a cross (Matt. 11:29-30, 16:24), and Peter acknowledged that a believer’s joy may sometimes be despite suffering (1Pet. 1:6-9). Paul explained that the reason Christ called some to be pastor-teachers is “to prepare God’s people for works of service… until we all reach unity in the faith… and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11b-13), which fullness is indicated by having the power to love (Eph. 3:16-19), which is why Paul said “In Christ Jesus… the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal. 5:6, cf. v. 22-23).
Paul urged believers to renew their minds by learning God’s perfect will (Rom. 12:2), which is conveyed via inspired Scripture and “is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2Tim. 2:17). This is why Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Learning the manifold teachings regarding God’s moral will takes a lifetime, so let us continue to persevere from “what we have already attained” or learned (Phil. 3:16, 2Tim. 3:14), “making every effort to add to our faith goodness… godliness… and love” (2Pet. 1:5-7).
Fullness is indicated by having the power to love (Eph. 3:16-19), which is why Paul said “In Christ Jesus… the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal. 5:6, cf. v.22-23). The didache teaches God’s will regarding how saints or those who have been saved should behave or live in order to be a good witness for Christ, which involves learning more of God’s Word throughout one’s lifetime (Col. 2:6-7).
Building on the kerygma is important, but because believers are fallible, they may disagree about how to interpret secondary doctrines regarding relatively minor issues. May we receive God’s blessing as peacemakers, who draw inclusive circles around fellow Christians based on the kerygma rather than denominational lines between them due to didachaic differences. Jesus prayed for spiritual unity (cf. John 17:20-23, “May they be one…”), because unity regarding the Gospel is more important than accuracy regarding doctrinal details, so may we feel free to speak honestly and disagree friendly without becoming unduly upset.
An obvious hint from Scripture about building on saving faith is the list of additions in 2 Peter 1:5-7: “faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, love” because these qualities will make our knowledge of the Gospel productive and give reasons for confidence in our election (v. 8-11). Paul was confident that God, “who began a good work you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6), meaning the Second Coming or Judgment Day.
Other than saving faith being first, it does not appear that Peter’s list is in a particular order, and it may be compared with Paul’s list of fruit produced by the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. We can note that qualities cited in both lists include: faith, love, goodness, kindness, and self-control, with godliness being akin to goodness, and perseverance being akin to faithfulness.
Also, we know that several places in Scripture “love” is employed as the summary term that includes the rest of godly attributes (as in Matt. 22:37-40, John 13:35, Gal. 5:6 and James 2:8). Paul prayed that “love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless” (Phil. 1:9). This prayer is echoed (in Col. 1:9-12a) by Paul’s request that believers would be filled “with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding… in order that they may life a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work… being strengthened with all power… so that they may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks.”
Ephesians chapter four seems to begin explaining the meaning of Ephesians 2:10, so perhaps it would be edifying to collect a list of didachaic doctrines based on what Paul says there. Verse 1 instructs believers to live a life worthy of the calling they have received, which Paul describes as including the following: Live worthy of the calling to be a Christian (v.1); Be humble, gentle and patient (v.2);
Maintain the unity of the Spirit (v.3); Speak the truth in love (v.15&25).
No doubt we will want to continue mining Ephesians for didachaic doctrines that was prompted by Hebrews 6:1-3 urging believers to learn God’s Word beyond the elementary Gospel of salvation, but at this point teachings of Jesus in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount might well be considered. Matthew said that Jesus preached repentance, which begins by repenting of rejecting Him as Messiah and Lord (cf. Acts 16:30-31) and continues by repenting of moral sins empowered by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-14).
