On the Necessity of Doctrine

This morning two ladies came to our door as we were finishing the breakfast dishes. They were toting some "Watchtower" Magazines and wanted to tell us about peace. Maybe they knew they were on the seminary campus, maybe they didn't. Either way, I was glad they had come.
Brandon invited them in, and I offered them a cup of tea. They declined and wanted to get to the reason they had come. They opened their Scriptures and began reading verses which normally comprise a beautiful melody in my soul. As they read these verses about Christ, about heaven, my mind began to turn around the many conversations I have had with some of my own family members who ascribe to the Jehovah's Witness faith. I grew sad for them as I saw that they had grazed by the path of Truth and were led beyond it to another path, one that led them back into darkness.
Our conversation revolved around the concept of the Trinity and what it means that Jesus is the Son of God. As they told us how illogical the Trinity is, I couldn't help but think about how important it is that we put Scripture over our own finite human understanding. Certainly God has revealed himself to us, not to confuse us, but in order that we might know him. However, as we learn to know God, we must keep in mind that God's thoughts are not ours; "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are [his] ways higher than [our] ways" (Isaiah 55:8-9). Certainly this does not mean that we cease to reason, but it does mean that we do not distrust God or his Word simply because it does not make sense. It is hard to imagine that God has no beginning, but that does not mean that I do not believe it.
It is here that I began to see very clearly the importance of good doctrine. Without studying Scripture, without theology, without doctrine, how could Brandon or I give an answer to the ladies who asked us? So often I hear people speak as if they are either above the need for good doctrine or just can not/will not study doctrine, and I think that we all need it. Doctrine, theology, is simply learning the Bible, knowing God, and being able to put this into practice in our daily lives. It is through truth statements that the Gospel is made known. How will they know unless someone tells them? (Rom. 10:14-15) If we do not speak scriptural truths such as "Man is sinful," "Jesus is God," "Jesus died so that God's wrath would be satisfied and those who believe in him will have eternal life," then we do not speak the Gospel. These are truth statements, doctrine if you will, that we cannot forsake.
As our conversation ended, I silently thanked God for the opportunity to share with these ladies what the Bible says about Christ, about God, and asked that he would open the eyes of their heart. I was also reminded that is only by God's grace that any of us know him and the truth about him. I know that Truth is not popular these days, but how can we let go of the awe-inspiring treasure that God has given us in his Word? I have been challenged to seek to know God more and to let that affect my life in greater ways. I have also been challenged to be better prepared to give an anser to all who ask (1 Peter 3:15). May his Word, his truth, even his doctrines, dwell richly in me and overflow into those I encounter.

Regarding the journey

In a great article on conversion, Brad Wheeler wrote:
"Conversion is not a journey. In a journey one may wander, but never arrive. He may learn, but never comes to any conclusion. Many today say that the journey (merely learning) is itself sufficient. But journeying is not enough. We must enter into God’s kingdom. We must reach the final destination, for there will come a time when the bridegroom will come, and those that are not with him will be shut out of the wedding feast (Matt 25:10)."[i]
I think that the image of our relationship with Christ as a journey is compellingly beautiful. Shasta and Lassen are both brought to mind when I think of journeying. I love the idea of being able to savor the freshness of the air, feel the earth below my feet, see the plants and birds, and feel the warmth of the sunshine on my cheeks. Looking over mountain ridges, seeing the clouds hover over the trees, resting with my Lord. I agree with Wheeler that this image is inadequate. With Christ, we have a purpose; the journey is not the end but the means to the end. We really are supposed to arrive somewhere—namely God’s kingdom. We are not given a free pass to wander aimlessly without thought to the path that Christ has laid out for us.
Christ is The Way, the truth and the life, not one way or one truth to life (John 14:6, 17:3). He is the King, the Master, the Lord. He has laid out for us the path that leads to God so that we do not have to live a life of wandering. He calls us to follow him, not blaze our own trail (Matt. 4:19, 10:38, 19:28…). And what grace it is the the God of the universe would call us, yearn for us, to follow him!

The thing is that if the journey is made to be an end in itself, we lose the essence of the Gospel. We lose the fact that we are created by God and for God and have rebelled in a way that is infinitely offenseive to him. When we make the journey the goal, our wandering can be done apart from Christ without any real purpose and we think that we are still OK. The fact of the matter is that without Christ we just continue to walk in rebellion to God, separated from him. It is by the grace of Christ, and by following him to his destination that we are made right with God and are brought into God's kingdom.
While the journey is one of my favorite images, I do not think it is sufficient because it tends to glorify the process over and above the true end. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t want to throw out the image all together. I do not scorn the process, nor do I think that I have arrived in the sense that I have it all figured out. I don’t. But I know that as a part of the “already – not yet” tension, I have arrived in the sense that God has graciously called me to live in his Kingdom while I am simultaneously continuing on heaven’s path.
[i] ©9Marks http://www.9marks.org/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID314526CHID598016CIID2278676,00.html I suggest reading the article in full. The article is entitled “One of the Dirtiest Words Today: C--------n”.