Doctrine for All of Life
replacing the gospel with another message that has no power to save. In this way, continuance is the pathway of self-preservation, not by earning salvation, but by walking in the means God uses to sustain it.
To save "them that hear thee" reveals the corporate dimension of stewardship. The eternal destinies of others are tied, in the ordinary providence of God, to the faithfulness of those who teach. This is a weighty and humbling thought. It means that the father who catechizes his children in sound doctrine is participating in their salvation. It means the Sunday school teacher who carefully explains the cross is being used by God to rescue souls. It means the preacher who refuses to soften the call to repentance may be the instrument God uses to awaken a dead heart. It also means the unfaithful steward, who neglects his own soul and corrupts the doctrine, becomes a stumbling block. Jesus pronounces a severe woe upon those who cause little ones to stumble. The steward must teach with eternity in view. Every sermon is a matter of life and death. Every lesson is a potential seed of eternal life or eternal ruin.
Doctrine for All of Life
The call to "continue in them" shatters the false dichotomy between doctrine and practice. Doctrine is not the academic section of the faith to be studied and then set aside for "practical" Christianity. Doctrine is intensely practical. The doctrine of creation forms our view of work. The doctrine of the image of God shapes our view of human dignity. The doctrine of sin explains why our strategies for self-improvement fail. The doctrine of atonement is the source of our assurance. The doctrine of justification liberates us from performance-based acceptance. The doctrine of sanctification provides the framework for growth. The doctrine of the church defines our life together. The doctrine of the second coming fuels our mission. There is no aspect of life that is not addressed, informed, and directed by sound doctrine.
Therefore, the steward's task is not merely to defend doctrine from the pulpit but to apply doctrine to the pew. He must help the church see that the Christology of the early creeds has everything to do with marriage. He must show that the doctrine of adoption is the cure for insecurity. He must demonstrate that the doctrine of providence is the antidote to anxiety. He must connect the exalted truths of theology to the mundane realities of Monday morning. When doctrine remains in the realm of the abstract, it seems irrelevant. When it is shown to be the foundation of all reality, it