STUDYING DOCTRINES

-
 








For new Christians, the word “doctrine” can feel like a heavy and deep topic. For some, it can even be intimidating when the discussion turns to this. Some even say that doctrines should only be for pastors or Bible study leaders because they make the head ache! But wait—what exactly is doctrine?

The word is often used in two ways. It may refer to the truth as “a whole, a system of truth,” or the overall teaching of God revealed in the Bible. It may also refer to one specific element of God’s truth revealed in the Bible. In other words, doctrine may refer either to all the teachings of the Bible, or to everything the Bible says about a particular subject. For example, the doctrine of Soteriology is about all that the Bible says about salvation. The doctrine of Christology, on the other hand, is about what the Bible teaches concerning Christ.

In his book How to Understand Your Bible (1974), T. Norton Sterrett provides some guiding principles and convictions for those starting to study doctrines more deeply. These also serve as reminders for those who have been studying for a long time:

1. The Bible gives us the doctrine God wants us to know.

God has revealed in the Bible the doctrine or whole teaching that He wants us to learn. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). This means that any doctrine or particular belief that is not supported by the Bible may not actually be true, or may not be necessary for us. If the Lord truly wants us to study it, we can expect to find it in the Bible.

2. The Bible is a sufficient source of doctrine.

The 66 books of the Bible are sufficient to teach us the whole counsel of the Lord. This doesn’t mean we don’t need other references or our own reasoning to understand God’s truth. It simply means that nothing else can equal or replace the Bible as the source for God’s truth.

3. The Bible gives a unified presentation of doctrine.

The teaching of the New Testament does not contradict the Old Testament. Jesus affirmed this (Matt. 5:17; 24:35, etc.). Paul’s teaching does not contradict Jesus, because Christ was the source of Paul’s teaching (Gal. 1:12; 1 Cor. 11:23, etc.). Paul’s teaching is not at odds with James, Peter, or any other New Testament writer. All their insights obviously came from Christ, who commanded us to teach believers to obey His commandments (Matt. 28:20).

While the Bible is consistent in revealing God’s truth, different parts emphasize different things. Each writer highlights certain truths in their writings. John emphasized the deity of Christ in his gospel so that readers might believe in Him (John 20:31). This doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit is not also deity, nor does it deny the doctrine of the Trinity. Many Old Testament books highlight God’s righteous judgment, while the New Testament more clearly reveals His mercy and grace through Christ. This does not mean the God of the OT is different from the God of the NT, or that God changes His character over time.

Also, the Bible does not teach a doctrine all at once. It is not like a textbook with a single chapter that contains everything on one doctrine. The Bible’s revelation is unified and progressive. New details about a subject are revealed as the Bible unfolds. This leads to the next point.

4. We are to learn doctrine by studying all the passages that touch on a particular subject.

Because studying doctrine means asking what the Bible says about a subject, we must look at everything the Bible teaches about it. We cannot build a doctrine on just one or two passages that have no wider support. We also cannot build a doctrine on our own ideas, imagination, or biases, and then merely find verses to support them. Accurate and faithful doctrines are those supported by the whole of Scripture.

5. We cannot expect to understand everything about God.

In studying doctrine, we are organizing all the truths the Bible reveals on a topic. This requires not only patience and diligence but also humility—much humility. There are passages and details that are hard to understand. Because our minds are so limited, we cannot expect to grasp everything. Some things are revealed in the Bible without being fully explained, or we may lack a clear and accurate explanation today. While we should study what we can understand, we must trust God for the hidden things beyond our comprehension.

As Paul said: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Cor. 13:12). For Paul, our knowledge of the Lord now is only “in part,” as though looking into a dim mirror. Only later will it become perfect. Imagine—even Paul admitted this! We must accept that some truths are difficult to understand and cannot be fully known in this life.

6. We expect to find paradoxical truth in the Bible.

When we speak of paradoxes, we mean doctrines that hold together truths that seem contradictory. In studying Christology, for example, we see that Christ is both God and man. It is hard to understand how He can be both unlimited like God and limited like humans. God cannot be tempted (James 1:13), yet Christ was tempted (Matt. 4:1–11). Scholars may suggest ways to resolve such paradoxes, but we must hold both truths because both are revealed in Scripture.

In the doctrine of the Trinity, God is both one and three. It is hard to grasp, but this is what the Bible teaches. Doctrines or beliefs that fail to handle paradoxes correctly are questionable—or even false.

