Whose Doctrine Is It Anyway?

In light of some of my recent posts, there seems to be a good bit of confusion on what doctrine means, where doctrines come from, and whether or not there can be room for personal preference, opinion, or interpretation. So, here are some answers to common questions on doctrine.

1. Are Doctrines Mentioned in Scripture?

Yes. Contrary to popular opinion, doctrines were not the invention of a power-hungry Roman Empire eager to use Christianity to assert its power. Doctrines are seen as early as in the second chapter of Acts:

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

Here are a few other New Testament references to “doctrine”, or as it is also translated “teaching”.

“Give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (same Greek word translated “doctrine”). 1 Tim. 4:13

“Preach the word . . . with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.” 2 Tim. 4:2-3

“Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching (Greek “doctrine”); persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” 2 Tim. 4:16

“…holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” Titus 1:9

2. What Is “Doctrine”?

The word “doctrine” ought to be reserved for basic beliefs of the Christian faith. However, it usually means the foundational beliefs of a particular stream of Christianity. For that reason, it is necessary to divide the term a little further. I like the term “Core Orthodoxy” to refer to what C.S. Lewis describes as “Mere Christianity”—the bare essence. Some have called these “absolutes”, but I don’t like that word because it implies that they are facts that are undeniable and provable. There are not. There require faith. Keep in mind that these are not things we know  are true; these are things we hold to be true and must hold to be true if we are to be considered Christians.

For a list of what these might be, consider the “Apostle’s Creed” or even the “Nicean Creed”, creeds held by virtually every stream of Christianity. They have to do with the nature of God (uncreated Creator, Trinity, etc), the nature of Christ (fully God and fully man), the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and what it accomplished for our salvation, the Holy Spirit, the Church, the return of Christ and the coming resurrection.

Doctrines that are not part of the core, basic, mere essence of Christianity are what I call “Respected Interpretations/Traditions”. Examples of these are the belief in predestination versus strong free will or the belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are today versus the view that they have ceased. These represent respected, long-held views. But neither stance is essential to the Christian faith. In other words, you can be a Christian and land on either side of these issues.

Here is a visual way to think about “Core Orthodoxy” versus “Respected Interpretations/Traditions”: 

DOCTRINE:

It may be helpful to think of this picture as a flower. The various respected interpretations and traditions are like petals on the flower-- an important piece, but not critical to the life of the organism. The core of a flower, on the other hand, cannot be plucked without cutting it off from the stem, from life itself. In other words, core doctrines are things that you cannot let go of and still claim to be a Christian. As a seeker, you can wrestle with different core elements before choosing to believe. But once you believe, you are taking a leap of faith, choosing to hold these specific things as true.

3. Are All Sermons Based on Doctrine?

No. Nor is that a bad thing. Most sermons are some mix of what I call “Doctrine”, “Biblical Exposition” and “Counsel.” In my terminology, “Biblical Exposition” is a responsible, scholarly study of the text, context, and treatment of a subject throughout Scripture to provide principles, insight, and application for our lives today. An example of “Biblical Exposition” would be the consistent Biblical teaching on sex being reserved for the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. According to the Bible, sex outside of marriage is not simply wrong, it's destructive to the people involved.

“Counsel” refers to things that shape a preacher’s perspective and are valuable to a congregation or a community of faith. “Counsel” comprises responsible but more personal Biblical interpretation, personal convictions, and proven wisdom. Of course, all of these must be held in check by doctrines—especially core orthodoxy—and responsible exegesis.

Examples of “counsel” are sermons on financial management or time management. Dating advice or marriage tips are other examples.

 SERMONS:

 

 

 

4. How Can I Learn More?

A good systematic theology book is helpful. The common protest to any systematic theology book is simply that the Bible was not written that way. I agree. God's first goal is not that we memorize a list of doctrines. He wants relationship with us. But in order to properly be in relationship with Him, there are things we must know-- things about who He is, who we are, and how we approach Him through Christ. That is the reason for doctrine. 

A responsible theology book will show you the Scriptural basis for each doctrine-- and not from a few verses strung together, but through a unified reading of the Bible. It will also make a clear difference between a "core doctrine" and a doctrine that has some respected variations. There are two theology books that repeatedly show up in the libraries of scholars I admire: Millard Erickson's "Christian Theology" and Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology", through Erickson's provides a better overview of various views on certain issues. For a more readable explanation of basic Christian beliefs, check out Grudem's "Christian Beliefs" which he co-wrote with his son.

In conclusion, there is an old saying from church history that goes like this: 

"In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, diversity. But in all things, charity (love)."

Comments

[Chris]

Thank you Glen, I really like how you broke it down. To many of my peers dislike doctrine and I am constantly attempting to show the need and validity of doctrine. I am currently working through Systematic Theology.

Thanks,
Chris

[Tristan]

Hey Glenn,

I appreciate your separation of core orthodoxy from respected traditions - too often our unity in love has been jeopardized and our witness to the world weakened by people confusing the two! Especially when they forget to be "truthing in love", or speaking the truth in love.

Out of curiosity - I would love to hear your views on the scriptural basis for keeping oneself pure until marriage, like you mentioned in one of your examples. I am solidly in agreement with you on the importance of this, but often I've heard people flounder when actually trying to connect this view with scripture. How would you frame it?