Necessity of Sound Doctrine

In our world of relativism, orthodox doctrines are constantly being eschewed in favor of more trend-friendly, relational teachings that emphasize practical application over theological weight.  Part and parcel to this is trimming the gospel account and the teachings of Jesus to make it all more palatable and politically correct to an ever secularizing world.  Famously, deist and founding father Thomas Jefferson went so far as to cut out every miraculous and supernatural occurrence within the Bible and published his own, more "realistic" version.

A much more common practice is to simply state that because the teachings of the Bible are set firmly in a specific historical context, then they should be only applied within the culture, society, or context that the teaching was written in and about.  Most notably to this are the teachings of complementarian over egalitarian views of marriage, the sexual sins (promiscuity, homosexuality, and polygamy), as well as the entire concept of being reborn which is to cause dramatic changes to lifestyle.  The purpose of this conversation is not to point out or address any specific doctrinal error per se, but to assert the need for an understanding of the importance of sound doctrine.  One doctrine that should be solid and unchanging is the doctrine of Christ.

The most important doctrine to any believer is a doctrine of Christ.  This seems like a fundamental teaching as it is the basis for our faith in Christ.  Simply put, every human being is born into sin and is a sinner.  Because of this sinful nature, he/she is wholly unable to please God let alone enter into His holy presence.  The wage or cost of sin is death.  The death that sin costs was temporally paid for by sacrifice and offering, but it was not enough; the blood of goats and lambs cannot atone for the sins of a man.  Because of this reality, that man is utterly unable to fulfill his sin debt, God had to step in so that the requirements of His perfect justice would be met.  Enter Jesus.

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life so that when He died a sinners death, He atoned for the sins of all mankind.  He never sinned although He was tempted and tried continuously. Once Jesus died, the cost of all man's sin debt was paid.  When Christ resurrected, He proved every prophecy written about HIm and that He had said about Himself, that He was the messiah, the Son of God.  Christ also ascended onto His rightful place at the right hand of the throne of God as God's one, own son.  Now, if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and we believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.  This is a non-negotiable doctrine that bears foundational significance for any belief in Christ.

The idea that doctrines are under constant attack is not a new assertion.  In Paul's letters, Paul constantly addressed the threat of heresy, that it is like a venom or virus that enters the body and causes great dissension and spiritual disease.  The entire letter to the church in Colosse is an apology of the true doctrines of the faith in light of the growing heretical teachings that were filtering through the church.  More directly, in whole first chapter of Galatians, Paul admonishes the Galatians of how quickly they deserted the sound doctrine of the one, true gospel, going so far as to say that any one, man or angel, who teaches any gospel contrary to the true gospel, "let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8).  Doctrines matter.

Another doctrine that is foundational to life as a believer is the doctrine of Scripture.  Holy Writ is the conduit that God uses to encourage, challenge, and grow us into the image of Christ.  Having a solid understanding of what makes up the Bible and how it should be understood is absolutely necessary.  2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 3:15-17, and Heb. 4:12-13 are great verses to form a basic doctrine of Scripture as the source of God's truth and revelation for our edification and growth.

Doctrines matter and they should be defended.  When significant doctrines are challenged, we should be ready to give an account for the reasons that that doctrine matters.  Our faith is not merely an ineffable, incorrigible experience.  Our faith is to include the whole person: body, mind, soul.  If faith is reduced to an emotional reaction or a pragmatic application, then Christ and His passion mean nothing and are utterly useless for anything.  This can not be!

Christ's perfect, sinless life that culminated in His passion, death, burial, and resurrection matter.  It should never be thrown out to make Christianity more appealing or relevant.  The Bible is relevant and Christ is appealing to believers.  We have to get over the reality that not everyone is or will ever be a believer because they don't have eyes to see or ears to hear.  This is why doctrines matter and should not be overlooked or easily cast aside.