The Importance of Sound Doctrine

As Apostle Paul instructed young Timothy, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16).

One of the reasons that so many people today are falling prey to false, deceptive teachings today is because they do not have their doctrine in order.

If you have your doctrine in order, if you know what the Bible truly teaches, then you will be able to refute false teaching and defend your faith. It’s what Jude means by exhorting Christians to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:4).

Allow me to give you two important reasons why we as Christians must have a proper understanding of the doctrines of the Bible.

1. Because we love God
If you love someone, you would want to know as much as you can about them – their likes and dislikes. Likewise, if we truly love God, there will be a hunger in us to know all about Him – about His nature, His character, His works etc. Speaking in simple words, this is called studying doctrine.

Make it your goal to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in a year. Carefully look at what David said, “the entirety of Your Word is Truth” (Psalm 119:160). In simpler words, when you read the Bible from cover to cover, you will get the whole picture of the God of the Bible and what He says and stands for.

2. Because what you believe will shape your spiritual life
The way you think about God will affect the way you relate to God. What do I mean by that? For example: If you believe that God is in control only when good things happen, you will not trust Him in times when things are going wrong. Studying doctrine is finding out the truth about God. And we need to do that so that we can relate correctly to God for who He is and not what we imagine Him to be.

The Importance of Sound Doctrine

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