Why Every Christian Should Know and Love Studying Doctrine.
DOCTRINE IS…
Beginning this discussion, I do not want to assume that everyone reading this knows what I mean when I use the word “doctrine”, so let’s start with a definition. According to the Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms, doctrine can be defined as “a body or set of principles or tenets.” If I were to add to that, doctrine can refer to a particular set of teachings or principles that is taught and accepted by a group of people. Therefore, within the context of the church and Christian life, we advocate and insist that our doctrine should be unapologetically, unmistakably, emphatically and steadfastly biblical. Our aim as followers of Jesus in our personal lives and within our churches is that biblical doctrine and that alone be proclaimed from our pulpits, discussed in our small groups, reside within our hearts and transform the way we live. Any sort of teaching that is not in agreement with a sound interpretation of the Scriptures is what we call “false doctrine” or “false teaching”. If we believe something, teach it or have an opinion that is not aligned with the Bible, it must be rejected as being totally opposed to what honours God, exalts Christ and helps us be more like Jesus.
Now already I can sense that some of you are bored and uninterested probably because you believe (and maybe some have taught) that discussion about true or false doctrine does not have any real relevance to our lives, our growth or who we really are as individuals. However, I want to strongly advocate that our doctrine actually speaks and pervades into the deepest parts of our lives. Doctrine deals with every aspect of the Christian life including how we understand God, what He does and how He does it. It shapes how we see the world, how we deal with pain and suffering, how we pray, what we sing, our emotions, our love for God, sin, children, marriage, breakups, divorce, Scripture, church, our jobs, ministry and so much more. When we look at that long list, what we know is that we have all shaped opinions and ideologies about these things whether we notice it or not. Much of what we believe about these things have been passed down by a pastor, family member or even through social media sometimes without our own awareness! With that being said, the individual Christian and the church should see understanding the Bible and ensuring our doctrine aligns with it not as something unimportant, but something that is absolutely essential.
With that being said, I want to suggest some reasons why every Christian should love studying biblical doctrine.
DOCTRINE BRINGS CLARITY.
When we become Christians, believe it or not, we automatically become students. Although I do not want to depict the church as merely a place where people come to put information in their brain, it is a reality that the reception of information is necessary within the context of the body of Christ so that things that we misunderstand may be clarified. Generally as students, we tend to have questions. There are things we just don’t get. For some, even after being a Christian for ten years, there are still many things that remain obscure. The lack of clarity is sometimes so deep that we don’t even know where our misunderstanding lies. Believe it or not, this lack of clarity as it relates to matters of faith can be a serious hindrance to spiritual growth and even a hindrance for people outside of Christ.
I went to minister at a local church’s youth group some time ago. We were all there talking casually as I explained the things of God. During the conversation, one of the girls raised her hand with a concern. She began to explain how she feels like she is not ready to become a Christian because she wants to be more mature first. As she went on to describe how she feels like she needs to stop making all the mistakes she is making before she becomes a Christian, there was both an excitement and a level of grief that rose in my heart. I was excited to respond to her distress, but I was also grieved to notice that her concern came from a fundamental misunderstanding of what the gospel of Jesus Christ actually is. As I clarified for her that the gospel is about Jesus graciously welcoming those who fail, it became even more clear to me that a lack of clarity concerning the Bible can be detrimental. Similarly for those already in the faith, we hear and have questions like, “how do I pray?”, “can I date an unsaved guy?”, “can I lose my salvation?”, “how do I know I am called to be a pastor?”, “is speaking in tongues for everybody?” and so many other questions.
When we pursue a deeper knowledge of doctrine, the unclear becomes clear.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Psalm 119:105 KJV
DOCTRINE GUARDS US FROM DANGEROUS ERRORS
One of the things that breaks my heart is when people are led astray by false doctrine. There are so many teachings and teachers that are wolves in sheeps’ clothing. They come among the sheep and confuse them, lead them away from God and ruin their lives. I am not exaggerating. We have heard them. We see them. We have heard the stories of the prophe-LIERS, the so-called ‘ministers’ who peddle the word of God for money and those that change the Scriptures to say what they would like it to say instead of what it actually means. Perhaps as you are reading this you can feel how tired I am of it.
When Christians devote themselves to studying biblical doctrine, they are less susceptible to being led astray, they can discern what is from God and what is not and they can take the meat and leave behind the bones. First John 4:1 tells us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” We know when a person is a fake if their teaching does not align with the Scriptures. Surely, a person can make a mistake, but that is different from someone who is consistently leading the body of Christ astray. We are guarded from error when we love studying sound, biblical doctrine.
The interesting thing about it is that many people do not get their understanding of anything from a sound interpretation of the Bible. I say this not just about bible teachers, but also about individual Christians. Therefore, many saints are in error about certain things because they have not taken the time to ensure that their doctrine is truly biblical.
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing….”
1 Timothy 6:3-4a ESV
DOCTRINE SHAPES OUR CHARACTER
One of the things I have found over the short time (about nine years) that I’ve been a Christian is that you can tell when a person’s life is deeply rooted in the Scriptures. You can just tell. You know when a person has read, studied, asked questions and is making a serious effort to live a life through the power of the Spirit that is guided by the truth of God’s Word. The reason why you can tell is that people of the Word tend to have an abundance of Christ-like character in their lives. We know they are not perfect, but it is no doubt that they are sanctified. They are conscious everyday about doing the things that God has called them to do in His Word because they have hidden it in their hearts. They are transformed people because God’s Word has that type of transforming power. It makes selfish people into servants. It makes sorrowful people happy. It makes suffering people strong. It makes lazy people hard-working. That’s biblical doctrine. Not just knowing it, but being shaped and transformed by it.
“For the word of God is living and active…”
Hebrews 4:12 ESV
DOCTRINE HEIGHTENS OUR SPIRITUAL AFFECTIONS
Do you want to grow in your love for God? Do you want to grow in passion for the things of God? Do you want to know and experience God with a deeper sense of intimacy? Soak yourself in biblical doctrine. For some people, that makes no sense. They do not associate disciplined, intense, theological study with emotions. I’ve heard it all.
“Not everything is about the Bible.”
“It’s not about how much you know in your head, it’s just about the heart.”
“I connect with God through music, not by reading the Bible.”
When people say things like this, it shows me that they think that intense, intellectual study of biblical doctrine does not lead to any greater affection for God. Rather, I want to argue that it is THROUGH biblical study that engages the mind that the heart is set on fire. This has been my experience and I’ve seen it to be true in the lives of many others. How can you love the God whom you do not know or understand? At the heart of biblical doctrine is a desire to know the God of our salvation more. The more we understand and know Him as shown in the Bible, is the more we are deepened in intimate relationship with Him.
“...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Matthew 22:37 ESV
CONCLUSION
Christian history has shown us that revival is not oftentimes associated with better music, singing or more “hype” in our churches. Christian history has shown us that the Spirit of God brings revival when the people of God get back to the Bible. When we get back to the teaching, preaching, understanding and living of sound, biblical doctrine, our lives and the world at large is changed. My challenge to whoever is reading this is to become serious about knowing what you believe based on the Scriptures. Become passionate about the Bible. Soak yourself in books, podcasts, sermons, literature, study guides and whatever else so that you can devote your Christian life to studying and loving doctrine.
References:
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. S.v. "doctrine." Retrieved August 28 2020 fromhttps://www.thefreedictionary.com/doctrine
English Standard Version Bible. London: Crossway, 2001.v
