Why Should I Care About Doctrine?
Notes
Transcript
The Title of todays sermon is “Why Should I Care About Doctrine?”
This is a good text for us to consider and a good topic to talk about seeing as FBC is going to be calling a new pastor eventually. Whoever that man is, he must have correct doctrine.
The word Doctrine comes from the greek word didaskalia, which means “to teach”.
But, as Christians, when we discuss the idea of doctrine and the importance of correct doctrine, it can mean much much more that the idea of teaching something.
Doctrine. (Gk. didaskalia). Act of teaching or that which is taught. The use of the term in Scripture, however, is broader than a simple reference to information passed on from one person to another or from one generation to the next. Christianity is a religion founded on a message of good news rooted in the significance of the life of Jesus Christ. In Scripture, then, doctrine refers to the entire body of essential theological truths that define and describe that message (1 Tim. 1:10; 4:16; 6:3; Titus 1:9)
So..
Why should I care about Doctrine?
Because Doctrine addresses what we believe and teach.
It’s important for us to have correct doctrine...
Just look at the scriptures...
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
In Romans and 1 Timothy we see that it’s important to avoid false doctrine and being swayed by those who teach it…
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
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. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
What we believe and teach about God is extremely important.
Some people don’t like talking about doctrine because they think doctrine is divisive. But the reason doctrine can be divisive is because it is very important. Those who brush off doctrinal differences run the risk of following demonic teachings and heresies.
And sadly, demonic teachings and heresies are rampant in our world right now.
Dangerous Demonic Teachings and Heresies... that threaten correct doctrine
The prosperity gospel
Mormonism
Jehovah’s witness teachings
Islam
Darwinism
Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality
Government Worship
CCP: forced to pledge allegiance to
Right governing will save us
Let’s work through this text to see why holding to correct doctrine is so important...
We are going to see three realities about doctrine in this text.
Doctrines address serious questions...
Doctrines have serious implications...
Doctrines necessitate serious response...
In verses 1-5, we see that...
Doctrines Address Serious Questions
Doctrines Address Serious Questions
Questions such as...
Who is God?
Who is Jesus?
Why does evil exist?
What is scripture?
Why do I exist?
What is humanity?
What is salvation?
This last question, is the serious question the early church is addressing here.
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
The way the early church addressed the issue of salvation was by asking, “Do Gentiles need to become Jews in order to be saved?”
You can probably understand why this is such a big question!
Two topics addressed in this Doctrinal Question...
The role of the Law and the role of grace. Both of these have implications regarding individual moral responsibility and identity. What must be done? And who must I be?
The role of the Law
What is my personal responsibility to secure my salvation?
What is it that I must do?
Do I need to keep the entire law?
What if I can’t keep it?
Who is it that I must become?
Do I need to become a Jew?
Do I, personally, need to change my identity?
The role of Grace
What is God’s personal responsibility to secure my salvation?
What is it that God has done?
Did he do it completely?
Is it enough to save me?
Who does God want me to be?
Did God make me someone new?
Did God change my identity for me?
Essentially: Is Salvation the work of God or the work of man?
These are the serious questions that surround the Doctrine of Salvation.
Much of the book of Acts details to us how the church learned to understand the Doctrine of Salvation.
The seriousness of the doctrinal question required serious debate and inquiry.
And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
Paul and Barnabas debated the issue, traveled a long way to get an answer, and even encounter others who disagree with them.
The length to which the Church in Antioch went in order to get the correct view of the Doctrine of Salvation shows us how serious they considered the issue.
Application
Don’t reject the importance of answering very important doctrinal questions.
Study the scripture to find answers to these questions.
Understand that many doctrinal questions have led to differences between denominations and church traditions.
If you have a problem with the idea of denominations, it may be that you don’t see the gravity of many of these important questions.
Example: Presbyterians and Baptist have differing doctrinal views regarding the church, last things, and even salvation (presbyterians have a sort of salvific view of baptism for infants and children; if they are baptized then they are now in the covenant community; this is directly tied in to their doctrine of the church).
News Flash - There is no such thing as a non-denominational church.
Most of the churches that call themselves non-denom hold to a baptistic lens of interpreting many of these doctrinal questions.
The Lexham Cultural Ontology Glossary Religious Denominations
Religious denominations
Definition
Groups within the same religion distinguished (usually) by non-essential differences in thought or practice.
Doctrines Address Serious Questions...
In verses 6-11, we see that...
Doctrines Have Serious Implications
Doctrines Have Serious Implications
Have you heard of the 5 solas?
