THEY WILL NOT ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE (2 Tim. 3:3-5)

Thousands of disciples of Christ left Him because they could not endure sound doctrine: "And they no longer walked with Him."  And many will leave the Church for the same reason. Many more will remain in the Church and simply ignore the sound teachings.

"The time will come . . . and these are the times . . . when men will not endure sound doctrine."

Where do sound doctrines comes from? St. John Chrysostom says:  from the teachings of Christ as found in Scriptures and from the Tradition of the Holy Fathers of the Church.

Instead, Christians will heap upon themselves teachers of their own choosing. So today's Christians are prophesied to reject teachers given to them by God and choose their own teachers. And what kind of teachers are these? Teachers who will tickle their ears, teachers who will teach them what they want to hear, teachers who will satisfy their lust, teachers who will allow them to do whatever they want.  "And they will HEAP UP such teachers upon themselves, " showing the indiscriminate multitude of teachers they will choose for themselves.

Such multitude of teachers do not teach sound doctrine; instead, they teach doctrines that gratify and delight their hearers. Such hearers and listeners are such that "shall turn away their ears from the truth and turn to fables."

At the end times, when false prophets, false Christs and false teachers will abound, Christians who "heap up" upon themselves such teachers will be easy prey to them. Only those who hold on to sound doctrine shall attain the "merited crown."

So, Christian soul, "Be watchful and endure" for Christ's sake. For we are living at the end times. And before we are assailed by the great pestilence of false doctrines, let us cling to sound doctrines. "And you know who your teachers are . . . Christ in Sacred Scriptures and the Tradition of the Holy and Orthodox Fathers of the Church.

St. John Chrysostom, Homily IX on 2 Tim. 3: 3-5

(01-23-04)