7. Doctrine is meant to produce godliness.

Doctrines shape the way we live. In studying the doctrine of Scripture, we often encounter 2 Tim. 3:16–17. Paul’s goal in reminding Timothy that all Scripture is inspired was to encourage him to keep holding on to God’s Word despite persecution (vv. 10–15). Paul wrote that Christ, though equal with God, chose to become man (Phil. 2:6–8) in order to encourage humility and selflessness (vv. 3–5). John mentioned Christ’s second coming (1 John 2:2) to motivate his readers to live in purity (v. 3).

The writers didn’t teach doctrines simply to fill heads with concepts—they taught them so that the truth would be lived out. “So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17). As Sterrett (1974) put it: “The Bible, unlike a textbook, does not treat doctrines one at a time. One reason for this is that doctrine is not a branch of knowledge to be learned for its own sake. Rather, it is truth for living. We learn about God in order that we may live in fellowship with Him and in obedience to His will.” Stay Curious.

Source and Study:


Sterrett, N. (1974). “Doctrine” . 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘡𝘰 𝘜𝘯π˜₯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘡𝘒𝘯π˜₯ 𝘠𝘰𝘢𝘳 π˜‰π˜ͺ𝘣𝘭𝘦. (pp. 149-156). InterVarsity Press


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE LAMB OF GOD (Agnus Dei)

-
Image
  In the Bible, Jesus as the Lamb of God ( Latin , Agnus Dei ) is one of the most celebrated descriptions of Christ, for it reveals so much about Him as our Savior. π—Ÿπ—”π— π—• 𝗔𝗑𝗗 π—§π—›π—˜ π—’π—Ÿπ—— π—§π—˜π—¦π—§π—”π— π—˜π—‘π—§ In ancient times, the lamb was indispensable in Israel’s offerings. Priests offered it twice a day (Exodus 29:38–42). On the Sabbath, the number of young lambs doubled (Numbers 28:9). At the start of every month, more lambs were sacrificed (28:11). They were also offered during the entire Passover week (28:16, 19), and in other festivals (28:26–27; 29:1–2, 7–8, etc.). The lamb to be offered had to be perfect and without defect (Leviticus 22:24–25).  Since the lamb was consistently sacrificed as a victim, it came to symbolize innocence. That’s why the prophet Nathan used the parable of the ewe lamb in 2 Samuel 12:1–4 to convict David of his sin. Likewise, Isaiah portrayed the lamb as a picture of the Suffering Servant of the Lord —a prophecy pointing to the coming M...
Read more

THE HALL OF HERESIES: ADOPTIONISM

-
Image
Since then, Christ has remained the most controversial figure in history. Even when He was still on earth, people already had many different opinions about Him (Matt. 16:13–14). Just imagine—He was physically present, yet fake news about His identity was already spreading. How much more now that He has returned to heaven? Looking at history, so many misconceptions have emerged and misled many people. Today, we’re going to talk about Adoptionism—the idea that Christ was merely adopted by God and only became the Son of God. 𝗧𝗡𝗲 π—›π—Άπ˜€π˜π—Όπ—Ώπ˜† For many modern scholars, Monarchianism (from monarchia , meaning “one rule”) refers to certain beliefs from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD that emphasized that there is only one ruling God, even in light of the Trinity. One heresy that came out of this view is called Dynamic Monarchianism , which claimed that God’s power (Greek: dynamis ) was merely given to Jesus—making Him divine only because of that power. This belief was influenced by earlier...
Read more

WHAT IS THE BOOK OF LIFE?

-
Image
In Rev. 20:15 , we read a very sobering statement:  “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”  On Judgment Day, when everyone stands before God to be judged, those whose names are not in the book of life will be punished. It’s terrifying to think that your name might not be registered in that book! You can lose your spot on a government aid list—but not on the list of the book of life!  But what exactly is the book of life ? And how did people in biblical times understand it? Book of Life in the Old Testament First, we should note that during biblical times, books were actually scrolls . The codex—the book format we use today—came much later. So, technically speaking, the “book of life” is a “scroll of life.” The Old Testament already presents ideas related to the book of life. In Exodus 32:32 , when Moses pleaded for the Israelites, he said to God: “If you will not forgive their sin, then erase me from the book yo...
Read more