Someone has said that the most important thing about us is what we believe about God. That is not an overstatement. Beliefs are at the root of everything we do. Those beliefs may be unexamined, illogical, and blindly tied to our desires. But they are constantly fueling and shaping what we do. This is why the highest priority must be given to what we believe and why. Nothing can shape human character more than minds and hearts determined to think right about ourselves, our God, our lives, and our relationships.
Martin R. De Haan II
Contents
Is Doctrine Keeping Us Apart?
Ten Doctrines And Their Importance
* God
* Christ
* Holy Spirit
* Bible
* Salvation
* Christian Living
* Church
* Family
* Spirit World
* Future
Without Love We Are Nothing
IS DOCTRINE KEEPING US APART?
The case against doctrine is growing. An increasing number of people are coming to the conclusion that doctrine is the enemy of the church. Doctrine divides us. It destroys unity and separates family members. It makes it difficult for those who follow Christ to set aside differences and stand together in common purposes of evangelism, discipleship, and social concern. Doctrine is what distinguishes and breaks followers of Christ into thousands of denominations and subgroups.
For this reason, many are pointing out that while doctrine divides, love unites. The implication is that because Christ called us to love one another, and because Christ Himself said that love would be the distinguishing mark of His people, we cannot afford to let doctrine come between us. As the apostle Paul said, if we don't have love we are like a "clanging cymbal." Without love we are nothing and what we do profits nothing (1 Cor. 13:1-3).
We cannot afford to forget, however, that doctrine also unites. Acceptance of the doctrine of Christ is what allows true believers in Christ to find "family" all over the world. Acceptance of the doctrine of the grace of God enables men and women of all ethnic backgrounds and cultural differences to recognize one another as brothers and sisters who are saved by grace through faith alone, in Christ alone.
For the same reasons, love divides. Once we know the truth about who Christ is and what He has done for us, it would be selfish for us to act as though "we are all one" regardless of what we believe about the doctrine of the grace of God. It would be shortsighted to sacrifice the truth for a false sense of unity, just so that we could stand together in social or political consensus.
It was love working together with truth that caused the apostle Paul to write:
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:6-8).
Paul knew that forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and adoption into the family of God comes only by grace through faith alone, in Christ alone. Any doctrine of human merit added to what Christ did for us could spell the difference between everlasting life and death. The gospel of Christ makes it clear that you cannot mix faith and works when trusting God for forgiveness and salvation, or when trusting Him for enablement to live as His child.
Doctrine can be defined as "principles believed and taught." By definition, we can't have Christ without embracing a doctrine of Christ. We need doctrine to answer questions like: Who is God? What is He like? Does He answer to other names such as Muhammad and Buddha? Does He care what we believe about Him? Would He send anyone to hell for having a wrong opinion? Once knowing Him, how are we to live?
This is why the apostle Paul, who was known for his love, also wrote:
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables (2 Tim. 4:2-4).
Our generation is facing the danger Paul wrote about. The spirit of the age encourages us to accept Christ without bringing us under the lordship of the doctrines of Christ. The result is a growing lack of discernment that makes us vulnerable to the "doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1).
For these reasons, we need foundations of doctrine based not on tradition but on Scripture.
TEN DOCTRINES AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
1. Q. Who is God?
A. God is Yahweh, the one (Dt. 6:4), ultimate (Ps. 97:9; Isa. 40:12-31), eternal Being (Ps. 90:2), who created (Gen. 1:1), rules (Ps. 115:3), and sustains all that exists (Job 38; Acts 17:24-28).
Countless religious substitutes divert worship to themselves. But there is only one Creator and Savior. Because He alone gives life, He deserves our gratitude. Because every heartbeat and circumstance is under His control, He alone deserves the trust that we habitually place in ourselves, our family, or our finances. Because He is eternal, no one will outlive Him. Because He is the Lord of lords, He is the only one in the universe to whom we must finally answer.
2. Q. How do we know there is a God?
A. The wonders of nature witness to His existence as Creator (Ps. 19:1-4). The inner voice of our conscience testifies to His existence as Lawgiver and Judge (Rom. 1:18-32; 2:12-16). And the love of Christ reveals His existence as Savior and Friend (Jn. 1:1-18; 15:15).
