Apostolic Doctrine

Text: Acts 2:41–42
Series: Sermons 2001 Rewritten
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

1. Explain why the first Christians continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching.
2. Show that apostolic doctrine came by the Holy Spirit’s revelation, not human invention.
3. Distinguish the doctrine of Christ from the doctrines of men and doctrines of demons.
4. Apply apostolic teaching to worship, fellowship, salvation, and congregational faithfulness.
5. Press every hearer to obey the gospel and remain within the doctrine delivered once for all.

Thesis

The church of Christ must continue in apostolic doctrine because that doctrine came from Christ through the Holy Spirit, was delivered once for all, and marks the difference between truth and error.

Introduction.

1. Acts 2:41–42 shows what happened after the gospel was preached on Pentecost. a. Those who received Peter’s word were baptized. b. About three thousand souls were added that day. c. They continually devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.
2. The first Christians did not begin with entertainment, preference, or religious experimentation. a. They did not vote on doctrine. b. They did not invent worship. c. They continued in what the apostles taught.
3. This matters because every generation must decide what will govern the church. a. Will Scripture govern us? b. Will apostolic doctrine govern us? c. Or will tradition, emotion, culture, and preference take over?
4. The question is not whether doctrine matters. a. Acts 2 says the saved continued in doctrine. b. Second John says the one who does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. c. Jude says the faith was once for all delivered to the saints.

I. Apostolic Doctrine Was Received by Those Who Obeyed the Gospel.

A. Acts 2 begins with gospel preaching.

1. Peter preached Jesus as the crucified and risen Lord. a. Acts 2:23 says Jesus was nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men. b. Acts 2:24 says God raised Him up again. c. Acts 2:36 says God made Him both Lord and Christ.
2. Peter did not preach personal opinions. a. He preached what God had done. b. He preached what Scripture had foretold. c. He preached what sinners had to answer.
3. The people were pierced to the heart. a. Acts 2:37 records their question: “Brethren, what shall we do?” b. They did not need emotional reassurance. c. They needed an inspired answer.

B. The inspired answer included repentance and baptism.

1. Acts 2:38 says, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” a. Peter did not say, “Pray a sinner’s prayer.” b. Peter did not say, “You were saved the moment you believed.” c. Peter placed repentance and baptism in direct connection with forgiveness of sins.
2. Acts 2:41 says those who received his word were baptized. a. Receiving the word was not mere agreement. b. Receiving the word meant obeying the word. c. The baptized were then added.
3. Acts 2:47 says the Lord was adding to their number those who were being saved. a. The Lord added the saved. b. The saved were not added to a denomination. c. They were added to the body of believers under Christ.

C. Those who obeyed the gospel continued in the apostles’ teaching.

1. Acts 2:42 says they were continually devoting themselves. a. Conversion did not end their need for doctrine. b. Baptism did not make teaching unnecessary. c. The saved must be taught how to live under Christ.
2. The Old Testament had already shown the need for continued instruction. a. Deuteronomy 6 commanded Israel to keep God’s words in the heart and teach them diligently to children. b. Joshua 1:8 commanded meditation on the law day and night. c. God’s people have never been free to live on religious impulse.
3. The church must learn from the first converts. a. They obeyed the gospel. b. They continued in doctrine. c. They lived as a taught people.

II. Apostolic Doctrine Came from Christ Through the Holy Spirit.

A. Jesus promised the apostles inspired guidance.

1. John 14:26 says the Holy Spirit would teach them all things. a. Jesus spoke this promise to the apostles. b. The Spirit would bring to their remembrance all that Jesus had said. c. Apostolic teaching rests on divine revelation.
2. John 16:13 says the Spirit of truth would guide them into all truth. a. The Spirit would not speak on His own initiative. b. He would speak what He heard. c. He would disclose what was to come.
3. This promise was not given as a blank check to every religious teacher. a. It was given to the apostles. b. It equipped them to bear witness. c. It secured the doctrine the church was to receive.

B. Jesus told the apostles to wait for power from on high.

1. Luke 24:49 says they were to stay in the city until clothed with power from on high. a. They were not to begin on their own wisdom. b. They were not to rely on memory alone. c. They were to wait for what the Father promised.
2. Acts 1:8 says they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. a. They would be Christ’s witnesses in Jerusalem. b. They would bear witness in Judea and Samaria. c. The witness would reach the remotest part of the earth.
3. Acts 2:1–4 records the fulfillment. a. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit. b. They spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. c. Pentecost preaching was not human guesswork.

C. The apostolic message was the doctrine of Christ.

1. Second John 9 says the one who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. a. Doctrine is not optional. b. To leave Christ’s doctrine is to lose fellowship with God. c. Going beyond is not progress; it is rebellion.
2. Jude 3 says the faith was once for all delivered to the saints. a. The faith was delivered. b. It was delivered once for all. c. The church is commanded to contend for it.
3. First John 4:6 says, “he who knows God listens to us.” a. John draws a line between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. b. Listening to the apostles is not optional for those who claim God. c. Rejecting apostolic teaching is rejecting divine authority.

