The Integrity of the Message
doctrine must be free from foreign mixtures. It must not be diluted with speculation, seasoned with self-interest, or marketed for personal gain. It must be presented as it was received: whole, pure, and potent.
The Integrity of the Message To show "uncorruptness" in doctrine first means to refuse to adulterate the truth. In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he contrasts his ministry with those who "corrupt the word of God." The word translated corrupt is kapeleuontes, a term from the marketplace that referred to hucksters who would dilute wine with water to increase profits. They tampered with the product for personal advantage. Paul insists that he does not peddle the Word. He does not amend it to make it more palatable. He does not trim its edges to avoid offense. He does not expand it to attract a crowd. The steward's task is transmission, not creation. The doctrine we preach is not our invention; it is our inheritance. We received it, and we are to deliver it as received.
This commitment to uncorrupted doctrine requires courage. Uncorrupted doctrine will confront sin. It will contradict cultural idols. It will offend human pride. The temptation for every generation of teachers is to renegotiate the terms of the gospel to suit the sensibilities of the age. Yet the power of the gospel lies precisely in its unwillingness to be domesticated. It
is the axe laid to the root of human self-sufficiency. To soften it is to rob it of its saving power. The steward must resolve, like Paul, to "not shun to declare all the counsel of God." This includes the hard doctrines: divine sovereignty and human responsibility, eternal judgment and unmerited grace, the exclusivity of Christ and the necessity of repentance. To corrupt the doctrine is to offer people a placebo when they need a physician.