Session 2 | Sound in Doctrine

In this sermon, Joshua Edwards teaches on spiritual discernment and sound doctrine, showing that true soundness in the faith is far more than simply knowing the right information. Edwards explains that Paul’s instruction to Timothy and Titus reveals how essential discernment is to maintaining healthy doctrine within the church. Sound doctrine, he says, is not just correct teaching—it is truth that produces spiritual health and godliness in believers’ lives. Edwards warns against two major errors: depending on feelings or impressions apart from the Word, and assuming that possessing doctrinal knowledge automatically means one is spiritually mature. Both, he emphasizes, are spiritually dangerous if disconnected from the Spirit’s transforming work through the Word.

Drawing from passages such as 1 Timothy 1, Titus 1–2, and 2 Timothy 4, Edwards shows that sound doctrine aligns with Paul’s gospel and results in growth, stability, and love—not pride or debate. True discernment, he teaches, looks beyond what God says to understand why He says it—discerning the thoughts and intents of His heart revealed through Scripture. Edwards concludes that the goal of all doctrine is “charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” Knowledge without love, he reminds, profits nothing; but truth that transforms the heart and overflows in Christlike love fulfills God’s design for spiritual health and maturity.