Six Dangers Concerning Doctrine
Every two to three years, our church family goes through a sermon series that seems to strike an unusually strong chord with people. The series we just completed on the Trinity has been one of those. Personally, I have come out the other side of this series more deeply convinced that the whole church, not just pastors and leaders, needs to grapple with the foundational doctrines of the faith. However, even the pursuit of sound doctrine can be approached in ways that cause harm. If we are unaware of these potential dangers, we can stumble in our faith, misunderstand spiritual maturity, and create disunity or factions within the church. Here are six dangers I have either wrestled with personally or observed in the lives of others when it comes to exploring doctrine.
Downplaying Foundational Areas of Doctrine — Foundational doctrine, simply put, is God’s revealed truth concerning His nature, creation, humanity, His plan of redemption and restoration. Much of the apostolic energy of the New Testament is devoted to bringing clarity to the church in these areas of doctrine. To go astray on a foundational doctrine is to create an entirely different faith. In fact, several world religions were born out of foundational misunderstandings of one or more doctrines. Mormonism, for example, does not affirm the historic Christian doctrines of the Trinity and Christ’s eternal divinity. Islam regards Jesus as one prophet among many rather than the Son of God. Throughout history, cults have redefined doctrines such as the Return of Christ to serve the egos of self-proclaimed messiahs. Downplaying foundational doctrines leaves individuals and churches in real danger of missing the gospel entirely.
Separating Doctrine and Life — In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul tells Timothy, his protégé, to keep a close watch on both his doctrine and his life. These two areas, doctrine and life, work together like the two pedals of a bicycle to help us grow in our walk with Jesus. If we neglect the work of seeing God and ourselves clearly through sound doctrine, we will drift into patterns of thinking and behavior that run contrary to a growing trust in God. At the same time, if we neglect to pay close attention to our lives, allowing sinful desires, bitterness, gossip, or greed to take root, we will quickly begin to rationalize things that lead us farther and farther away from a life in step with Jesus. Doctrine, what we hold to be true, shapes how we think and then how we live. The choices we make can equally begin to impact how we think and ultimately what we believe. In other words, we cannot separate the two.
Pride Masquerading as Sound Doctrine — This can become a danger for any follower of Jesus, at any age or stage of maturity. This danger is strongly addressed in 1 Corinthians 13:2: “If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.” We can be right about what we believe and still be wrong in how we hold those beliefs. If I begin to treat others without love because they hold a different doctrinal position, I have missed the greatest commands of Jesus. I have seen this dynamic play out most often in discussions about free will and predestination, the roles of men and women in church leadership, whether Christians should drink alcohol, which candidates to vote for, and whether homeschooling or private schooling is the more responsible choice for one’s children. I have convictions about these issues myself. The danger comes when our convictions become a source of pride and shape how we treat those with conflicting convictions. This danger often leads to another.
Dividing Over Areas of Biblical Freedom — Some doctrinal differences may require us to consider whether a particular church family is a good fit. For example, if you hold to infant baptism, you may struggle, in good conscience, to commit to living and teaching in alignment with a church family that practices believer’s baptism (that is, baptizing only those who can profess faith in Jesus). The sad reality is that many of the issues over which people divide are not at that level. Too often, we divide over areas of biblical freedom. We struggle to live in community with people who think differently from us. Are you in community with followers of Jesus who vote differently from you, prefer a different preaching style, educate their children differently, or express themselves differently in prayer and worship?
Relying on AI to Verify and Teach Sound Doctrine — AI can be a useful tool for finding published and historical perspectives on doctrine, but large language models should not be relied upon to determine what is true or correct. To use AI for that purpose is to treat it as your spiritual authority. Only God’s Word, illuminated by the Holy Spirit and interpreted within the context of a church community under the headship of Christ, should carry that kind of spiritual authority. An AI agent, no matter how well trained, does not have the Holy Spirit, who enables us not only to understand God’s truth but also to communicate it in a manner fitting for a particular believer at a particular time and place. See John 16:12–13.
Reducing God to Doctrine — Above all, God cannot be reduced to the categories of systematic theology. He is beyond me. God did not reveal Himself to us so that we could eliminate every logical tension from our understanding of Him. He revealed Himself so that we might know His love. Through Jesus, God invites us to spend eternity plumbing the depths of His love and we will never reach the bottom. He is that vast. Beware of any pursuit of doctrine that pulls you away from enjoying the majesty of the God who is the great I AM.
As we seek to avoid these dangers concerning doctrine, my prayer for you is found in Ephesians 3:17–18:
“I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love.”
For a deeper dive into this topic, I recommend Finding the Right Hills to Die On by Gavin Ortlund. Let’s keep growing in our love for God, our love for people, and our commitment to making disciples!
Conor O'Hearn
Senior Pastor
North Way Bible Church