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Categories |Doctrine means a set of beliefs or teachings. In the New Testament, the Greek word didaskalia is often translated as doctrine (or sometimes teaching or instruction).
Although there is a great deal of common ground in beliefs between different Christians, since the church formed, major events and conflicts over matters of doctrine have resulted in significant rifts in the church. Various Creeds and Catechisms have been written as statements of the beliefs of different Christians.
Today, although Christians agree that there is a loving Tri-une God and that Jesus, the Son of God, died for the sins of humanity and rose again to new life, there are still considerable differences in understanding on major themes including Justification, Salvation and Grace.
Doctrine is important. Scripture stresses the importance of sound doctrine. In the Pastoral epistles there are dozens of references to the importance of doctrine or the content of our teaching. For example:
The key teachings of Christian relate to the nature of God as three yet one, the person of Jesus as both a man and as God who died for the sins of humanity and has risen again to new life, and the purpose of humanity to live in a relationship of love to God.
Some of the key doctrines of Christianity were outlined by the early church in various creeds such as the Nicene Creed.
The Trinity is the Christian teaching that there is only one God but that he exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although this teaching is never specifically defined within the Bible the concept of the Trinity permeates throughout Scripture.
Deity and Humanity of Christ
Jesus, as part of the Trinity, is shown to be God in the Bible. This teaching is distinct to Christianity. At the same time, Scripture also teaches that Jesus was fully human. This teaching that Jesus is both God and human is sometimes referred to as the Hypostatic union.
Death and Resurrection of Jesus
An essential Christian teaching is that Jesus died and rose from the dead. These events are remembered each Easter. The death of Jesus is seen by Christians as God's solution to human sin and shows God's love.
Sin is understood by Christians to be any actions, words or thoughts that are contrary to God's will and are seen to cause a separation between people and God. In the Book of Romans we are told that the wage of sin is death. There are a variety of opinions regarding the nature and types of sins. For example, the Roman Catholic Church divides sins into two general types, Venial sins and Mortal sins.
A God of love is at the centre of Christianity who calls Christians to love him and each other. Although all Christians agree on this point, history has shown that not all Christians have lived in this manner.
A key concept in the Bible is that God saves his people. In the New Testament particularly, this salvation is seen to mean God saving his people from the consequence of their sin and involves justification, which is a word used to refer to the concept of a sinner being declared by God as righteous. In other words, justification is the term that describes the removal of sins from a person. In the Book of Isaiah the concept of justification is stated beautifully - Isaiah 1:18:
There are significant differing views on justification among Christians. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church teach that justification and cleansing from sin requires both faith in Christ's redemptive work on the cross as well as obedience and good works. This is known as justification by faith plus works. Protestant churches teach that justification and cleansing from sin requires only faith and trust in Christ's redemptive work on the cross, and does not require any good works on the part of the sinner. This is known as justification by faith alone, and was one of the core reasons for the Protestant break-away from the Roman Catholic Church in the Reformation.
Category: Theology | Category: Doctrine