Why Doctrine is Necessary

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As Christians the Bible exhorts each of us to, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). We are called to be like the Berean's whom the Bible says, "... were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things (that the Apostle Paul was saying) were true" (Acts 17:11).

As Christians we are called to know and correctly understand God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15), because God’s word answers the question of how to have peace with God (Romans 5:1) and find purpose in life (Ephesians 1:4; 2:10). It is God’s word alone that is the authoritative source of truth for the Christian belief (John 17:17), practice (John 14:21, 23), and helps us navigate through all areas of life (2 Peter 1:3). 

It is God’s word alone that is able to effectively work in the lives of all who believe it (1 Thess. 2:13), and transform the mind of a person (Romans 12:2), conforming that person into the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29), causing the individual to obediently follow after the Lord Jesus due to their love for God (1 John 2:5-6). 

With this being said, I think it is safe to say that each of us should be diligent to search God's Word so that we can fully partake in all of the wonderful benefits it offers to us. In edition, I believe we can make an argument for the importance of gaining a solid understanding of God's Word so that we will be able to protect ourselves from false teaching. In other words I believe we should all have doctrinal beliefs. 

Our doctrinal beliefs should not be tools to puff us up, or permission slips to argue with others about the Bible. Our doctrinal beliefs represent our understanding of Scripture, and Scripture is the vehicle that enables us to know God better (John 14:21, 23), make our faith bigger (Romans 10:17), and transform our entire being (John 17:17; Romans 12:2).

With that being said, I am going to begin adding several short articles over the next couple of weeks that simply explain what my doctrinal beliefs are. Please feel free to use them for yourself after you have searched the Scriptures to make sure what I am writing is accurate (cf. Acts 17:11).

 RELATED ARTICLES
1. My Doctrinal Beliefs
2. What is Biblical Teaching?
3. A Warning to False Teachers
4. Is the Old Testament Necessary?

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