How Biblical is My Doctrine? Am I Willing to Test It?

As a starting point for an examination of our doctrine, and the continual cleansing of non-Biblical mindsets and practices, we can ask ourselves a few questions:

-Based on Jesus words and actions, could I see Him believing and acting the way I do? 

-Did the disciples (meaning all followers of Christ as recorded in the Bible) make a practice of doing or saying the things I say and do? Their words and actions matched – so have I misinterpreted their words and put my own actions and desires into it?

-Would my doctrine be valid across time? Could I step into the times of the greatest persecution of the church, when some of the examples from the ‘Hall of Faith’ lived (Hebrews 11), and trust that my doctrine would be applicable in that time and in those situations? God and His Word are one, and neither ever changes.

-Is my doctrine valid across geographical boundaries? What if I lived in a place where Christians are drastically persecuted, tortured and murdered? Today there are thousands of Christians around the world who live under such conditions on a daily basis – is their problem that they have the wrong doctrine?

-Have I continually hyper focused on any one aspect of the Bible or do I have a good balance and simply follow Christ? There will be times when we focus on one subject or aspect of the Word of God more than others, but forming a doctrine around one or two tenets of the Bible can leave us void of the whole counsel of God. 

-Does my doctrine suit my lifestyle, or the way I desire to live? Have I re-created a doctrine that suits my culture? Ask yourself “what examples do I see in the Bible that lead me to believe this is the way God’s calls us to live?” These examples would have at least 2 witnesses: what is said in the Bible and what is done by the followers of Christ and Christ Himself. There will be times when we cannot see an example, and we simply need an answer from God. But we are concerned with our basic doctrinal beliefs in this brief blog.

-Are there parts of the Bible that I feel I must explain away so that my doctrine appears correct?

-Do I concern myself more with staying in agreement with a sect or set of denominational beliefs rather than letting the Word wash and cleanse my mind and heart?

-Do I take Scripture in context and use the entire Scripture as opposed to chopping off sentences to fit a mindset?

-Do I read the Bible to prove my doctrine or to know Christ and the Truth? If we read to prove our doctrine we will likely find ourselves pushing the people and circumstances in our lives to make our beliefs come to pass. The flesh and soul have a lot of power to bring our beliefs and desires to pass, but that does not mean we are in agreement with God. 

"...in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you" (Titus 2:7-8).