Because God has made Himself self-evident, our problem is not so much to prove His existence as to stop ignoring it (Jn. 3:17-21).
3. Q. How can we define or describe God?
A. God is the one and only (Isa. 44:6), unchangeable (Jas. 1:17), invisible (Col. 1:15), infinite (1 Ki. 8:27), and perfect (Mt. 5:48) Spirit Being (Jn. 4:24). He is holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16), loving (1 Jn. 4:8-16), and truthful in all that He does (Jn. 3:33). He has lived from all eternity as one God in three distinct persons (Mt. 28:19), and in the course of time He visited us as God in the flesh (Jn. 1:1-14).
He exists with or without our understanding. He can be described truthfully and adequately, but never exhaustively. He is infinitely more, and never less, than we have yet known Him to be.
4. Q. Where do we get the idea that God is one God in three persons?
A. The Bible emphasizes the unity of God (Dt. 6:4; Gal. 3:20; 1 Tim. 2:5; Jas. 2:19), but it also describes Him as three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - all of whom are fully and equally God (Mt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:8; 1 Pet. 1:2).
5. Q. What do we mean when we say that God is infinite?
A. God is infinite in that He is unlimited (Lk. 1:37). He is unrestricted by time, space, or circumstance. He is eternally timeless (Ps. 90:2; Rev. 22:13), all-powerful (Mt. 19:26), all-knowing (Job 37:16), and everywhere-present (Ps. 139:7-12; Mt. 28:20). Yet He always remains distinct from His creation (Isa. 40:18-26). He is limited only in the sense that He cannot do anything inconsistent with His own goodness (Ti. 1:2; Jas. 1:13).
This means He is vastly different from the gods of Eastern mystics or Western materialists. Their gods are either so small and self-contradictory, or so secular and inclusive that they cannot be distinguished from cows, rats, scorpions, statues, or human thought.
6. Q. What is the comfort of believing that this triune God is the Creator and Sustainer of everything?
A. This assurance enables us to be patient in trouble (Rom. 5:3-4; Jas. 1:2-4), thankful in prosperity (Phil. 4:10-13), and joyful even in the face of death (Rom. 8:28-39; 2 Cor. 4:7–5:9).
God is ultimately all that we need. While our tendency is to seek satisfaction and significance in lesser persons or pursuits, God alone offers us lasting hope and life.
THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST
1. Q. Who is Jesus Christ?
A. Jesus Christ is the God-man who appeared on our planet to reveal God (Jn. 1:1-14), to show us how to live (1 Jn. 2:6), and to rescue us from the guilt and power of sin (Rom. 6:1-14). He is Savior (Acts 4:12), Life (Jn. 14:6), and Lord (Rom. 10:9,13) to all who put their trust in Him.
Because of who He is and what He has done for us, Jesus deserves our genuine appreciation, our deepest affection, our complete obedience, and our unconditional loyalty.
2. Q. How does the New Testament affirm that Jesus Christ was genuinely human?
A. The Lord Jesus was born of a woman (Gal. 4:4). He had a human body that developed mentally and physically in the same way that other children do (Lk. 2:40,52). He became tired (Jn. 4:6-8), hungry (Mt. 4:2), and thirsty (Jn. 19:28). He slept (Mt. 8:24). He wept (Jn. 11:35). He was tested (Mt. 4:1-11; Heb. 2:18; 4:15). He felt anger and grief (Mk. 3:5), compassion (Mt. 9:36), and agony (Lk. 22:44).
Because He endured not only what we endure but far more, He understands and feels what we are going through. Because He lived as a real man, He showed us how to depend on the Holy Spirit for our every need. He modeled the way all of us can depend on God.
3. Q. How does the Bible show that Jesus was not only man but also God?
A. The Bible explicitly states that Jesus is God (Jn. 1:1; Rom. 9:5; 1 Tim. 3:16; Ti. 2:13; Heb. 1:8). Jesus possesses attributes that only God could have: eternality (Jn. 8:58), omnipresence (Mt. 18:20), omniscience (Jn. 16:30), omnipotence (Rev. 1:8), and immutability (Heb. 1:12). Jesus does what only God can do: forgives sin (Mk. 2:1-12), gives life (Jn. 5:21), raises the dead (Jn. 6:39-40,54; 11:38-44), and executes judgment (Jn. 5:22,27). Jesus was given names and titles of deity: Immanuel, meaning "God with us" (Mt. 1:23); King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16); and Son of God (Mt. 26:63-65). Jesus Himself claimed to be God (Jn. 10:30; cp. v.33).
