The lectures address the following questions in the light of the Word of God

• Who determines right and wrong?
• May we judge others?
• Is church membership necessary?
• Is doctrine important?

These questions are important ones that every Christian must answer. They belong to the starting point of a Christian life.

Right and wrong and how it is determined belong to the foundation of faith and life. Every Christian consciously or unconsciously gives an answer to this question. Likewise the question, "May we judge others?" how and in what way? The Word of God, the standard of truth, has much to say about this.

The same Word of God addresses the question of church membership and our relation to the body of Christ. It is in the church that the Word of God is taught and confessed. The Word of God also sets forth doctrine. It sets forth the doctrine of God and Christ, the doctrine of salvation and eternal life, the doctrines too of marriage and family living.

Jesus said to His disciples and His church,

"Go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." Matthew 28:19,20.

The last element of this injunction is often ignored. Jesus did not command us merely to labor in the gospel unto the salvation, by grace, of souls. He commanded us to "Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," Matthew 28:20. This command of Christ implies certain things:

• That there is truth to be taught
• That there is a church which teaches it
• That we are present, being taught and laboring to learn
• That it includes both doctrine and life
• That the result is not mere opinion, but all He has commanded us

A church that is not doing this in the preaching is not engaging in the work of the gospel. Jesus does not leave this task to secondary classes in the church. It is one of the primary and principle duties of the preaching.

The church is to go and teach, literally make disciples, and do so by teaching "all things I have commanded you." The church is a place of discipleship, not a salvation factory. Evangelism is making disciples who follow Christ. We do not go to church to get an emotional high, to express our feelings, or to be entertained. That is not what Jesus said.

This requires instruction in all of the Word of God, the whole Bible, not just a feeble skimming of the surface, because:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." II Timothy 3:16

We must therefore know all the scriptures. The Word of God reproves the ignorance of those who ought to be spiritual adults in their knowledge and understanding when they are still spiritual babies in knowledge. We read,

"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
Hebrews 5:12-14.

We live in a "post-Christian" world, and we do so because the Christian church no longer takes its calling to study and preach the word seriously. Nor ought we to confuse so much of so-called Christian literature, which largely focus on feelings and experiences with the true study of the Word. It is what the word, systematically studied, actually says, not what we feel about it that matters.

Nor is a mere stringing of texts together, taken out of context, and using the mere sound of the words to introduce our own notions to be confused with sound instruction or sound doctrine. Such abuse of the scriptures sells books, makes money for the author and deceives the ignorant; it is not the teaching which Jesus commanded.

The Christian church has become lazy. It is in the same condition the writer of Hebrews addresses. It is why, not just the world, but the church is becoming "post-Christian."

Addressing the subject of Christian living and its foundation is therefore an important matter. The questions are ones that demand our attention.

• The Study of Doctrine
• The Doctrine of Scripture

Christian Living:

• Life and walk
• Marriage
• Family