Home > False Doctrine

Every Christian church that professes their belief in Jesus Christ will follow a body of teachings that make up their foundational faith, called doctrine. Whether large or small, corporate or independent, all follow a specific set according to their charters. But when it comes to God, what is doctrine? Are we expected to follow a specific body of instructions? If so, where are they found? What would make a doctrine false? Why is it essential that doctrine be correct?

First, let us start from the beginning. What is the definition of doctrine?

doc|trine, n.

1. what is taught as the belief of a church, a nation, or a group of persons; belief; principle.

2. what is taught; teachings.

3. Obsolete. the act of teaching; lesson.

-- The World Book Dictionary, 1988.

Doctrine is the foundation by which an individual, or group, bases their standards in life. From the perspective of religion, it is the accumulation of all that is taught and believed. While few lays claim to the addition of man-made tradition, most Christian denominations profess their doctrines are firmly grounded in the Scriptures. Because of differences and disagreements among specifics within the body of Christ, confusion and division has occurred, creating many churches that look and act similar, yet remain separate and different.

On the other hand, similarities can be observed among the majority of Christian-professing churches today. The trinity, observation of holidays such as Christmas and Easter, Sunday worship, and the belief of heaven or hell are just some that exist. Dissimilarities are often minor.

Does God require specific doctrine from us? The answer is yes because, within the pages of the Bible, God specifically instructs us on how we are to worship Him and live. Even our traditions, whether we believe they are God-ordained or not, can deceptively make our worship of Him to no effect (Mark 7: 1-16).

Regardless of what Christian church you attend, all doctrine must be scripturally sound from the pages of the Bible. If it is not, one risks the curses declared in Revelation 22:18-19.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 states:

II Timothy 3:16-17 - AFV

16.   All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
17.   So that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, the Scriptures that were available at that moment were the Old Testament writings. It was not until later that Paul's writings were included in the New Testament canon as Scripture by the apostle John. With that understanding, both the Old and New Testaments must be taken into account in our studies and the establishment of doctrine, not just a portion of it. Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 also declare this and add credence.

Consider God's instructions to Israel when they were to remove the heathen nations from the land.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 - AFV

29.   "When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations before you, where you go to possess them, and you take their place and dwell in their land,
30.   Take heed to yourself that you do not become ensnared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not ask about their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods that I may also do likewise?'
31.   You shall not do so to the LORD your God, for every abomination to the LORD, which He hates, they have done to their gods; even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their gods.
32.   Whatsoever thing that I command you, be careful to do it. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it."

God expressly forbade the nation of Israel from inquiring about the gods of the heathen and their worship, knowing the Israelites would either incorporate such practices into their worship of God Himself or worship the pagan gods directly. Deity worship should be towards God alone (Exodus 20:1-6), and no tolerance is acceptable towards altering this core doctrine of God. For the nation of Israel, this became a detrimental issue. This same principle also applies to us today (Matthew 4:10).

The practice of adding to, and taking away from, the doctrines God as established in the Bible is not uncommon as one might think. Though not apparent at first glance, a majority of the beliefs and practices of most Christian denominations are the combination of ancient pagan worship and the Bible. Throughout the centuries, for the sake of gaining and appeasing converts to the Christian faith, pagan practices were often dressed up in Christian biblical overtones. Some were even done under the "authority" of God the Father and Jesus Christ as if commanded by Them. Christmas, Easter, Lent, Halloween, and Valentine's day are some examples of doctrinal customs Christians believe and keep, not knowing their real origins. Most do not bother to research these things out to fully justify their faith.

More appropriately, Christians should establish Godly doctrines upon proper research and thorough study, making a firm foundation for their beliefs.

Paraphrased, I heard it once said, "Assumption is the mother of all errors." When I was young, I was not immune to the art of assuming. It was not until a critical lesson was brought to my mind early within my conversion from a Bible teacher, stating,

"We live in a ready-made world."

-- Garner Ted Armstrong

What exactly does this statement mean?

Consider your life, for instance. Before your birth, all aspects of society, such as government, schools, churches, customs, etc., were fully prepared and established. From you, nothing was added to its creation, yet you bear the guilt of taking its presence and benefits for granted. The environment and society were, as one would say, all ready-made. The norms, customs, and education are passed down and accepted as you age. But as per human nature, rarely do you question tradition or give little thought concerning its legitimacy. Even less do you garner consideration whether they are right or wrong in the eyes of God. But over time, all these aspects typically become the norm as you create a new family of your own. Cyclically, upon the birth of your new child, all that you previously inherited is once again passed down to this new generation. Innocently, of course.

The "ready-made world" we are born into applies not only to the secular society around us but also our spiritual, religious upbringing as well. Some people cling to the religion of their youth, while others rationally choose a faith of their preference based upon their life's experiences and learning. Regardless of how doctrine and religious tradition are passed down, the crucial matter centers around whether one thoroughly proves them to be wholly biblical or not. To God, this matters.

When it comes to pure biblical doctrine, be as the Bereans.

Acts 17:10-11 - AFV

10.   Then the brethren immediately sent away by night to Berea both Paul and Silas, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11.   Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with all readiness of mind and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

How important is the proving of your education both secularly and religiously? What about the doctrines of your church or faith? Is it imperative that we form God's doctrines accurately through the proper dividing of His word?

When God the Father called me out of Babylon, all of those questions became important to me spiritually. When I was a child, I accepted and took for granted what was taught religiously by my parents and teachers. I did not question the authority of the church or deviate from its teachings. Instead, I believed without question on the premise that my parents, school teachers, religious educators, and society, in general, knew what was right and best for me.

Concerning biblical knowledge and the truth of God, I was severely limited. Thankfully, the same teacher aforementioned instructed me in, yet, another significant lesson.

"Don't believe me. Believe the Bible."

-- Garner Ted Armstrong

When it came to studying the Bible and seeking God's truth, this simple, yet small, phrase opened up new thought processes in my mind. I no longer began to take for granted what was taught to me by my religious educators. Instead, I began to diligently prove each church doctrine I kept to see whether it was biblically true or false from the entirety of the Bible. Consequently, this became conducive to the shattering of my deception from corrupt religious doctrines and traditions. It was in this manner that God called me and opened my mind to His truth.

God, indeed, is quite specific about His instructions on the worship of Him. The twelve tribes of Israel fell to God's correction on this issue countless times throughout the Old Testament and are not immune to His correction today. For us individually, are we not also subject to God's correction when it comes to the acceptance of church doctrines and beliefs without question or diligent research? If you happen to be wrong, I would say the answer is yes.

God's advice to everyone is this:

I Thessalonians 5:21 - AFV

21.   Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good.

In truth, the wrong doctrine can become spiritually lethal.