There’s been a sentiment that I’ve been hearing quite often of late and it’s the idea that doctrine is a dirty word. People will say things like: “I don’t need doctrine, I just need a relationship with Jesus.”, “Doctrine is for Pharisees.”, “It’s not the Father, son and Holy Doctrine.”, “People make an idol out of their doctrine.”, “Seminary is where Pastors go to learn doctrine and it really should be called Cemetery.”. The mockery over Doctrine goes on and on and surprisingly it often comes from pulpits, which is the last place it should come from, especially when you consider the meaning of the word Doctrine. Doctrine, from the Latin word doctrina, means teaching or instruction; it’s a set of beliefs or principles that are taught. That definition alone should be enough to debunk all that nonsense going around on the internet and from pulpits that somehow Doctrine is a bad thing. But we will keep exploring this for the sake thoroughness.

I had a few head scratching thoughts as I was pondering some of the anti-doctrine sentiments that are circulating out there in the ether. If Doctrine and teaching is bad, then why did Jesus do so much of it? Why did Jesus command us in the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20 to go teach new disciples doctrine if doctrine is bad?

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, TEACHING them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

All throughout scripture we are shown over and over where teaching mattered. We are instructed to teach our children, teach others, exhort others, correct others, use scripture for reproof and we are instructed to learn. We are instructed to renew our minds with the Word of God, to write God’s precepts upon our hearts, to meditate on God’s precepts (precept is another fancy word for principle or teaching); we are to have the mind of Christ and to love the Lord our God with our minds, not just our heart. We are also warned in scripture against false doctrines and doctrines of demons. In fact, we are warned in 2 Timothy 4:3,4 that there will come a time when sound doctrine will not be endured. Honestly, it sounds to me, that those who are preaching against the study of doctrine and theology are the very fufillment of those verses.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

I’ll keep this blog post short. I don’t think that I need to beat a dead horse. If your pastor or some internet personality that you are listening to is warning you away from solid biblical doctrine, then they are doing so to deceive you because God is clearly all about doctrine. You actually can’t be a Christian without doctrine. I encourage you, dear reader, always to do your own research. Get a bible study app and do some simple word searches for words such as teach, mind, doctrine, and instruction. Just take a look at how often Jesus did the very thing that these internet personalities are warning you against. Jesus taught doctrine everywhere He went. If you want to be more like Jesus, do as He commanded. It’s that simple. If you aren’t learning doctrine, then how can you fulfill the great Commission? You can’t teach what you’ve never learned.
Here’s a link to a YouTube video that Costi Hinn did on the same subject just from a different angle of attack. I hope that you’ll watch it and consider these words the next time you hear someone mock doctrine.
https://youtu.be/TofE4FCsfxU?si=2CKLA1XSySYrtXas