In our present world, the word doctrine has been given a bad rap. Nondenominational churches pop up overnight and seem to flourish. Some believe that denominations are men making up rules to live by, and they say, “We just want to worship and love God.” They believe doctrine to be confining by teaching them the “do’s” and “don’ts” of the religion. The definition of doctrine is a belief or a set of beliefs held and taught by a church. Every doctrine must have a base where it will put its anchor. For Christians, it is the Bible. If it is not the Bible, you just have an organization getting together with some things in common. If you mention the word church, most think of a building or a certain group such as Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc. In the Bible, the Greek word for church is ecclesia, which means a called-out company or assembly. In the Bible it is used three different ways, first, in I Corinthians 1:2-3 it refers to a local assembly of those who are sanctified in Jesus. This means they were set apart and different from those around them because they were holy. They were not just different. They were called to be like Jesus. The word Christian itself means little Christ. We are to live our lives becoming like Him. Second, the word is defined as the body of individual living believers, as Paul mentions in I Corinthians 15:9, and third, it refers to the universal church, which would include anyone, anywhere, that has followed Christ as their Lord and Savior, as in Matthew 16:18 where Jesus says He will build His church.
I Corinthians 1:2 “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:”
I Corinthians 15:9 “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
With the church in mind, what basic doctrines of the Bible are taught today? What are we to believe if we are to be a Christian?
First, as in any organization, the authority must be established. For Christians, it is the Bible. In II Timothy 3:16, we are taught that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God. The word inspiration is the Greek word Θεόπνευστος. It literally means God-breathed. He gave the writers of the Bible the truths to convey to His creation. While each writer had his own style of writing, it did not change the truths God wanted to convey. Any religion that allows a man to determine what is truth, is wrong! There is no higher authority than God himself. What God has called sin has not changed; it is still a sin in His eyes, and He is the one we will answer to. If God called a lifestyle an abomination it still is, if God called lying a sin it still is. Truth does not change. We can alter the scriptures to conform to society, but we will face the judgment of God. We will all stand before God one day to give an account of our lives, not before a man. Putting a man’s authority, any man, preacher, a pope, deacon, or teacher, above what the Bible says is false doctrine.
II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
II Peter 1:20-21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Second, we must believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. He was not just a man or a good prophet. Jesus said in John 10:30 that He and His Father are one. Jesus is God in the flesh. He was not a son of God, as some religions teach. He was, is, and always will be THE Son of God. Any church that teaches anything different is teaching you false doctrine.
I John 4:23 “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:”
I John 4:3 “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”
Third, one of the greatest false doctrines of current times is the focus on the love of God. While it is a great truth that God is love, and He demonstrated that by giving His only Son to die for our sins, that we might be redeemed, bought back, to Him, it is not His highest attribute. His highest attribute is His holiness, and no matter how much he loves you, He cannot absolve our sin without payment for it. His holiness required Jesus to go to the cross so that by repenting of our sins and surrendering our lives to Him, His righteousness can become our righteousness. Some teach that because God is love, all will go to Heaven, but nothing could be further from the truth. I wonder how many will be in Hell one day because they have believed this lie. If you read through the New Testament, you will find that Jesus taught far more about Hell than He did about Heaven.
I John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
While there are many false doctrines that permeate our world, the bottom line is what do you believe about Jesus Christ and the Bible. If you believe that the Bible is God-breathed, as the scriptures teach, you will study to find out for yourself what is true. Don’t be lazy and take someone else’s word for what is right and wrong. Study the Bible for yourself. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth. Don’t pull verses out of context to mean what you want them to. We are to all study, pray, and seek the truth of the word. There are commentaries explaining what the original words mean so that you can know if you are understanding them correctly. There are good teachers and preachers who open the word of God and teach it as it is. To determine if it is a good preacher or teacher, study for yourself and see if what they are saying lines up the context of their passage.
II Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Don’t allow yourself to become deceived and believe false doctrine, because you refuse to study to know the truth.
