By F.O. White
November 11, 2018

A preacher in Nashville, Tennessee was called by a man pas-sing through. The man said, “Brother, is there a sound church in Nashville?” The preacher said, “I think there are several sound churches in Nashville, but I do not know what you mean by ‘sound.’” The man explained, “I mean where you don’t have a local preacher.”

The church has a number of members who have their own criterion as of what constitutes soundness. Because there are so many conceptions of soundness, we need to turn to the word of God to see what makes a church sound. A church is not sound just because all the congregations in the area are doing the same thing they are doing. It is not sound because she will not take the Lord’s money from the treasury of the church and give it to some human institution “in the name of the church.”

The Greek word for “sound” occurs several times in the New Testament and it means, according to Thayer, to be sound, to be well, to be in good health.” “It is used of one whose opinions as a Christian are free from any mixture of error” (Luke 5:31; 7:10; Titus 1:13). We must say that a sound church is one that is spiritually healthy; feasting on the words of righteousness and “exercising their senses to discern both good and evil” (John 6:51-56; 1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12-14).

Paul said that he spoke sound words, “Holds fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine (Titus 2:1). “Sound speech that cannot be condemned…” (Titus 2:8). How can a church be sound when she upholds brethren in sin?

The church must realize her responsibility in following the word which is sound. If we follow that which is sound, we will be sound. No person or congregation can be sound when either have fellowship with “the unfruitful works of darkness…” (Ephesians 5:11).

May the God of heaven help us to be sound just as the word of the Lord teaches us to be sound. We cannot accept sin in any way, for any reason, and be pleasing to God.