That FORM of Doctrine (Part 2 - Inform)

That FORM of Doctrine (Part 2 - Inform)

Start this lesson series at with the Introduction here.

Inform (Information - The Work of Faith)

Rom 6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart THAT FORM OF DOCTRINE which was delivered you.

If you are not delivering a sound form of doctrine, all you are doing is preaching stories and fables based on a vain imagination.

Rom_1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

1Ti_1:4  Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith:

2Ti_1:13  Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

What do we mean by form?

The doctrine and sound words that Paul gave to us by inspiration of God is structured in a specific form. It’s in the form of a curriculum that is designed to save us and then educate us from babes in Christ to sons of God. Since it has a design, we cannot just live on a few favourite scriptures. We cannot isolate a few passages and not study the form.

DM#3: Established by a Spiritual Gift

Doctrine of the Mysteries #3

Rom 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

Established by a Spiritual Gift

The ‘spiritual gift’ that Paul was to impart upon the church at Rome was not the kind of miraculous powers that operated in the early church under the apostleship of the 12. Miracles had a specific purpose in the Jewish church at that time. Like the miracles that Jesus did, God’s power through the 12-apostles was to confirm to Jews that they operated under the ministry and blessing of God. Remember, Jews required signs for this very purpose, Joh 4:48; 1Cor 1:22.

Knowledge that will stablish you in the faith

Knowledge that will stablish you in the faith

Rom 16:25  Now to him that is of power to stablish you

1. according to my gospel,
2. and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery [doctrine], which was kept secret since the world began,  26  But now is made manifest,
3. and by the scriptures of the prophets,

…according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

The above passage is one of my favourites in all of Paul’s writings. It is essentially a very short summary of the book of Romans, but more importantly, it provides a condensed list of instructions that provide a grace believer with stability in their faith and walk. Let me briefly analyse this passage.

The 4 Foundational Cornerstones of the Christian Faith

The 4 Foundational Cornerstones of the Christian Faith

ROMANS is the foundation book in Paul’s epistles. It is the book that firstly, establishes 'the faith', the doctrine that provides us with a fundamental knowledge of God's will and purpose for us as grace believers today, and secondly, that 'stablishes' a grace believer, meaning that it lays a foundation of truth, or principle, that helps us to be grounded and stable in our faith, and guides our walk to complement Gods will and purpose for us, not only here on earth, now, but also in the life to come, our heavenly destination as the Body of Christ.

If one takes a step back from the details in the Roman epistle, and looks at the contents from an overview perspective, one will see four key principles emerge. These four key principles are of great importance. As the title of this post suggests, they are the four cornerstones that keep the foundation of our faith stable. Without any one of these cornerstones, our Christian faith will be unstable and ineffective. Anything that we build upon this foundation will be shaky and problematic, and our growth in the doctrine of 'the faith', will be hindered, weakened, or even completely stunted. Needless to say, recognizing these four key foundational principles, and gaining an intimate knowledge of them, are crucial.

The Book of Romans: Our Spiritual Establishment and Solid Foundation

Romans is a foundational book, providing a believer with the fundamental doctrine of salvation, justification, and positional sanctification through the cross of Christ. Yet, the more I read it, the more I see how the truth it presents is structured to detach and separate us from this world, and prepare us to receive a mystery revelation regarding God's plans for our redemption, to the glory of Jesus Christ. 

We are only officially informed of the details of this mystery, in other letters, and in particular, that of Ephesians, but even in Romans, Paul lays out in our doctrine, details that are aimed at getting our minds and focus off of this world and its vanity, and set on the faith that there is something greater ahead, a mystery that is going to be revealed, and that cannot compare to what we currently have here.

So, Romans is meant to draw us away from this world, and activate our faith, so that we can see what God has planned for us from before the foundations of this world (Eph.1:4). Let's have a look at some key statements and verses that prove this point.