The Beatitudes with which Jesus began his sermon (Matt. 5:3-11) list nine blessings for good behavior that imply nine sins for doing the opposite:
1. Not being poor in spirit means being prideful and unwilling to cooperate with God. (John 8:42-44)
2. Not mourning implies not caring about other people as oneself. (Matt. 22:39)
3. Not being meek is being boastful and dictatorial, but the first shall be last. (Matt. 20:16)
4. Not desiring righteousness is moral nihilism, which will reap hell. (Matt. 7:13 & 23)
5. Not showing mercy or forgiveness will result in not being forgiven and hell. (Matt. 18:23-35)
6. Not being pure in heart is akin to having a hardened heart and remaining unsaved. (Matt. 13:14-15)
7. Not being a peacemaker is divisive and equates with not being God’s child. (Matt. 5:44-45)
8. Not being persecuted because of doing right abets evil-doing. (Matt. 10:21-28 & 34-40)
9. Not being falsely accused of evil suggests belonging to Satan. (Matt. 12:30-32, 23:31-36)
Continuing with the TOJ in Matthew, we see (in Matt. 5:15-16) that Jesus instructed believers to be salt and light in the world by doing good deeds/works, which jibes with what Paul said in Eph. 2:8-10 regarding didachaic works that follow kerygmatic faith. Jesus continued by saying (in Matt. 5:20) that our righteousness should surpass that of those who teach salvation via obeying the OT laws. His first specific example (in Matt. 5:21-22) is that unrighteous rage is akin to murder (cf. Eph. 4:26-32).
Other examples of moral righteousness that build on saving faith in chapter five of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew include:
Reconciliation (Matt. 5:23-26) – Jesus said that reconciliation should precede worship, and forgiveness of others is required for God’s forgiveness of us (Matt. 6:14-15).
Chastity (Matt. 5:27-30) – Jesus noted that impure thoughts precede sinful behavior, and we should use our bodies for good purposes (cf. Rom. 12:1. 1Cor. 6:15-20).
Life-long marriage (Matt. 5:31-32) – Jesus returned to this topic (in Matt. 19:3-9), indicating that a marriage of man and woman should be so happy that divorce is never desired.
Integrity (Matt. 5:33-37) – Jesus said oaths should be unnecessary, presumably because one’s word is dependable and honest.
Compliance (Matt. 5:38-42) – This does not mean using the dictates of evil rulers as excuses for committing immorality (cf. Acts 5:29, Rom. 13:1-5).
Love for everyone (Matt. 5:43-48) – We should allow God’s HS to love through us even enemies, as we once were (Rom. 5:5-8).
We have seen that the Sermon on the Mount consists mainly of didachaic teachings, because by commanding moral perfection Jesus surely did not mean that being imperfect doomed a soul to hell, but rather that complete righteousness or moral maturity should be the goal of every believer, as Paul taught (in Phil. 3:12-16). And it is with this understanding that we continue mining Mathew in chapter six of Christ’s Sermon, finding:
Anonymous almsgiving (Matt. 6:1-4) – Jesus said that good deeds should not be motivated by desire for praise from people, but rather in order to please the heavenly Father (cf. Eph. 5:10, Rom. 12:1-3).
Praying privately (Matt. 6:5-8) – The reason Jesus gave for this is the same as for anonymous almsgiving, and he forbade babbling like pagans.
Pray to the Father for His will to be done on earth (Matt. 6:9) – Jesus prayed in this manner before being crucified (Matt. 26:39&42).
Pray for essential needs including forgiveness of debts/sins (Matt. 6:11-12&14-15) – Physical needs are signified by bread, and forgiveness is conditional upon forgiving those who regret sinning against us.
Pray not to be tempted to sin but rather to be freed from serving the tempter (Matt. 6:13) – The tempter is Satan, who can be resisted by submitting to God (Jam. 4:7), and Paul said God would not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear/resist (1Cor. 10:13).
Unobvious fasting (Matt. 6:16-18) – Jesus neither commanded nor forbade fasting, but the motive should be the same as for almsgiving and prayer: storing up heavenly treasures (Matt. 6:19-21).
Seek righteousness (Matt. 6:24-33) – Jesus indicated that having a right relationship with the heavenly Father should be our focus rather than worrying about material things.
We wind up our study of didachaic doctrines in the Sermon on the Mount with teachings found in Matthew 7.
Judge rightly (Matt. 7:1-5) – At first it appears that Jesus bans judging, but he ends by saying we should remove our own blindness so that we will discern how to reprove correctly.
Do not witness to demonic people who will kill you (Matt. 7:6) – This verse seems to presage v. 15 and Matt. 10:16-17, which implies that discernment should also be exercised concerning opportunities to witness.