In saying that Jesus is God, the Scriptures state more than we could ever understand. What remains is for us to show by our actions that we believe in One whom we can worship and serve, even though we can't fully understand Him.
4. Q. Why did Jesus die a criminal's death on a Roman cross?
A. Since hanging was a token of supreme humiliation, the triune God decreed that Jesus Christ should die in this manner to portray the fact that He bore God's wrath against the sin of the whole human race (1 Jn. 2:2). Through this humiliating death, infinite in value because of Christ's deity, our Lord provided an atoning sacrifice (Isa. 53:4-5; Heb. 9:26), satisfied God's justice (Rom. 3:25), and bought our forgiveness (Col. 1:14).
How can we repay Him? We cannot! We are eternally indebted to Him. All we can do is show our love and gratitude by offering ourselves and our service as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2).
5. Q. How important is Christ's resurrection?
A. Through our Lord's resurrection, God confirmed Jesus as His Son (Rom. 1:4), showed His satisfaction with Christ's sacrifice on our behalf (Rom. 4:25), affirmed Christ's power to give life to those who trust Him (Rom. 8:11), and assured us who believe on Him that someday we too will receive resurrection bodies (1 Cor. 15:20-21).
6. Q. Where is Jesus now and what is He doing?
A. Jesus Christ ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection where He has taken a place of honor (Acts 1:9; 2:33). He will remain there until He returns to "catch up" the church (1 Th. 4:13-18) and then later return to the earth as King to judge the world (Mt. 25:31-46) and rule for 1,000 years (Rev. 19:11-20:6).
In the meantime, He is preparing a place for us (Jn. 14:3), interceding for us as our Advocate (Rom. 8:34; 1 Jn. 2:1), sympathetically responding to our needs (Heb. 4:14-16), and functioning as the Head of the church (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18).
While one person can say to another, "What have you done for me lately?" such a question would reflect mindless ignorance or ingratitude if expressed to Christ. He constantly and effectively works in our behalf.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. Q. Who is the Holy Spirit?
A. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, truly God and therefore co-equal with the Father and the Son (Mt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:14). Since He is spirit, He does not have to be seen or felt in order to be close to us. Since He is holy, He must be met on "holy ground." This is why people who have not separated themselves from sin lack the awareness of His presence.
2. Q. What were His roles as a member of the Godhead during the Old Testament era?
A. He acted with the Father and Son in creation (Gen. 1:2), equipped people to do God's service (Ex. 31:1-5; Num. 11:16-17), renewed nature (Ps. 104:30), came upon Israel's kings (1 Sam. 16:13), inspired Israel's prophets and the men who wrote the Scriptures (1 Pet. 1:10-12; 2 Pet. 1:21), and worked in the hearts of people to lead them to believe God and do His will (Acts 7:51).
This shows how willing God is to provide supernatural strength to those who want to serve Him. Those who want to do God's will don't have to do it in their own power.
3. Q. What is the Holy Spirit's relationship to the church, the body of Christ?
A. The Holy Spirit gave birth to the church (Acts 2:1-47), baptizes believers into the church (1 Cor. 12:13), abides in the church (1 Cor. 3:16), unifies the church (Eph. 2:22; 4:3-4), gives gifts to the church (1 Cor. 12:4-11), provides leaders for the church (Acts 20:28), directs the work of the church (Acts 13:2), and uses the church to hold back or hinder evil in the world (2 Th. 2:7).
Because the Holy Spirit indwells the people of God both individually and collectively, the church should not be thought of as a merely human institution. It should not be taken for granted. It should never be casually dismissed or ignored. In many ways our actions toward the church are actions taken toward God (Acts 5:1-11).
4. Q. What does the Holy Spirit do for those who have not made peace with God?
A. He draws attention to Christ (Jn. 16:13-14), empowers God's messengers (1 Th. 1:5), brings conviction to sinners (Jn. 16:8-11), and produces the new birth (Jn. 3:5; Ti. 3:5).
