by: Steven J. Wallace

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Whatever the doctrine of Christ is in this passage, it is the link or grounds for fellowship with God. Standing opposed to this doctrine, or going beyond this doctrine cancels any fellowship with the Father and Son. It is also something that one is to “abide” in. This means that those in the doctrine must “continue” and maintain that doctrine to have fellowship with God.

There are some who say that the “doctrine of Christ” referred to here is limited to the teaching that Jesus is the Christ who came in the flesh (1 Jn. 4:3; 2 Jn. 1:7). Is this the only teaching that we can deny which results in being out of fellowship with God? While such is included in the “doctrine of Christ” it is not the “whole” of the doctrine of Christ. One can simply deny that Jesus is the Christ or that there is a Father and Son and be out of fellowship with Christ (1 Jn. 2:22).

We can understand the full scope of the “doctrine of Christ” when we compare passages that relate the same truth. Think of the principle of 2 John 9: DOCTRINE + ABIDE IN = FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER AND SON. Men may try to pervert and change the doctrine, but it remains in its pure and fixed state regardless of what anyone may say or believe (Gal. 1:6-9). Let us compare three similar passages:

1. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:21-25).

These folks were obviously not denying the Lordship of Jesus verbally? There is no implication that they denied Him coming in the flesh either. Yet, they were clearly out of fellowship with Christ because they were not doing the will of the Father. The parable of the wise and foolish man is an elaboration of this. Note the principle: SAYINGS + HEAR AND DO = WISE MAN. This is the same truth revealed in 2 John 9. The “sayings” equal “doctrine” and the “abide” equates “doing” and the “wise man” in God’s view is the one who is in fellowship with Him—the one He knows. That the “sayings” equal “doctrine” is manifestly made in Matthew 7:28, “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching [doctrine, sjw].”

2.      “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed’” (John 8:31).

Jesus taught the same thing here that John taught in 2 John 9. Note the principle: WORD + ABIDE IN = DISCIPLES INDEED. To reject the “word” is to negate “true discipleship” while abiding in the word constitutes true discipleship.  John 12:48 states, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

3.      “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister” (Col. 1:21-23).

Again, the principle is: FAITH (GOSPEL) + CONTINUE = RECONCILED.  The faith is the objective body of “truth” or also called the “gospel” by which men hear, believe and obey. Paul preached the “faith” in preaching the “gospel” (cf. Gal. 1:11, 23). Likewise, “not moved away from the hope of the gospel” is an equivalent expression to “continue in the faith.”

We may conclude then, that the sum of all these passages teach the same truth without contradiction. The “doctrine of Christ” (Jesus’ sayings, word, faith, gospel) is something to “abide in” (hear and do, continue in). The result is that one has fellowship with the Father and the Son (a wise man, true disciple, reconciled).  The “doctrine of Christ” is not limited to the singular truth that Jesus is the Christ who came in the flesh any more than “the apostles’ doctrine” is that the apostles were apostles (Acts 2:42). These expressions are all one and the same truth for the same system of faith. If one rejects any part of the “doctrine of Christ,” he rejects the benefits that come from the “gospel!” The example of Hymenaeus and Philetus serve as a case in point.

“And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:17, 18.)

Their message was cancerous to the Lord’s church. Why? It strayed from the truth! The specific point of controversy was that these two were teaching the “resurrection is already past.” Perhaps they supported this idea when some were resurrected at our Lord’s resurrection and came into Jerusalem (Matt. 27:53). Regardless, they were not denying that Jesus came in the flesh, they simply denied a future resurrection. That doctrine resulted in them straying from the truth therefore negating fellowship with Christ. Does Christ fellowship cancer? The secondary result was that it overthrew the faith of others.  Will Jesus accept those who cause his little ones to stumble (Matt. 18:6)?

Therefore, the Lord’s prescription for keeping the body of Christ healthy is by keeping or maintaining the pure doctrine or word of Christ. Those who reject or twist it should be named and marked out as those who are in contradiction to the Lordship of Christ.

“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom. 16:17, 18).