The rest of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:7-27) is concerned with salvation, with the rock representing the foundation of saving faith (kerygma) and the good fruit referring to behavior like what Jesus just commanded (didache). Thus, at this point we will return to Paul’s epistle of Ephesians and continue our study there with chapter five. Because this study of didachaic teachings overlaps with the more systematic study of Ephesians, it will merely paraphrase rather than quote the Scripture.
Eph. 5:1-3&5, Christians should imitate God and live a life of sacrificial love like Christ. This means there should not be sexual immorality or any kind of impurity nor greed, which indicate idolatry.
Eph. 5:4, Other ungodly behavior includes obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather there should be thanksgiving.
Eph. 5:5, 11&15-16, Do not be partners with idolaters (which would include marriage), but instead expose evil deeds and live wisely, making the most of every opportunity to witness by doing good for God.
Eph. 5:17-18, Learn what the Lord’s will is, which is to be filled with the Spirit rather than get high on drugs such as wine, which leads to debauchery.
Eph. 5:19-20, Speak GW to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, making music in your heart to the Lord, being thankful to God the Father for blessings in the name of Jesus Christ.
Eph. 5:21-30, Submit to one another out of reverence for the love of Christ: wives submitting to husbands and husbands loving wives, just as Christ loved the church sacrificially.
Eph. 5:31-33, Marriage is a profound mystery regarding spousal relations and family that reflect the relationship between Christ and the church. There should be no division either in the family or in the church body (Rom. 16:17, 1Cor. 1:10, 11:17-19, 12:25, Eph. 4:4).
Eph. 6:1-3, Children should obey their godly parents. When parents give ungodly commands, what Peter told the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:29 applies.
Eph. 6:4, Parents should bring them up in the training of the Lord indicated in 1Tim. 3:15-17. Godly parents do not exasperate loving children. This is God’s “plan A” for parenting.
Eph. 6:5-8, The instruction for slaves is essentially the same as that for Christians, wives and children, implying that Christ, spouses, parents and masters are godly, loving or respectable, so that cooperating with their commands is done willingly and joyfully.
Eph. 6:9, Masters should treat slaves in the same way Christian parents should treat their children and husbands should treat their wives: without threatening them, because the heavenly Master does not favor one person over another.
Eph. 6:10-13, Believers should be strong in the Lord by putting on the full armor of God, so they may withstand the devil’s schemes or temptations, which Paul described as a spiritual struggle against forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Eph. 6:14-17, Paul compared the armor of God with a soldier’s equipment as follows: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith for extinguishing the flaming arrows of the evil one, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Eph. 6:18-20, In addition Paul instructed believers to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, especially praying for all the saints.
Our study of doctrines that build on the creed continues in Philippians with the prayer of Paul (in Phil. 1:9-11) for believers’ love to “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight”, which duplicates what he prayed for the Ephesians (in Eph. 3:16-19). His desire that they would be able to learn or discern what is best was the reason Christ gave some believers the gift of teaching (per Eph. 4:11-15).
The mention of being filled with the fruit of righteousness echoes what Paul wrote to the Galatians regarding the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), which manifests worthy conduct despite suffering that is a good witness for the gospel (Phil. 1:27-30). Paul listed some of the conduct he has in mind in Phil. 2:2-4: being like-minded or one in love, spirit and purpose, not being selfish or conceited, but rather humbly considering the welfare of others.
In Phil. 1:21-26 Paul remarked that “to live is Christ and to die is gain”, but he looked forward to remaining and seeing the saints make progress in the faith, which must refer to them learning more of GW and increasing in love (building on the Gospel kerygma with didachaic doctrines) as he wrote the Ephesians (Eph. 3:16-19, 4:11-16).
In Phil. 2:12-13 Paul described this process as continuing “to work out your salvation… for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose”, which indicates cooperation of a sinner’s MFW with GW (cf. Eph. 2:8-10). The goal is expressed as becoming “blameless and pure children of God without fault” (cf. Phil. 1:10-11 & 3:12-14).
In this epistle Paul continually associated sanctification with joy (Phil. 1:4&25-26, 2:2&18, 3:1, 4:1, 4&10).