INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES

1.    Meaning of doctrines

Doctrine means ‘teaching’ or ‘something thought.’ The word doctrine is also used to refer to a principle of belief and the basic principles of general truth taught to the people. Christian doctrine is the authoritative teaching of the truths of the Christian faith believed and thought by Christians. These doctrines are based solely on the teachings of the Bible.

It comes from Latin word doctrina, from doceo, "to teach," denotes both the act of teaching and that which is taught; now used exclusively in the latter sense.

 

1.     In the Old Testament for

a)      leqach "what is received," hence, "the matter taught" (Deuteronomy 32:2; Job 11:4; Proverbs 4:2; Isaiah 29:24

b)           she-mu`ah, "what is heard" (Isaiah 28:9, "message," the Revised Version, margin "report");

c)            mucar, "discipline" (Jet 10:8 margin), "The stock is a doctrine"

2.     In the New Testament for

(i) didaskalia 

(a)   "the act of teaching" (1 Timothy 4:13,16; 5:17; 2 Timothy 3:10,16), all in the Revised Version (British and American) "teaching";

(b)    "what is taught" (Matthew 15:9; 2 Timothy 4:3). In some passages the meaning is ambiguous as between (a) and (b).

(ii) didache, always translated "teaching" in the Revised Version (British and American), except in Romans 16:17, where "doctrine" is retained in the text and "teaching" inserted in the margin =

a)     the act of teaching (Mark 4:2; Acts 2:42, the King James Version "doctrine");

b)    what is taught (John 7:16,17; Revelation 2:14,15,24, the King James Version "doctrine").

In some places the meaning is ambiguous as between (a) and (b) and in Matthew 7:28; Mark 1:22; Acts 13:12, the manner, rather than the act or matter of teaching is denoted, namely, with authority and power.

The Hebrew word used for doctrine is leqah. It means` what is received for instruction or learning.' The Greek word used doctrine is didaskalia. This word is translated as 'teaching' in many places in the modern English translations of the Bible. Paul used this Greek word in fifteen places in his pastoral epistles to refer to doctrine or teaching. He used word in his epistles to refer mainly to the divinely communicated truth concerning Christian faith and belief. The full understanding of the Christian doctrine strengthens the faith of Christians and changes their value system and lifestyle. Hence it is important for all Christians to be thorough with the Christian doctrines be strong in the Lord. It also motivates them to involve in ministry.

(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 ) The message includes historical facts, such as those regarding the events of the life of Jesus Christ ( 1 Cor 11:23 ) But it is deeper than biographical facts alone. As J. Gresham Machen pointed out years ago, Jesus' death is an integral historical fact but it is not doctrine. Jesus' death for sins ( 1 Cor 15:3 ) is doctrine. Doctrine, then, is scriptural teaching on theological truths.

 

Jaroslav Pelikan defined Christian doctrine in this way: “Christian doctrine is what the church believes and teaches.”

Understanding  Doctrine by Alister McGrath (additional)

Christian doctrine is the response of the Christian Church to God, as he has revealed himself, especially in Scripture and through Jesus Christ. It is an obedient, responsible and faithful attempt to make sense of cluster of astonishing and exciting possibilities opened up by the coming of Jesus Christ. Doctrine serves four major purposes. It aims:

1.    To tell the truth about the way things are –

2.    To respond to the self-revelation of God.

3.    To address, interpret and transform human experience.

4.    To give Christian, as individuals and as a community, a sense of identity and purpose.

‘Relevance’ and ‘meaningfulness’ were words which captured the imagination of a recent generation. Unless something was relevant or meaningful there was no point in bothering with it.

Doctrine is concerned to tell the truth, in order that we may enter into and act upon that truth. It is an expression of a responsible and caring faith – a faith which is prepared to give and account of itself, and give careful consideration to its implications for the way in which we live. To care about doctrine is to acre about the reliability of the foundations of the Christian life. It is to be passionately concerned that our actions and attitudes, our hopes and our fears, are a response to God – and not something or someone making claims to divinity, which collapse upon closer inspection.

Doctrine defines who we are to obey. It draws a firm line of demarcation between a false church, which answers to the pressures of the age, and a true church, which is obedient and responsible to God, as he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. “True knowledge of God is born out of obedience” (John Calvin). A church which takes doctrine seriously is a church which is obedient to and responsible for what God has entrusted to it. Doctrines give substance and weight to what the Christian church has to offer to the world.

Doctrine is not something which we have invented. It is our response to the action of God. Doctrine is a human mental reaction to the historical action of God. It is a rational reflection upon the death and newness and mystery of this event.

Christian doctrine seeks to tell the truth about God by exposing false ways of thinking and speaking about God.