Why does sound doctrine matter in the Christian life?

Sound doctrine matters because it teaches us who God is, who we are, what Christ has done, and how we are to live. Without sound doctrine, the church drifts into confusion and error, and the gospel itself becomes distorted.

What happens when the church neglects biblical teaching?

When the church neglects biblical teaching, false teaching grows, holiness becomes optional, Jesus is reduced to a moral example instead of Savior, and the people of God become spiritually weakened and vulnerable to confusion and error.

The Cost of Neglecting Sound Doctrine

Name: The Cost of Neglecting Sound Doctrine
Uploaded: 2025-12-08
Channel: Dave Jenkins
Description: Dave Jenkins exposes the dangers of doctrinal drift, explains why neglecting sound doctrine always carries a cost, and calls the church back to biblical clarity and theological conviction in a confused age.

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 2 min read

The Cost of Neglecting Sound Doctrine

In this episode of Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins looks at what the latest State of Theology survey reveals about the condition of the Church and why so many professing Christians are confused about the most basic doctrines of the faith. He explains why neglecting sound doctrine always has a cost and why biblical clarity is kindness in a confused age.

Listen to the Audio

Watch the Episode

Episode Notes

In this episode Dave addresses:

The alarming State of Theology statistics inside the church.
Why doctrine simply means teaching and why all Christians are theologians.
The authority, inerrancy, infallibility, and clarity of Scripture.
Why you cannot have Christianity, discipleship, or spiritual growth without doctrine.
How false gospels multiply when we lose a biblical doctrine of sin.
Why denying or downplaying the Trinity destroys the Christian faith.
The danger of treating Jesus as only a moral teacher instead of Lord and Savior.
How holiness becomes negotiable when the means of grace are neglected.
How theological confusion spreads through shallow preaching and experience-first religion.
The biblical call to contend for the faith and guard the good deposit (Jude 3, 2 Tim. 1:13–14).
The need for expositional preaching and the whole counsel of God.
The fear of the Lord, the centrality of Christ and His cross, and a recovered love for truth.

Key Scriptures Referenced

Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 4:16; Titus 2:1.
Romans 1–3; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1–5.
John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9–17; 1 Corinthians 15:1–10.
Romans 6; Romans 8; Colossians 3; Galatians 5:16–26.
Jude 3; 2 Timothy 1:13–14; Colossians 2:8; Hebrews 2:1; Ephesians 4:14.
Luke 19:10; John 10; Romans 5:1–11; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10.

Call to Action

If this episode encouraged you to stand firm in the truth of God’s Word, please subscribe on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend or your pastor. Stay connected for more episodes this month as we continue our series Standing Firm in a Confused Age: Responding to Doctrinal Drift in the Church.For more from Contending for the Word please visit our page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube

Dave Jenkins( Executive Director )

Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.

Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.

He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024).

You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.

When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.

Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

Continue Growing in Biblical Truth

If this article served you, explore resources by Dave Jenkins and Theology for Life Publishing designed to help you grow in biblical clarity, theological depth, and faithful Christian living. You can view the featured titles below or explore more in the shop.

Explore the Shop