Christ is Life. And Doctrine Reveals Christ

Downplaying doctrine in Christianity is just plain dumb. There, I said it. To relegate doctrine to a status that is unimportant is, to put it nicely, unchristian. To whine about people disliking bad theology isn't too bright either. That response is usually nothing more than pride.

Doctrine, you see, tells us about Christ. It's not enough to say we love Jesus and that's it. Who is Jesus? What did He do for us? How does He save us? As soon as you start answering those questions, you've entered the realm of doctrine.

Think about it for a minute. Who claims to love Jesus? Well, Jehovah's Witnesses do. So do the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Are those groups Christian? If loving Jesus is the standard and doctrine is unimportant, we would have to answer yes. What about Muslims? Jesus is a prophet in Islam, is He not? Do they love Jesus? They might. But what if all these groups get Jesus completely incorrect and therefore have a different Jesus? Then what?

The "just love Jesus" stance has a glaring problem: it's based on our feelings and works. It has nothing to do with who Jesus is and what He has done. In this paradigm, "love God and love your neighbor" is the Gospel. The problem is, Jesus tells us that is the law, not the Gospel.

So, if we can agree that doctrine is important, where is that line drawn? What is necessary? What is debatable? And where do we go to figure these things out? You might say Scripture alone. Well, I would agree to an extent. Sola Scriptura means that Scripture is our only infallible source of doctrine. But if we say that we go to Scripture alone for doctrine and then we all end up with different interpretations of Scripture, then what?

Therefore, we are wise to listen to those who have gone before us. We are wise to study church history; to see what has been ruled heretical over and over again. And we are wise to see what the church catholic has always taught about certain topics. It's a good idea to look at the early church ecumenical councils. It's a good idea to look at theologians from all eras and see where they align and where they contradict each other. It's a smart thing to check out St. Athanasius, St. Irenaeus, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, the Council of Trent, John Calvin, and Confessions of faith like the Book of Concord, the Westminster Confession, and the Catholic Catechism.

Check them out, it's a good idea. The church catholic has never been a bunch of theological liberals, as is so common today. Doctrine has always been supremely important in the life of the church. The ecumenical councils have always been about doctrine. Confessions of faith are always doctrinally driven. And the "no creed but Christ" crowd is a cop-out. They refuse to say who Jesus is or what He has done. Sorry, but that bird doesn't fly.

There are numerous very core doctrines that are part of the Christian faith and always have been for 2000 years. An excellent place to start are the three major ecumenical creeds (Apostle's, Nicene, Athanasian). I suspect that the majority of mainstream Christian churches now days cannot even affirm those three creeds. Move out from there to the early church ecumenical councils. Check out some Confessions. Read some church fathers. Immerse yourself in history. Read the Scriptures and also read how the more learned greats of the Christian faith interpreted the Scriptures. Look at how the different churches today compare to the Creeds, the councils, the fathers, and Holy Scripture.

I'll tell you what, you aren't left with many options. Most churches now days are completely innovative in their doctrines. And that, as they say, is not a good thing.

For my money, the place that contains the fulness of the faith once and for all delivered to the saints is Confessional Lutheranism. Look it up and compare it to all these things.

All of the history and none of the heresy.