Among believers I often see the word doctrine being viewed as a negative. Some seem to think if believers ascribe to a particular doctrine then they are more focused on religion than God. I've stumbled upon a good quote on doctrine that seeks to break down the misconceptions. We don't use doctrine to define truth, however truth defines doctrine. I desire to see us not run away from the word "doctrine", but to embrace it for what it really means. Anyway, the quote....
"Christian doctrine is unique in that it is an intellectual response to the historical activity and revelatory disclosure of God. Doctrine is rational reflection upon God�s saving activity in Jesus Christ. Foundational to the idea of �doctrine� is the fact that we need to be told what God is like. It is not ours to determine what kind of God we will believe and obey. It is God�s to determine to show Himself to us. Doctrine is our effort to articulate what He has made known. Doctrine is the divinely authorized attempt to describe God in accordance with how He has revealed Himself in creation, in history, in Jesus Christ and in the Scriptures. In doing so, doctrine also serves to expose false interpretations of reality, false concepts of God. It is the aim of doctrine to make sense of the individual�s and the church�s experience of God as He has made Himself known in Jesus Christ." - Alister McGrath
Is doctrine enough? Certainly not and I believe this is where the negative idea of the word comes into play. We have seen those who love their doctrine more than they love God. However that's not the intent of doctrine as I have shown from the quote earlier. Here are a couple rebukes for when we put loving doctrine above loving God.
"We must ask, Do I fight merely from doctrinal faithfulness? This is like the wife who never sleeps with anybody else but never shows love to her own husband. Is that a sufficient relationship in marriage? No, ten thousand times no. Yet if I am a Christian who speaks and acts for doctrinal faithfulness but do not show love to my divine bridegroom, I am in the same place as such a wife. What God wants from us is not only doctrinal faithfulness, but our love day by day. Not in theory, mind you, but in practice." - Frances Schaeffer
"Doctrine is useless if it is not accompanied by a holy life. It is worse than useless; it does positive harm. Something of 'the image of Christ' must be seen and observed by others in our private life, and habits, and character, and doings." - J.C. Ryle
Proverbs 4:1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; 2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. 3 When I was my father's son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.
John 7:16 Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Bible Study ToolsBible VersionsNKJV2 Timothy2 Timothy 4
2 Timothy 4 (New King James Version)
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2 Timothy 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers
Titus 2:7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
2 John 1:9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Doctrine is simply �The Essence� of some Teaching or the �Principal� meaning of that Teaching.
The �Principals� that Jesus Taught. The �Essences� of those Teachings became The Doctrines of The Church. The 40 days that Christ spent here on earth were very Important to The Church because that was the Time that Jesus spent going over all that He Taught The Apostles. That was the Time that Jesus �Cemented� His Principals (Doctrine) into The Apostles.
Christ also gave His Church The Holy Spirit to Insure that these �Doctrines� would not be lost or altered. Those Doctrines have remained with The Church to this day and whenever there was confusion about any Doctrine�The Church would hold a Council and after much Fasting and Praying and Invoking of The Holy Spirit�that Council would Define that Doctrine once and for always.
Doctrine is Important only in the fact that it shows what your church Believes in. Just to say that �my church believes in Scripture� does not define what Doctrines they adhere to. There are over 33,000 different churches today. Many with Doctrines that are quite different from all of the other churches. You need to know what your church believes in.
