Problems With Doctrine

I must say that my Quaker soul is vexed when I hear someone say, “Doctrine is not important to my Christian walk.” The words doctrine and doctrinal have become disparaging terms for many--along with words like dogma. Many evangelical Christians, who do affirm certain doctrines, pay little attention to doctrine beyond a certain minimum.  Some Christians  have gone so far to say they have no doctrine.  This is like saying, "I go to school but I am not enrolled in any class, because learning what is taught (doctrine) is not important."  Doctrine is the teachings of the Church, the foundation of what is believed.  So what is the problem with doctrine?

I have noticed that many objections to Christian doctrine, fall into five areas: (1) irrelevant, (2) impractical, (3) divisive, (4) nonspiritual, and (5) incomprehensible. Let me try to answer these five areas.

First doctrine is relevant. It is the foundation of our beliefs and  the basis by which we evaluate our spiritual lives. In popular thought doctrine has to do with insignificant matters that are irrelevant to most people. Although doctrine can be trivialized, Christian doctrine is extremely relevant to all people.

Christian doctrine is the teachings of Scripture which answers the fundamental questions of life such as who God is, who we are, why we're here, where am I going after life and how do I find God?  How we answer these questions decisively shapes the way we live. To ignore them is to go through life unaware of my responsibility to God, man and myself.

Doctrine is particularly important because a sound proclamation of the gospel of salvation depends on an accurate understanding of what that gospel is, what salvation is, and how salvation is received it nothing less than our redemption from sin, which depends on what we believe concerning salvation. I do not mean to imply that we must all become theologians and experts on every fine point of doctrine to be saved. But the church as a whole must take great care that it faithfully proclaims the true gospel, and every Christian must understand what is required of them.

It is true that some doctrinal issues may be less important than others. One of the most crucial functions of Christian theology, and one of the most neglected, is to sort out the really important-the essential--from the less important and even the irrelevant.

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Doctrine is very relevant to spiritual life, and pursuit of sound doctrine should be the concern of every Christian.

Doctrine is practical. Some Christians feel that practice is more important than theory--that (doing right) is more important than orthodoxy (believing right). This may come from, "Practice makes perfect."  Which is false.  Perfect practice make perfect.  The fact is that what we know and understand correctly will determine what we do correctly. Doctrine is something we believe-- which affects what we do, and so has practical significance.

We should regard both knowledge and practice as important. Ultimately, what is important is that the person truly live in obedient fellowship with God this cannot be done if I fail to to know what God requires of me. Doctrine enables us to develop a realistic view of the world and of  ourselves, without which we are doomed to ineffectual living. Doctrine protects us from false teaching and prepares us to minister to others.

Next, the most common criticism people voice about doctrine is that it divides people. And it does. But in a crucial sense doctrine is intended to unite people. While it is true that doctrine inevitably divides people this is not something that can be avoided. Christians may have a limited knowledge of what they believe concerning core teachings of the Bible. This limited knowledge will result in actions that are based on faulty understanding. This results in actions that are undesirable to Biblical teachings. Doctrine should not divide faithful Christians’ form one another. The Bible commands Christians to divide themselves from false teachers or heretics on the basis of doctrinal factors. In doing so, they are to stand united against heresy.

As Christians mature together in their understanding of biblical doctrine, they become more united as their thinking becomes shaped more and more along the same lines. There is a balance of understanding. Shallow understanding of doctrine promotes disunity among Christians, while a deep understanding tends to foster greater Christian unity.

Some people regard the study of doctrine as an nonspiritual intellectualism, sound doctrine is actually very important to sound spirituality. Christian doctrine teaches us about God, his purposes and will for our lives, what we are like spiritually apart form God's grace, how God's grace changes us-- in short, everything we need to know in order to pursue true spirituality. Doctrine provides external, objective controls for our inward, subjective experiences so that we may discern genuine spirituality from fraudulent, artificial, or even demonic spirituality.

There are people who avoid studying Christian doctrine because they are convinced it is too difficult or complex to grasp. Yet, ever Christian is responsible to acquire doctrinal knowledge as his or her mental faculties, educational level, and opportunities allow. God's Word commands all Christians to learn doctrine. Some aspects of Christian doctrine are difficult and complex, and even trained theologians have problems. But that should not discourage us from studying Christian doctrine.

I will finish with this--all religious systems are based on philosophical presuppositions, or theoretical bases or assumptions. If these presuppositions are false, then all doctrine and ideology that is based on them will be inconsistent with reality and will produce frustration, confusion and the ultimate disintegration of the society that tries to accommodate them. The Bible is based on TRUTH and that TRUTH is based upon Jesus Christ. The more I know about the doctrines of the Bible the more I know and understand the character of Jesus Christ. The more I understand his character the more I understand his teachings (doctrine).