Pastor Terrie Beede's "Studies in Theology" series, emphasizing the minister's duty to "take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine" to ensure both personal salvation and that of hearers (1 Timothy 4:16), continued with The Doctrine of The Church Part 4: Adherence to True Biblical Preaching. This session built upon previous discussions on the church's inauguration, definition, universal and local scope, transcendent nature, and its attributes of unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity.
The session began by reviewing the three traditional "marks or notes of the church"—identifiable characteristics distinguishing a true church: true preaching of the Word of God, proper administration of the sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper), and the faithful exercise of discipline, all observed in the early church (Acts 2:41-47).
The core focus was a deeper examination of true biblical preaching, which must be:
• Centered in Scripture: It must derive solely from the scriptures taught by the apostles, which are "able to lead a man to salvation" (2 Timothy 3:15). Teaching becomes unscriptural and implicitly denies the sufficiency of scripture if it uses biblical texts merely as "launching points" or "wraps man's thesis" with scriptural references while incorporating external wisdom from sources like psychology, business, or philosophy. The principle is Sola Scriptura—only scripture.
• Inclusive of the Whole Counsel of God: While not every sermon can cover everything, the general direction of teaching must encompass all of scripture, as the "whole of scripture speaks of Christ" and is necessary for "man's perfection and maturity".
• Centered on Jesus Christ: The message must consistently focus on Jesus, the "living word," rather than primarily addressing human needs, as the gospel itself meets these needs through Christ.
Beede reiterated three legitimate forms of biblical preaching: exegetical (drawing meaning out of the original text), expository (explaining a passage in "plain terms," which should hold primary place), and topical (addressing what scripture says on specific subjects, legitimate when controlled by a set goal or complementing expository teaching).
Crucially, the session extended the responsibility of biblical preaching beyond the pulpit to the hearers, emphasizing the adherence to the true preaching of the Word of God. This involves:
• Hearing and Being Transformed: Believers must desire the "sincere milk of the word" (1 Peter 2:2) for growth and be "transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:1-2) through the Word of God. The word must "dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16), requiring daily engagement, meditation, and discussion within families.
• Readiness to Hear: This means not being "dull of hearing" or "carnal," as seen in passages like Hebrews 5 and 1 Corinthians 3, illustrating the unprepared heart found in the parable of the sower.
• Personal Investment: Understanding scripture demands effort, requiring study of biblical history, culture, literary genre, and the human and divine authors. Examples like Gleason Archer, who learned ancient languages to understand the Old Testament, and William Carey, an uneducated cobbler who translated the Bible into over 30 languages, highlight this lifelong dedication. Beede cautioned against "soundbite" Christianity, comparing it to the Greek insult "babbler" (Acts 17:18), referring to those who only grasp superficial knowledge.
• Doing the Word: Conforming one's life to scripture, not adding to or taking away from God's commands through one's actions (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32).
• Devotion: Meditating on the word (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:2) and not "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:25) to reflect God's union and communion.
The session concluded by noting that these responsibilities are individual, familial, and corporate, underscoring that the church exists to glorify God, not primarily to meet individual needs. Future sessions were planned to explore other marks of the church, including fellowship, ordinances, discipline, and praise/worship.