Doctrine

[Jedi4Yahweh]

Non-denominational Churches do claim to have doctrine. The word Doctrine simply means "Teaching". Every Church teaches hopefully according to the bible. A church with out teaching is nothing more then a social gathering.

Yes teachings/doctrines are good but what is more important is being obedient to those teachings.

For instants Jesus said you must not only Listen to my teaching but obey them. If you dont then your like a man who built his life upon sand and when Judgment comes you will go down with your teachings that you learned but did not obey.

The more you know the more the more that is required of you.

God bless,

[apothanein kerdos]

Ah, you're right, doctrine is no good unless it's put into practice.

[O'Dannyboy]

Luke 12:25 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" 26 "Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" 32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for you Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom" 56 "Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it you don't know how to interpret this present time?" 57 "Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?"

Luke 13:23 Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, 24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, `Sir, open the door for us.'

Rev 7:4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

Matthew 2:6 "`But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "

Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the road that leads destruction, and may enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow is the road leads to life, and only a few find it." 18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 20 "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them"

Matthew 9:3 At this some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blashpheming!" 4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say `Your sins are forgiven, ' or to say , `Get up and walk?' "

[Khristeeanos]

Here is some good doctrine:

Matthew 16:24-25

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Mark 8:34

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Luke 9:23-24

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

[Jedi4Yahweh]

Awesome post DIME.

The one essential Doctrine: You need Jesus

[larryt]

Knoing what good doctrine is, is an attitude we must have.

16  Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

17  If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

If we really want to do God's will He will let us know whatever we need to know.

LT

[Guest shiloh357]

The Need, The Nature, and the Neglect of Doctrine

By Rev. Bill Prater

"Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know

understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law." Proverbs 4:1-2

We have come to the place today where, among many followers of Christ,

doctrine is no longer an issue. There was a time when hard and fast

lines were drawn between people on the basis of their particular brand

of doctrine and those lines were not crossed. The popular thing today

has been to replace concern for sound doctrine with concern for

experience. It doesn't matter what you believe in many circles, as long

as you have "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." While I

certainly would not challenge the need to have a personal relationship

with Jesus Christ, to do so at the expense of correct doctrine makes

for a meaningless relationship. A true relationship with Jesus Christ

must be based upon the truth.

We are living in an age when those in the religious spotlight are

telling us that doctrine is not important and that it doesn't make any

difference what you believe as long as you are sincere. However,

doctrine IS important to God and it DOES make a difference what you

believe. Consider 2 John 9, "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not

in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the

doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son". John's words

do not sound like he is advocating a "doctrine-less" Christianity. Many

Mormons are sincere, but they're sincerely wrong. Many Jehovah's

Witnesses are sincere, but they're sincerely wrong. Hindus are sincere,

but they're sincerely wrong. Moslems are sincere but they're sincerely

wrong. Sincerity alone does not make ones beliefs necessarily true. The

degree to which something is true is how it measures up to the Bible.

This thing of "we're all going to the same place anyway, we just all

have different roads" is outrageous. It's kind of like me being headed

for Wichita and passing a friend on the highway going the opposite

direction. So I give him a call on the cell phone and ask him where

he's going. He says, "I'm going to Wichita." You say, "I hate to tell

you this, but Wichita's the other way." Your friend says, "Oh well, it

doesn't matter, we're both headed to the same place anyway. See you

when you get there." You can't both end up at the same place if you're

headed in opposite directions.

When praying for His disciples in John 17:1 Jesus prayed, "Sanctify

them through thy truth: thy word is truth." The Word of God is absolute

truth, meaning that it is free from imperfection, it's perfect. The

Word of God is the standard by which all that is called truth is to be

measured.

THE NEED FOR DOCTRINE

There is a need for Proclaiming Doctrine. The Lord was interested in

doctrine. As a matter of fact, He preached and taught doctrine. After

His "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, the Bible says, "And

it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were

astonished at his doctrine." Again in Matthew 22:33 we read, "And when

the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine." On yet

another occasion in Mark 1:22 we read, "And they were astonished at his

doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the

scribes." Mark 4:2 says, "And he taught them many things by parables,

and said unto them in his doctrine."

Paul preached doctrine and encouraged others to do the same. He told

Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 to, "Preach the word; be instant in season,

out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and

doctrine."

