Christian Doctrine

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it's important to refresh our minds on why we believe who Christ is and what that means for us. This series of blog posts from now until Christmas will be based on the Christian Doctrine study course written by Dr. Ray O. Brooks. To prepare our hearts and minds for celebrating Christ's birth and to prepare us for difficult conversations during the holiday season, we will examine our core beliefs beginning with Christian Doctrine.

What is a Christian? This is a term that my husband and I have struggled with lately. The term Christian in today's society has become an umbrella term. Many different denominations fit under the umbrella of "Christian". In its simplest terms, we can say that a Christian is someone professing a belief in who Jesus Christ is or who affiliates with a religion based on Christ's teachings. Let's take this a step further though, a true Christian is someone who professes who Jesus is, follows his commands, and tries to pattern his life after Christ. So, if we're all "Christian" why don't we all agree on the same things? What's the difference? How do we know what's true and what's not? This is where doctrine comes into play.

What is Doctrine? Doctrine simply means "teachings". Every religion has a doctrine that it's based on. Doctrine is the standard that a religion is practiced off of. In terms of Christianity, many people have a negative view of this word because of past experiences and history. Doctrine was never meant to be something negative, its purpose is and always has been to raise up leaders and followers of Christ. We cannot be disciples or "Christians" without doctrine, otherwise we're only living for ourselves and not for Christ.

Christian Doctrine is the teaching of beliefs based on the true teachings of Jesus Christ. The purpose of Christian Doctrine is for believers to clarify and discern what we believe and what the Bible teaches. This does not necessarily mean that it's to prove the existence of God but it's for us to have a guideline to base the way we live by. We cannot be true followers of Christ if we aren't following his doctrines (teachings).

Where do we get Christian Doctrine from? The writings of others' interpretations? Our own thoughts and ideals? No, Christian Doctrine is and should always be based on the Bible alone. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness".

All scripture is inspired by God, for us to learn and live by. Commentaries and others' interpretations can sometimes be useful or interesting to think about, however, if others writings don't line up with scripture then we can't take those things to heart. Live by God's word and not man's interpretations. In order to do this however, we have to know what scripture says and talks about. So be in the Word, read it for yourself, seek out the teachings of Christ, test the doctrines you've learned against the scriptures, and profit from Paul's wisdom by practicing reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.