Doctrine Matters Series

How many of you dreaded pop quizzes in school? This week, I learned this is an actual phobia for some people called “testophobia.” I want to begin with a pop quiz to see how well we understand some key doctrines.

1. The Holy Spirit is…

a. An impersonal force

b. The soul of Jesus

c. The third member of the Trinity

d. A divine essence

[The correct answer is c]

2. Baptism is…

a. Essential for salvation

b. A mark of maturity

c. A step of obedience

d. Optional for the believer

[The correct answer is c]

3. Demons are…

a. Not real

b. Harmless

c. Caricatures of evil

d. Fallen angels

[The correct answer is d]

4. Repentance is…

a. Reserved for non-Christians

b. Turning from sin

c. Saying sorry

d. Only needed for big sins

[The correct answer is b]

The word “doctrine” scares some people, others start snoozing, some think of doctrinal disagreements, and others are delighted because it helps them understand God better.

Our English word “doctrine” is derived from the Latin word, doctrina, which means, “that which is taught.” Tim Challies writes, “Doctrine is the way the central themes of God’s revelation in Scripture are summarized and taught.” To say it more simply, doctrine is a body of belief drawn from the Bible. Doctrine can be divided into various categories like the doctrine of Scripture, the doctrine of God, the doctrine of sin, the doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of the church, and the doctrine of end times.

In 1 Timothy 4:6, Paul gives Timothy props for the “good doctrine that you have followed.” In 1 Timothy 6:3-4, he cautions against doctrinal error and elevates the importance of accurate doctrine: “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.”

The Bible refers to false doctrine as dangerous and detrimental to our faith with phrases like: “worthless doctrine” (Jeremiah 10:8), “every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14), “doctrines of men” (Colossians 2:22), “doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1), and “strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9). Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more Christians dissing doctrine, deconstructing their faith, and openly embracing apostasy.

Doctrine matters because what we believe affects how we behave. Titus 1:1 links knowing with growing: “the knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.” Titus 2:10 frames it this way: “In everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” We’re to demonstrate our doctrine by allowing it to dress up our lives.

We could say it like this: Right beliefs should lead to righteous behavior. We see this in many of Paul’s letters where the first section deals with our position in Christ and the second half with our practice. For example, Ephesians 1-3 is filled with doctrine, while chapters 4-6 focus on duty. In the Book of Romans, chapters 1-8 deal with doctrine, chapters 9-11 describe a beautiful doxology, and chapters 12-16 call us to demonstrate our discipleship.

As we come to Acts 19 in our On Mission series, I see 10 different doctrines. Some of these doctrines are developed, while a few appear in embryonic form. Since the Book of Acts is transitional in nature, coming between the Gospels and the Epistles, we should expect some doctrine to be incomplete. God’s revelation is progressive, meaning He gave more of His inspired Word after the Book of Acts.

Before we begin, I want to let you know we normally take the first weekend in November to consider the plight of the persecuted church and to pray for our suffering brothers and sisters. Because the next section of Acts 19 deals with persecution, we’ll address this topic next week.

1. The doctrine of missions. In Acts 19:1, we see how Paul continues to take the Great Commission seriously by going with the gospel and helping people grow into disciples who make disciples: “And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus.” In Acts 18:21, Paul told the Ephesians he would return if the Lord willed, and now, a year later, while on his third missionary journey, he is back in Ephesus. Paul travelled from the intellectual center of Athens, to the immoral city of Corinth, to the evil society of Ephesus.

Matthew 28:18-20 commands us to take the gospel to the whole world. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is the only way to the Father. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells us where we’re to be His witnesses: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”