For these reasons, no person is too bad or too hardened to be converted to Christ. No person is so evil that he cannot be reached or cannot be saved. The purpose of God has never been to save only good people or to bring deliverance only to those who were naturally endowed with qualities that would make them desirable prospects for the kingdom of heaven. God sent His Spirit into the world to come to the rescue of all kinds of people - even the very worst and most hateful.
5. Q. What does the Holy Spirit do in the lives of believers?
A. He permanently indwells believers to mark us out as God's possession (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19). He seals us to guarantee our ultimate salvation (2 Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30). He fills us when we yield to Him, giving us power for life and ministry (Acts 6:3; 13:9-12; Eph. 5:18-21). He produces Christian character in us (Gal. 5:22-23). He teaches us (1 Cor. 2:10). He intercedes for us when we cannot pray (Rom. 8:26-27). He enables us to discern false teaching about Christ (1 Jn. 2:20-27). He assures us that we are God's children (Rom. 8:16). He equips us to serve one another (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:1-31). He guides us (Rom. 8:14).
We are inclined to assume that what we see in the mirror is what counts. But what really counts is what the Holy Spirit can do in a heart that is given unreservedly to Him.
6. Q. In what ways can we harm ourselves by sinning against the Holy Spirit?
A. We are warned about sinning against the Holy Spirit by grieving Him through disobedience (Eph. 4:30), lying to Him (Acts 5:3), quenching Him with a negative attitude (1 Th. 5:19), resisting Him (Acts 7:51), and insulting Him (Heb. 10:29).
For this reason, we should be far more concerned about maintaining a good relationship with the Spirit than we are about staying on good terms with our spouse, children, parents, employer, or friends.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE
1. Q. What sets the Bible apart from all other books?
A. The Bible in its entirety was written by men who were inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21). And because it is inspired (lit. "breathed out") by God, the original documents are without error of any kind (Jn. 17:17). It is authoritative in all matters of faith and conduct (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
This book is like no other book in the world. It is a record of the life and work of the most important Person in the universe. Behind the pages, storylines, events, and people of His book, He waits to meet personally with every honest seeker. While the natural world reveals God's power, majesty, and wisdom, the Bible reveals His plan of personal, eternal salvation. It is the Author of this book and what He offers His readers that make the Bible so timeless and important.
2. Q. How do we know that the Bible we hold in our hands accurately represents the original documents that go back more than 3,500 years?
A. The amazing similarity of thousands of well-preserved manuscript copies gives strong evidence that they accurately reflect the originals. We can be confident that if God inspired a book to reveal Himself, He would oversee the preservation of that book.
3. Q. What evidence can we give to support the claim that the Bible is the inspired Word of God?
A. Christ repeatedly expressed confidence in the reliability of the Jewish Scriptures - the 39 books of the Old Testament (Mt. 5:17-18; Lk. 24:27,44). In the fourth century, the church fathers declared these 39 books plus the 27 books of the New Testament to be divinely inspired, authoritative, and complete.
While the doctrine that the Scriptures are the inspired and inerrant Word of God is a matter of faith, it is a reasonable faith. The unity of the message of these books written over a period of about 1,600 years is astounding. Its accuracy of historical detail, its completeness of storyline, its amazingly fulfilled prophecies, its beneficial impact on society, and its transforming power in the lives of those who read it believingly are such powerful testimonies that it is actually unreasonable not to believe in the inspired Scriptures.
The best reason to believe in the Bible is that Jesus Christ, the perfect God-man, believed in it (Mt. 12:39-42; 19:4-5; Lk. 17:26-29). The most personal reason to believe is found by each individual in the wisdom, rightness, and strength that comes from following the Bible.
4. Q. How can we understand the Bible?
A. By asking the help of its divine Author, by seeking to determine what its human authors meant, by interpreting it literally and in context as we would any other book, and by submitting humbly to its message.
5. Q. What should we do when we encounter a Bible passage we can't understand or verses that seem to contradict one another?
A. If after serious study we can't find the answer or solution, we should proceed to other passages with the assurance that the problem is with us, and that someday, either on earth or in heaven, our difficulty will be eliminated.
