For years, I was turned off by the word doctrine until a friend simplified things: “Doctrine is just teaching,” he said. I don’t know how I had missed that, but he was right. In the Bible, the word doctrine refers to teaching or instruction.
When the early Christians followed the apostles’ doctrine, they were “devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” (Acts 2:42) It really is that simple. (Most English translations use the word teaching nowadays.)
So, how important is doctrine?
A number of years ago, a college friend visited my wife and I overheard her telling about a new women’s Bible study in which the participants had all agreed to avoid controversial Bible topics. While that was a lofty goal, it was flawed. Not trying to be difficult, I interjected, “So, I guess you won’t be discussing salvation.”
The biblical doctrine of salvation is critically important, yet quite controversial.
Biblical doctrine is interesting to some, though there are writers who seem to be gifted in making it as dry as the desert sand. Yet, the instruction found in the pages of the Bible tells us about God and about ourselves. Biblical doctrine helps us answer fundamental questions that mankind has asked throughout the ages:
- Who am I and what is my place in the universe?
- How does the ordered universe make sense?
- Where is there justice?
It is important to understand that every person thinks something about God and the Bible, about truth and eternity, about salvation and morality. A person’s attitudes and behaviors are defined by his understanding of doctrine even if he does not call it doctrine. Consider...
In his book, What Is the Bible?, Rob Bell explains biblical inspiration as something little different from an idea that suddenly pops into one’s head, not unlike Doc Brown’s invention of the flux capacitor in the popular Back to the Future movie series. Yet, if that describes your basic doctrine of biblical inspiration, then the Bible will be reduced to a mere compilation of the writings of men who had an internal urge to write after a bump on the head.
In his Word Pictures in the New Testament, 20th Century Greek scholar A. T. Robertson revealed his doctrine of baptism saying that a person will interpret Acts 2:38 “according as he believes that baptism is essential to the remission of sins or not.” (Vol. III, p. 35-36) In other words, biblical doctrine on baptism is so indistinct in this case that people will simply believe what they already believe. If you embrace Robertson’s explanation, then you will feel perfectly fine to believe whatever you want about Christian baptism.
The point of these examples is that human explanations of biblical doctrine are insufficient and may lead to incorrect conclusions. Those conclusions will surely affect one’s attitudes and ultimately his/her choices and behaviors.
In contrast to the examples above, Paul wrote:
In his book, What Is the Bible?, Rob Bell explains biblical inspiration as something little different from an idea that suddenly pops into one’s head, not unlike Doc Brown’s invention of the flux capacitor in the popular Back to the Future movie series. Yet, if that describes your basic doctrine of biblical inspiration, then the Bible will be reduced to a mere compilation of the writings of men who had an internal urge to write after a bump on the head.
In his Word Pictures in the New Testament, 20th Century Greek scholar A. T. Robertson revealed his doctrine of baptism saying that a person will interpret Acts 2:38 “according as he believes that baptism is essential to the remission of sins or not.” (Vol. III, p. 35-36) In other words, biblical doctrine on baptism is so indistinct in this case that people will simply believe what they already believe. If you embrace Robertson’s explanation, then you will feel perfectly fine to believe whatever you want about Christian baptism.
The point of these examples is that human explanations of biblical doctrine are insufficient and may lead to incorrect conclusions. Those conclusions will surely affect one’s attitudes and ultimately his/her choices and behaviors.
In contrast to the examples above, Paul wrote:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching (doctrine)...so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.—2 Timothy 3:16
We must keep focus on God’s word so that we are not caught off guard concerning doctrine. Only then will God’s intended goal be met in us.
The goal of our instruction [doctrine] is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.—1 Timothy 1:5
Mark Stinnett
August 29, 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are welcome from all readers. Please be respectful toward others who post comments. Choose your words wisely.