The five solas were statements that the late reformers used to communicate the key doctrines of the protestant reformation.
Themelios: Volume 36, No. 2, August 2011 2.3. Central Issues in Dispute
It is not uncommon for Protestant Christians today to summarize their primary doctrinal commitments with five “solas”: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria.
Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone
Sola Gratia - Grace alone
Sola Fide - Faith alone
Solus Christus - Christ alone
Soli Deo Gloria - For the glory of God alone
As we work through these verses we are essentially going to see the Jerusalem Counsel affirm four of the five solas.
They will be affirming that they believe that Salvation is accomplished by grace alone, through faith alone, by Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.
The first implication of embracing the doctrine of grace alone, faith alone, by christ alone, for the glory of god alone is that anyone is capable of hearing and believing the gospel.
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
A second implication of embracing these solas is that Jews are no better than Gentiles. God makes “no distinction”.
And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
Another implication of embracing these solas, is that “we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus...” not by our works or political ethnic status.
Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 15
By speaking of the law as an unbearable yoke, Peter was not denying that the law was God’s gift to Israel. Rather, he was arguing that Israel was unable to fulfill it perfectly and that salvation could not be obtained through the law (cf. Rom. 2:17–24). Only one means of salvation exists for both Jew and Gentile: God’s “grace” (Acts 15:11) in Jesus Christ.
In Galatians, Paul essentially tells us that if we reject the doctrine of salvation being by grace alone through faith alone, by Christ alone, that we are essentially making ourselves to be slaves to the law.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Can you see here how heavy the implications regarding this doctrinal question of salvation are?
This is serious.
Applications
That means that Christians must critically think and consider the doctrines they adopt and allow taught in the church.
If you allow and embrace teaching from Islam, New Age Movements, Catholicism, Mormonism, or even secular philosophies like Evolution or Critical Race Theory (which has a severely warped view of humanity, sin, salvation, and atonement…) you will poison the gospel message and its implications.
Dangers of doctrines within Critical Race Theory
humanity [emphasizing race and power over the imago dei]
sin [racism is the root of all injustice and oppression; those who do evil in order to stop what they see as racism are justified and more righteous than those who don’t]
salvation [no hope of eliminating the sin of racism, no one can be saved but all must work for it]
atonement [white people must surrender status, confess sins they didn’t commit, and pay reparations to appease the wrath of so called minorities..]
Critical Race Theory and Ideas like reparations spring forth from the human desire to be justified, atone for sin, and have a clean conscience.
Because people do not form their doctrine from God, they create their own doctrine and propagate it.
Doctrines Have Serious Implications....
In verses 12-35, we see that...
Doctrines Necessitate Serious Response
Doctrines Necessitate Serious Response
Essentially, you live out and propagate what you believe.
And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
“ ‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
The application of their embrace of the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone led James to reject the idea that gentiles must be circumcised.
So circumcision was rejected, but even though they are affirming that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone, they are also showing us that....
The faith that saves is never alone!
Martin Luther said it this way, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone”
Peter and the Jerusalem counsel are introducing a Christian moral ethic. Not necessary for salvation but something that salvation necessitates.
Salvation is not the consequence or result of a christian moral ethic - a Christian moral ethic is the consequence or result of salvation.
That means that Christ’s work on the cross isn’t a get out of jail free card that I take with me while I...
Do what I want.
Drink what I want.
Smoke what I want.
Sleep with who I want.
Take what I want.
Believe what I want.
Worship who I want.
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 15
Despite the common basis of salvation for Jews and Gentiles, a number of restrictions were required (v. 29; 21:25). Some scholars think these may have been introduced as a way for Jews and Gentiles within the church to have a common basis for contact. But it is more likely that these were designed to elevate the moral standards of the Gentiles by prohibiting them from engaging in a number of the practices that were associated with pagan temple rites such as animal sacrifice, sexual immorality, and idolatry.
Now the Law serves as a foundation for Christian moral ethics.
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 15
he may have been saying that the standards he demanded of Gentiles in v. 20 reflected universal moral laws that were enshrined in the law of Moses.
Doctrines Necessitate Serious Response
Do This
What do you believe about Jesus? What has been taught to you about Jesus?
If you want good doctrine you need to...
Get into the Bible
Read it, meditate on it, submit to it, conform your thoughts and habits around it. and Call a man who will show you how!
Study trusted biblical resources.
Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.
Heath Lambert’s A Theology of Biblical Counseling.
Dany Akin’s A Theology for the Church.