I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
- Eph 1:17 (NIV - Context)
I have been thinking about posting about doctrine for a while now, but when I heard the above verse in sunday school yesterday I realized that it set the discussion up perfectly.
It wouldn't come as a surprise to most people who know me well that I care deeply about doctrine, and that what I believe is accurate. It might surprise some that I don't care very much about a lot of the doctrinal issues that people argue about. An example of this is eschatology, otherwise known as end times doctrine.
I think that most, if not all, doctrine has one purpose—defining your relationship with God. I suspect, though I do not know this for sure, that doctrines that do not directly impact a person's relationship with God are more or less meaningless. The verse I put at the top of this post reaffirms this. Wisdom and revelation are for knowing God better. As a result, when I don't make the connection between a doctrine and my relationship with God or a practical application in life, I tend to think that doctrine isn't worth wasting any effort over.
I like to think of my relationship with God in similar terms to my relationship with Golden. If I am serious about my marriage I will want to understand Golden on as many levels as possible. I will want to know what she likes and hates and what excites and annoys her. Likewise, if I am to be serious in my relationship with God, I will want to understand Him. Without the guidance of doctrine, I am like a husband who never listens to his wife.
I have noticed two extremes in my experiences in church. One extreme is people who care too much about doctrines and the other extreme is people who think that doctrine isn't their thing.
I am probably prone to be the first type of person—someone who overthinks things. That means it is possible for me to be one of those people who seeks truth before seeking God. God is a means to truth rather than truth being a means to God. When a person does this, they ignore the point of doctrine, which is to build a relationship with God. I think doctrinaholics, myself included, also are at fault for making some other people think that only the geeks should care about most doctrine.
The second type of person thinks either that doctrine is too boring or it is too far above his or her head or that other people are better suited to tell him or her what to believe about God. This person, rather than just ignoring part of the verse at the top of the post, ignores the entire thing. In my mind, this is like being in a relationship with someone who bores you or who you don't understand. It may be possible to start a relationship that way, but it will be impossible to maintain. You can't relate with God if you think He's Mickey Mouse.
God isn't looking for a lab partner or a mere acquaintance. He's looking for a serious relationship. A proper doctrine is how we understand how to have that relationship.
5 comments:
Good entry. I really like that verse. I'm praying for it in my own life!
doctrine. wow. When I hear the word I admit to falling in the second camp. Doctrine has been the yoke of other people that I have worn around my neck. But lately - very recently - I have begun to appreciate the concept of doctrinal purity in relation to truth. I do not like to live a lie, or lie to myself in order to live someone else's doctrines. I suppose the issue becomes one of individual doctrine or a group doctrine. I will not elaborate as I am actually getting something accomplished over here - even if I am The Mole. Very provoking entry that I will continue to ponder.
Heavy topic for an early morning read. Worth discussing with others and ponder in my own life.
I love your comparison of God and doctrine to a husband/wife relationship.
I really never connected wisdom with knowing God better.
I heard a sermon recently pointing out how the Pharisees liked to follow the rules not matter what and that they would violate a God-principle (i.e. love, mercy...) to keep the rule. I think the same balance it a challenge with us today with doctrine and rules. When it's just rules, it's legalism and nothing to do with relationship. I want to go deeper with understanding God but I keep hitting a wall on the same topic. I suppose for now it's about trust and learning incrementally and not necessarily full understanding.
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