Christianity is not a tradition it is a doctrine. Christianity is not a feeling it is a doctrine. Doctrine is what is taught.
Nowadays what is taught is replaced by what we feel. Feeling God is thought to be better than knowing God. Everyone has a feeling and an interpretation and it changes twice a day and with the weather.
Without sound doctrine Christianity is just another religious practice with empty tradition, cheap emotionalism, and a meaningless list of rules. This is how most people view it today. This should tell us something.
On a foundation of sound doctrine, Christianity is a life changing force steeped in truth. Paul calls it the “power of God unto salvation” (Rom 1:16). It is the preaching of Jesus Christ not motivational jargon mixed with a few clean jokes.
There used to be a time when doctrine was discussed intelligently and fervently. Men of God would write about it in their biographies, give up riches for it, and some even died for it. Some of these men evangelized your ancestors and maybe built the church you worship in.
But now doctrine is a bygone relic behind a glass case. Either no one is allowed to touch it, or no one wants to touch it.
Hardly anyone talks about sound doctrine anymore.
The roots of sound doctrine have all but eroded and in their place is a charade. The Bible describes this condition as childlike being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph 4:14).
Christianity will not succeed without an emphasis on discovering sound doctrine. Only then can we become reestablished, mature, and bear good fruit.
“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” – Col 2:7
We need to reopen the doors of debate and value sound doctrine from the Bible rightly divided instead of institutionalizing ignorance and empty traditions which are easily spoiled by the philosophies of the world (Col 2:8).
A good place to start is 2 Timothy 2:15. When Christianity progresses it will be a result of the sound doctrine produced by studying the Bible rightly divided.
Article Index Published: May 16, 2009
Last Modified: June 11, 2016