III. Apostolic Doctrine Must Be Distinguished from False Doctrine.

A. Jesus warned against doctrines of men.

1. Matthew 15:9 says, “But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.” a. Worship can be vain. b. Sincerity does not make human doctrine acceptable. c. Religious tradition can oppose God while using religious language.
2. The immediate issue involved human tradition elevated over God’s command. a. The Pharisees bound their traditions. b. They condemned what God had not condemned. c. They nullified God’s word for the sake of tradition.
3. The warning still applies. a. Human additions must not be treated as apostolic doctrine. b. Human customs must not become tests of fellowship. c. Human preferences must not govern worship.

B. Paul warned against doctrines of demons.

1. First Timothy 4:1 says some would fall away from the faith. a. Falling away is real. b. The warning is not pretend. c. A person can depart from the faith by listening to deceitful spirits.
2. First Timothy 4:2–3 gives examples. a. Some would forbid marriage. b. Some would command abstaining from foods God created to be received with gratitude. c. False doctrine often appears as strict religion while contradicting God.
3. Anything that contradicts Christ’s doctrine must be rejected. a. Error may be popular. b. Error may sound devout. c. Error still destroys when it moves beyond what God has revealed.

C. The Old Testament warns against adding to or subtracting from God’s word.

1. Deuteronomy 4:2 says not to add to the word commanded or take away from it. a. God’s people were not free to edit revelation. b. Obedience required respecting what God had spoken. c. The same principle carries into New Testament faithfulness.
2. Proverbs 30:6 says not to add to His words. a. Adding to God’s word makes a man a liar. b. Religious invention is not harmless. c. God’s word must be received as sufficient.
3. Nadab and Abihu show the danger of unauthorized worship. a. Leviticus 10:1 says they offered strange fire which God had not commanded. b. God judged them severely. c. Worship must be authorized, not merely meaningful to the worshiper.

IV. Apostolic Doctrine Must Be Read, Followed, Practiced, and Defended.

A. Christians must give attention to the public reading and teaching of Scripture.

1. First Timothy 4:13 says, “give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” a. Scripture must be read. b. Scripture must be exhorted. c. Scripture must be taught.
2. The church weakens when Scripture is neglected. a. Short attention to Scripture produces shallow faith. b. Shallow faith produces unstable churches. c. Unstable churches become easy prey for false doctrine.
3. Families must learn this as well. a. Children need more than church attendance. b. They need Scripture opened, explained, and applied. c. A generation untaught in apostolic doctrine will not remain faithful by accident.

B. Christians must follow apostolic teaching and example.

1. First Corinthians 11:1 says, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” a. Paul did not call men to imitate his personal quirks. b. He called them to follow him as he followed Christ. c. Apostolic example matters when it reveals approved practice.
2. Second Thessalonians 2:15 says to stand firm and hold to the traditions taught. a. These were apostolic traditions. b. They came by word or letter. c. They were binding because they came by inspired authority.
3. Apostolic doctrine governs the church’s practice. a. The Lord’s Supper belongs to the first day assembly. b. Singing is the authorized music of New Testament worship. c. Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins and entrance into Christ.

C. Christians must be steadfast and absorbed in the doctrine.

1. First Corinthians 15:58 calls brethren to be steadfast and immovable. a. Doctrine is not held by careless people. b. Faithfulness requires firmness. c. The work of the Lord is not in vain.
2. First Timothy 4:15 says to take pains with these things and be absorbed in them. a. Apostolic teaching deserves serious attention. b. Growth should be evident. c. A Christian should not remain spiritually undeveloped year after year.
3. The church must contend without becoming quarrelsome. a. Jude 3 commands us to contend earnestly for the faith. b. Second Timothy 2:24–25 teaches gentleness and correction. c. Truth must be defended with courage and taught with patience.

Application.

1. For the sinner. a. Apostolic doctrine tells you what to do to be saved. b. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. c. Do not replace the apostles’ answer with a human plan.
2. For the Christian. a. Continue in the apostles’ teaching. b. Do not treat doctrine as dry or optional. c. The doctrine that saved you must also shape you.
3. For the church. a. Test every practice by Scripture. b. Reject doctrines of men and doctrines of demons. c. Stand where the apostles stood.
4. For parents and teachers. a. Teach children why we believe what we believe. b. Teach them why we worship as Scripture authorizes. c. Teach them that truth is inherited only when it is taught, believed, and obeyed.

Conclusion.

1. Acts 2:41–42 gives the pattern of the first converts. a. They received the word. b. They were baptized. c. They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching.
2. Apostolic doctrine came from Christ through the Holy Spirit. a. The apostles were guided into all truth. b. The faith was delivered once for all. c. The church has no right to revise what God revealed.
3. False doctrine must be rejected. a. Doctrines of men make worship vain. b. Doctrines of demons lead people away from the faith. c. Going beyond the doctrine of Christ separates a man from God.
4. The church must remain steadfast. a. Read the doctrine. b. Teach the doctrine. c. Obey the doctrine.

Invitation.

1. Hear the word. a. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. Believe Christ. a. John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
3. Repent. a. Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
4. Confess Christ. a. Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
5. Be baptized for the remission of sins. a. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
6. Live faithfully. a. Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.

Word Study.

Scripture Interlock Table.