Doctrine

About 40 years ago, when my friends and I first started to attend a Bible Class to learn more about the Bible than we were being taught in our local Church, we were somewhat startled by the teacher’s use of the word “doctrine.” To us, who were mostly Southern Baptists at that time, doctrine was a word we could not identify with and were even offended by. We associated it with formal, traditional, denominational religiosity and it had a negative connotation in our minds. Not that we had been taught that. We just hadn’t been taught. We were operating in ignorance of God’s provision.

The simple truth is we didn’t understand the meaning of the word. It is a wonderfully expressive word, fraught with profound meaning. After being told that doctrine was exactly what we needed most as Bible-believing Christians, we decided to look into the word as it is used in scripture. The King James Version has the most references for “doctrine.” In other translations, it is usually rendered “teaching.” Teaching is a perfectly good word, but back then more of us were studying from the King James. My real purpose here, though, is to refresh our understanding of the word “doctrine” as we learned it from the KJV, and to recognize it as God’s gift to His people.

In the earliest references, the Hebrew word for doctrine is leqach: something received mentally. Instruction.

Deuteronomy 32:1-3 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

Proverbs 4:1-2 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

Isaiah 29:24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. The word used here is shemuwah: Something heard. Doctrine announced. Tidings.

In the New Testament, the Greek word didache, meaning instruction and the manner in which it is taught, is found in Matthew 7:28-29 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

This use of the word is also found in Matthew 16:12, 22:3, Mark 1:22,27, 4:2, 11:18, 12:38, Luke 4:32,

John 7:16-17 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

John 18:19, Acts 2:42, 5:28, 13:12, 17:19, Romans 6:17, I Corinthians 14:6, 26, Hebrews 6:2,

2 John 1:9-10 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

Revelation 2:14,15,24

Didaskalia means instruction, learning, teaching. We find this in Ephesians 4:14, I Timothy 1:3,10, 4:1,6,13,16, 5:17, 6:1,3, 2 Timothy 3:10, 4:3, Titus 1:9, 2:1,7,10, Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7, Colossians 2:22

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. The word here is logos, meaning something said; a topic of discourse; reasoning.

 Hebrews 6:2-3 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. Didache is used here. Manner of teaching.

This is not an exhaustive list of the uses of the word “doctrine” in scripture, but it gives us a pretty good overview of this term. If anyone wants to check all the references, it can be easily done by going to http://www.biblegateway.com/ and type “doctrine” in the search field. Also, my old standby favorite reference work, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance lists each and every word with the scriptural references in Biblical order, complete with the meanings in the original languages. If you haven’t got a Strong’s, you’d do well to buy one and learn to use that wonderful tool for your personal Bible study.

What we learn from studies such as this one is that terminology is important to the Bible student, and much can be gleaned from this type of work.

I often also stress the importance of learning doctrine by categories. Categorical teaching was the best thing that ever happened to me, after salvation. We learn best by categories, in whatever subject we are studying. In a very old clipping I have kept from Reader’s Digest, I found this advice about “keys to quicker learning.” I’ve lost the author’s name, but the advice is still good. Point 4 in his list of keys is:

Organize facts into categories. In studies at Stanford University, students were asked to memorize 112 words. These included names of animals, items of clothing, types of transportation, and occupations. For one group, the words were divided into these four categories. For a second group, the words were listed at random. Those who studied the material in organized categories consistently outperformed the others, recalling two to three times more words. 

“Trying to digest new information in one lump is difficult,” says Thomas R. Trabasso, professor of education and behavioral science at the University of Chicago. “By analyzing new material and dividing it into meaningful chunks, you make learning easier.”

People, this is a fact. It works with any field of study, and especially well with something as complex as the Word of God. We are given the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation. God has gifted certain men with the ability to study and interpret His Word to their congregations. We have the Word in writing, so we can see that the pastor-teacher isn’t just making up a religion to control us. If he’s doing a proper job of feeding the flock of God, he will break down the doctrines he teaches us into identifiable categories, to facilitate our learning and to enable good recall as we need to remember those doctrines, as well as how to find them in the Bible.

Just reading through the Bible, even prayerfully and in fellowship with Jesus Christ, will not enable your learning or your growth in grace and knowledge until you have submitted to a pastor-teacher who knows how to categorize and present the Bible into comprehensible doctrines. This is why so many unbelievers and carnal believers just don’t get it. They will tell us they have read the Bible, many emphasizing “more than once,” and they found things they don’t understand and what they perceive as contradictions.

To quote John 7:17 again: If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.

It takes a real desire to learn the Bible, to know Jesus Christ, and a WILLINGNESS to submit to the teaching of a pastor-teacher. That’s humility. God has promised: if we want to know Him, He will see to our teaching

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He wants us to learn. Trust Him to provide.

I Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.