Doctrine: It's Not a 4-Letter Word

I know I haven't posted in a while...but this has been the process of a few weeks of thought.  Bear with me--and thanks for coming back to check out Messy Abundance!  

Doctrine: It’s Not a 4-Letter Word

I’ve been thinking about something that, honestly, doesn’t have a glamourous sounding ring to it.  I’ve been thinking about doctrine.  And those who teach it.

(A few noses just crinkled, a few eyes just rolled.  I felt it.)

I remember a time when I saw doctrine as a divisive.  Difficult.  Challenger of the status quo.  “Can’t we just all get along?”  Little did I realize that doctrine wasn’t just a made-up label, a device of the Enemy.  It was in the Book.  Consider Paul, as he mentors Timothy, his son in the Gospel, and pastor of the church at Ephesus:

2 Timothy 3:10-15 NKJV

¹⁰ But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, ¹¹ persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹² Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

*imaginary conversation inside my head*

Me:    Paul?  YOU had DOCTRINE?

Paul:  Yes!  Thanks for asking!

Me:    But doesn’t doctrine divide?

Paul:  Of course it does!  Enough to cause those who follow it to suffer persecution.

Me:    Oh!  But I thought we were supposed to be unified.

Paul:  With others who are of the household of faith, yes.  But doctrine is specific.  Doctrine is detailed.  By nature, doctrine divides.  If it didn’t, there’d be no opposition from evil men and imposters, no work of the Enemy to deceive and be deceived.  But God’s people have always been set apart.  Separated.

Ask Peter.

*Peter joins the conversation.*

            Peter:  Yes!  That’s why I wrote:

1 Peter 2:7-10 NKJV

⁷ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,

“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone, ” ⁸ and

“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

⁹ But you are a CHOSEN GENERATION, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

            Me:     Oh…so, to be called out, to be chosen…

            Peter:  …is to be separate.  To be royal is to be separate.  So, to be HOLY is to be separate.

            Me:    And to be separate—

            Peter:  --is to be UNLIKE those who stumbled at the Word when it was presented to them.

(Paul nods.)

            Paul:  That’s why I said this:

Romans 12:1 KJV

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Paul:  Sacrifices don’t do their own thing.  Sacrifices are at the will and mercy of another. Sacrifices serve a purpose greater than themselves.  And WE are LIVING sacrifices, which means, essentially, our function is not “one-and-done.”  We live in an attitude of sacrifice, every day.  I die DAILY.  But when you consider the magnitude of salvation—it’s only ‘reasonable service.’

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 KJV

¹⁶ For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

¹⁸ While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Me:   I used to see ‘doctrine’ as a bad word—something that kept believers apart.  But I see it differently now.  I see that doctrines are simply teachings—but you’d better know that your doctrine comes from the Book, and that the one teaching it is OF the Book.

Ephesians 4:14-15 KJV

¹⁴ That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, may GROW UP into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Paul:  That’s what I said.  Grow up.  Don’t be children, believing everything you hear, every preacher with slick message and a hip look.  Don’t believe a doctrine that allows you to stay an infant in your walk with God.  Pursue growth, seek maturity.

Romans 6:17-18 KJV

¹⁷ But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Paul:  Obedience to the Truth makes you free from sin.  When you obey from the heart, things CHANGE. Serve righteousness.  And don’t believe any other message.

1 Timothy 4:1-2; 13-16 KJV

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

² Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

+++++++++

¹³ Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

¹⁴ Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

¹⁵ Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

¹⁶ Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, AND them that hear thee.

            Me:      Wow.  Just wow.

            Paul:    You must continue.  Don’t depart.  Don’t follow those who have crafted their own, slick doctrines—which really aren’t their own, anyways.  They’re simply tools of the enemy, devices designed to destroy, their consciences seared.  Liars.  Hypocrites. And you don’t ever want to end up like THEM.

           

Peter:   Jesus gave me the Keys to the Kingdom.  When I preached on the Day of Pentecost, I delivered the doctrine He gave me: that repentance and remission of sins would be preached among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 2: 1-4 NKJV

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 2:14-18 NKJV

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy.

Acts 2:36-38 NKJV

³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, WHAT SHALL WE DO?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “REPENT and be BAPTIZED, every one of you, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” ⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

            Me:    Steadfast in doctrine.

            Paul:  It’s kind of important.  In fact, it’s everything.

            Peter: And you’ve got to receive it in meekness and humility.  Our brother James said,

James 1:21 KJV

²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and ^[d]overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Paul:  Yes.  To hear the Word, which is able to SAVE US, and to do nothing about it—well, do not think that hearing is enough.  Faith is not simply believing.  Faith is taking action, doing something about what you believe.  Do the word.  The Word is able to save our souls—but we must do our part.  Doctrine is powerful—doctrine is teaching—and being teachable will lead us to action, and action to obedience, and obedience to separation, and separation to holiness, and holiness to Heaven.

Me:    To heaven?  Oh, wait!  Hebrews 12:14:

¹⁴ Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

            Peter: Pursue it.

            Paul:  Chase it down.  Embrace it, love it, and honor it—because no one will see the Lord without it.

            Me:    Wow.  Thank God for doctrine!

            Paul:  That’s why I told my son in the gospel, Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:15 KJV

¹⁵ And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

           

Peter:  (nodding)  There is no salvation without scripture—and that is the only doctrine that matters.

That’s why I said:

Acts 4:12 NKJV

¹² Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given among men by which we MUST be saved.

Me:      So, that seems pretty clear.  There is one way.

Paul:    One Lord, One faith—

Peter:   One baptism.

Me:      We can’t make this thing up as we go.

Paul:    No—but He has a plan.  He has ALWAYS had a plan.  And His Word will show us—if we will only have ears to hear.

Doctrine isn’t a bad word.  The enemy would like us to believe that it is—but that is just one more tool in his extensive propaganda game plan to distract us from truth.  But, like they say on the X-Files…the truth is out there.

You just have to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God.  Then, all the “things” you need will be added unto you.

It says so…in the Book.