What is it you believe again?

I cannot tell you how many times over the past several weeks we have heard that question. We have family, friends, church members and Pastors asking my wife and I,  just what is it we believe. The question has a long list of criteria but when it comes to the Bible, many people do not know how big that can is they are opening. Asking us what we believe about the Bible is like asking the President of the United States of America, what is your view on America? But we do love the question and we are humbled just to get asked a question about God or the Bible. So for all you who have asked and many of you who have not, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain our view on Doctrine and Theology so that God can be magnified and give a overview on some important theological stances.

I want to start out with saying that regardless your stance on these issues we can call ourselves brothers and sisters. Respected men and women of the faith have debated this debate for almost 2000 years now and they have preached at each others churches and pulpits. So as long as we believe the essentials (Repentance and faith, Deity of Christ and justification by Faith alone NOT BY WORKS) than we can differ on these secondary issues and still love each other and go into the world sharing the Gospel.

With that said, please don't take the easy road and say that doctrine does not matter. It does, if you choose not to study your bible and you make your decision to just stand for one without looking into the issue you are not doing what the Bible says..

2 Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

1 Timothy 1:3
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer

1 Timothy 4:16
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers

2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.

Titus 1:9
He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Titus 2:1
You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.

Folks, I don't care if you are Armenians or Calvinist, Charismatic or Conservative, Evangelical or Presbyterian. You must, if you are good and faithful - discover more and more about your Heavenly Father. Who God is matters. What He does, who He is, all of it Matters. Doctrine and Theology is attempts of futile men trying to discover more of a Holy God and the more you discover the more you are humbled. Study, Study, Study. DOCTRINE MATTERS. Jesus is not an Angel, Jesus is not a "created" Being. Bad doctrine = wrong understanding of who God is. Essential difference matter and so do secondary. Study to show yourself approved.



Did you get it? Doctrine is important. You can have a WRONG understand of the Bible and how do you even know what is right or wrong if you don't even see the debate. Please understand this, bad theology on Jesus and Faith CAN and DOES send people to hell. If you have the essentials, great, now press on.



So in ending for today, If you love Jesus you must love doctrine. Men and women have died to bring you this trusted truth from men who have perverted the Word. So to say Doctrine does not mater is a gross misquote of what has taken place to bring you this living Word.

Tune in tomorrow for more.

God Bless,