Doctrine Matters

Why spend 11 weeks preaching about doctrine? People are coming to church, not a seminary class!

We are in our eighth week in our series DOCTRINE: What the Bible Teaches, What We Believe.  So far, we have covered God's Revelation to us, God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), Spiritual gifts, the Church, Man and Sin.  This week we will study Salvation.  I am very pleased with how it is going. It has given me the opportunity to summarize my study of scripture and theology into several succinct "We believe..." statements. These statements will eventually become the doctrinal agreement for all members of Solid Rock. 

Furthermore, it has given me the opportunity to really dive deep into these areas of doctrine and show how they all fit together into the greater Gospel Story. Also, it has given me a chance to answer questions from the people of Solid Rock.  On our final Sunday of the DOCTRINE series I will be answering questions that have been submitted.  Here is just a sample of what I've received so far...

• Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship and serve the same God?

• Does God have our lives all planned out?

• How could a loving God send people to hell?

• Is the method of Baptism really important (immersion vs. sprinkling vs. pouring)?

I am excited to answer these and other questions on that day. But more that all those reasons I am excited and committed to teaching sound doctrine, because I believe doctrine matters.

Knowing Doctrine Keeps you Grounded

Ephesians 4:14 instructs us to grow in our knowledge so we will "no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching [doctrine] and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming." having an understanding of what the Bible teaches about doctrine or theology equips the Christian to distinguish between truth and error. We are constantly bombarded with philosophies and ideologies [doctrine] from movies, TV, publications, ads, conversations, even our own sin natures. The Christian with a firm understanding of true, sound, Biblical doctrine will be able to quickly reject the false teaching and reinforce the truth in their heart.

Sloppy Theology Leads to Sloppy Living

Our behavior and the choices we make are a direct outgrowth from what we believe. If we believe that God is good and trustworthy, we will trust Him. If not, we will doubt and choose our own way. If we believe that through Jesus we are completely forgiven and set free from sin, we will walk in freedom, confidence, and peace. If not, we will walk in guilt, shame, and doubt. Doctrine matters because it has a direct impact on how we live and the choices we make.

I hope that you have been able to join us for the Doctrine series. If not you can catch up what you missed by going to www.solidrockbc.com and clicking on the "Listen Online" icon toward the bottom.