Titus was also the recipient of Paul's exhortation to proclaim sound

doctrine. In Titus 2:1 Paul said, "But speak thou the things which

become sound doctrine."

There is also a need for Understanding Doctrine. Peter tells us why it

is important to have a good understanding of doctrine. He wrote in 1

Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready

always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the

hope that is in you with meekness and fear." Concerning this verse,

Albert Barnes said, "A Christian should have such intelligent views of

the truth of his religion, and such constant evidence in his own heart

and life that he is a child of God, as to be able at any time to

satisfy a candid inquirer that the Bible is a revelation from heaven,

and that it is proper for him to cherish the hope of salvation." The

average church member across this nation knows very little about the

faith he espouses. Most people simply cannot tell you why they believe

what they believe. As a matter of fact, many cannot even tell you what

they believe, and the really sad thing is, it is getting worse, not

better.

Notice the manner in which we are to defend our Biblical position. It

is to be done "with meekness and fear." This does not mean that we are

to be timid and shy or that we are to be afraid when men ask us what we

believe and why we believe it. It means rather, that we are to have a

humble spirit. We do not have to be obnoxious or overbearing or

arrogant. Nor do not have to be mean-spirited. As A. W. Tozer said,

"Great saints have always been dogmatic. We need a gentle dogmatism

that smiles while it stands stubborn and firm on the Word of God."

We find the formula for learning doctrine in Isaiah 28:9-10, it is

"precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and there a

little." Those responsible for proclaiming doctrine must take into

account the level of maturity of their audience. Sometimes we fail to

do this, and those who are yet young in the Lord are overwhelmed by the

seemingly complicated process of establishing a solid doctrinal

foundation upon which to base their beliefs. If the formula for

learning doctrine is "precept upon precept, line upon line, here a

little, and there a little", then the process of teaching should be the

same.

Maintaining Doctrine is yet another need that must be addressed. In 1

Timothy 4, Paul stresses the importance of maintaining right doctrine.

In his words to young Timothy, Paul said, "Now the Spirit speaketh

expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,

giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Speaking lies in hypocrisy: having their conscience seared with a hot

iron;" (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Paul goes on to say that to maintain doctrine

is to be a "good minister of Jesus Christ." He wrote, "If thou put the

brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister

of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good

doctrine whereunto thou hast attained" (1 Timothy 4:6). Paul closes out

first Timothy chapter 4 with some sound advise to all those responsible

for maintaining sound doctrine whether young or old - "Till I come,

give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy,

with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy

profiting may appear to all.

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in

doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (1

Timothy 4:13-16).

Then there is a need for Living Doctrine. Charles Spurgeon said, "If

your theology doesn't change your behavior, it will never change your

destiny." Quoting A. W. Tozer again, he said, "A doctrine has practical

value only as far as it is prominent in our thoughts and makes a

difference in our lives." To illustrate what these men are saying,

consider the doctrine concerning the return of the Lord. This one

doctrine ought to be one of the greatest incentives to righteous and

godly living in this present world. It ought to compel us to be doing

everything we can to reach the lost before Jesus comes again. The

problem is, that to most, this is merely a doctrine of the head and not

the heart. When the doctrine of the imminent return of Christ becomes

imbedded in our hearts, it will change our lives.

THE NATURE OF DOCTRINE

By nature, doctrine is Divisive. The apostles were accused in Acts 5 of

filling Jerusalem with their doctrine. In this instance, doctrine

proved to be very divisive. When it comes right down to it, it was

doctrine that divided Christ and the religious leaders of His day.

Groups like Promise Keepers don't preach doctrine because it is

divisive. There is no way that they would be able to bring all the

denominations together if they adhered to strict principles concerning

Biblical doctrine. People will say, "Well I don't want to get hung up

on doctrine." Doctrine is unavoidable. The doctrine that teaches that

doctrine is not important is a doctrine in itself.

When you preach that there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord,

one faith, one baptism, and one God as Paul did in Ephesians 4, you're

going to be divisive. When you quote the words of Jesus found in John

14:6 where He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man

cometh unto the Father, but by me", you're going to be divisive. When

you preach that the Bible is the perfect, pure, inerrant, infallible,

unchanging Word of God preserved in the King James version, you're

going to be divisive. When you preach that the Lord's Supper is a local

church ordinance to be observed by the members of that local church

only, and that the elements, of necessity must be unleavened bread and

the pure fruit of the vine or grape juice, you're going to be divisive.

Doctrine is not only divisive, but it's also Definitive. Our doctrine

defines us. The Bible speaks of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of

the Sadducees. The Bible speaks of "His" doctrine, speaking of the Lord

Jesus Christ. In reality however, Jesus Himself said in John 7:16, "My

doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." The Bible speaks of the

apostles' doctrine." The Bible speaks of the "doctrines of men." Paul

mentions the "doctrines of devils." Paul also mentions the "doctrine of

God." In Hebrews we find the "doctrine of Christ." There's the

"doctrine of Balaam" mentioned in the book of Revelation as well as

"the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes."

Your doctrine defines you as either a Liberal or a Conservative; a

Catholic, a Protestant, or a Baptist; a Modernist or a Fundamentalist;

a Charismatic or Non-Charismatic, and the list continues of the labels

that men will pin on you because of your doctrine.

Doctrine can also be considered as Regenerative. Romans 6:17 says, "But

God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed

from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you." The

Romans had been saved and set free from the bondage of sin by the

preaching of doctrine. So much for not preaching doctrine on Sunday

morning.

Titus 1:9 teaches us that by nature, doctrine is intended to be

Persuasive. Paul wrote, "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been

taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to

convince the gainsayers." Two methods of persuasion are mentioned here.

The first is exhortation. This speaks of situations where men know the

truth, but need some encouragement to follow it. The second method is

to convince. This is a stronger word which means to "confute"or to

"overwhelm by argument."

THE NEGLECT OF DOCTRINE

With the rise of groups like Promise Keepers, it's obvious that

doctrine has been relegated to a position of non-importance. However,

groups like Promise Keepers are not the cause of neglected doctrine,

they are the result. Paul said 1 Timothy 4:16, "Take heed unto thyself,

and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt

both save thyself, and them that hear thee." Had pastors and teachers

followed Paul's advise, they could have saved themselves, and their

people, from becoming involved in such unscriptural activities. As far

as I know, when Promise Keepers first began to gain recognition in our

area, there was not a single man in our church who even gave it a

second thought. They had already been well grounded in the doctrines of

the local church and had been forewarned of the dangers of

ecumenicalism. Many of them were asked by others why they were not

willing to get involved, and each one was able to give sound, Biblical

reasons for their refusal to participate.

There are several reasons why doctrine is neglected in many churches

today. Some neglect doctrine because they view it as Intimidating. Some

view it as Irrelevant. While others view it as being Insensitive

towards those of other "faiths." But for the true Bible-believer, right

doctrine is INVALUABLE.

The foolishness of neglecting doctrine can be illustrated by the

following scenario. Two college students find themselves taking the

same chemistry class. One of the students comes up to the other one and

says, "Hey, I've figured out a good way to pass the final chemistry

test at the end of the semester. Listen to me. Here is how we'll do it.

"The first thing we'll do is quit concerning ourselves with that dry

old text book It's hard to understand anyway. Besides, we know those

chemists don't agree on everything. Plus, that teacher we have is a

real drag. He teaches for forty-five minutes at a time and I just can't

keep my mind on what he is saying. All he ever talks about is that

stupid textbook.

I know a guy across campus who has a new method of teaching chemistry.

It's called The Experiential Method. It's a blast! You see, all you do

is go to class and start mixing chemicals. Man, it's great! You should

see all the colors that form in those test tubes! One student last year

blew out the north wing of the building when he threw some stuff

together. There's all kinds of action over there. Usually you have to

go early just to get a seat."

What's going to happen at the end of the year when it comes time to

take the final test. Obviously, they're not going to pass.

As foolish as it would be to cut chemistry class and expect to pass the

class, it is even more foolish to ignore the divine guidance of the

Bible, the doctrine of Jesus Christ! If you ignore it, you will flunk

the test at the end of time.

[apothanein kerdos]

Oh wow, very good article you posted there Shiloh.

[Guest shiloh357]

Thanks, SJ,

While I do not agree with the author's assessment of Promise Keepers, it is still a good article.

[stevehut]

God will enligthen us as we grow in him, but we do not have to have perfect doctrine or go to seminary before we can know and be accepted of God.

Did someone mention perfection or seminary?