Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. 2John 1:9-11
Imagine a space of immeasurably large size filled with boxes which are, by comparison, infinitely small. For the sake of our metaphor, the large space represents what the Bible refers to as the doctrine of Christ; and the small boxes, what we may call the doctrines of men. We will touch on the size comparison in a moment, but for now, what exactly do we mean by the doctrine of Christ?
The Greek word for doctrine, didachē, means “teaching; that which is taught (Thayer, n.d.).” Therefore, the doctrine of Christ is either “teaching given to us by Christ,” “teaching given to us about Christ,” or both. Most sources describe the doctrine of Christ as what we know about Christ, taught by Christ and others. BibleHub.com (n.d.) summarizes the doctrine of Christ this way:
The Doctrine of Christ is integral to the Christian faith, encompassing His divine and human natures, His role as Messiah, His atoning work, and His promised return. These elements form the basis for understanding the person and work of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture.
In other words, the doctrine of Christ is all knowledge, understanding, and wisdom necessary to describe Jesus Christ – the very Word of God – and His work throughout eternity. For the purposes of our understanding here, we also recognize that Christ’s work includes the desires, purposes, and plans expressed and evident in His work as the Son of God and “head of the body, the church (Colossians 1:18).”
Matthew Henry’s commentary on 2John helps us understand the purposefulness and power of the doctrine of Christ:
By the doctrine of Christ we are enlightened in the knowledge of the Father and the Son; by it we are sanctified for the Father and the Son; thereupon we are enriched with holy love to the Father and the Son; and thereby prepared for the endless enjoyment of the Father and the Son (Henry, M., n.d.).
Henry’s understanding of the purpose and power of the doctrine of Christ is to give us eternal life – And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3). Now pause for a moment to consider the wonder and mystery available to everyone who has been given eyes to see and ears to hear the doctrine of Christ. Many faithful and scholarly men and women have dedicated their lives to obedient stewardship of these mysteries (2Corinthians 4:1-2). Certainly, we must know more of Christ now than in centuries past; and the joy and glory of searching (Proverbs 25:2) will continue for eternity.
Size Comparison
Abiding in this very large, doctrine of Christ space is as important as the space is large; failing to do so will have dire, eternal consequences – Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God (2John 1:9). Indeed, men recognizing the importance of abiding in the doctrine of Christ have attempted to define its borders, that no one entrusted to their spiritual care would wander into heresy’s destruction. But is that even possible?
We must know our doctrinal boxes, limited by the capacity of the human mind, to be infinitely small in comparison to the doctrine of Christ. We know this by the word of the LORD Himself.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
Technically, we cannot measure how much higher God’s ways and thoughts are above ours, but just to give us some idea: The farthest star ever detected is called Earendel, estimated to be around 13 billion light-years from Earth. That is 13 billion times the distance light travels in a year, or 7.644×1022 miles!
This is not to suggest that the various collections of doctrinal statements are somehow ill-advised, wrong, or useless. In fact, quite the opposite is true: The doctrines of men are well-intended, rigorously proven, and helpful. They are good; and they are limited.
When Good Intentions Lead to Bad Outcomes
Regrettably, good intentions do not always result in good outcomes. Not only have our attempts to define the doctrine of Christ limited, we have, over time, turned the whole exercise onto ourselves – to our harm and potential destruction. If we do not reverse this trajectory, we will find ourselves eternally separated from God – a bold and harsh statement, but nevertheless true.
Certainly, those who originally developed our various collections of doctrinal statements did not intend them for anything but good (see M. Henry’s commentary above). The same is mostly true about those who employ them. But something has gone wrong in the application of our doctrines; they are not accomplishing what God intends.
To make the point, we present four ways our current application of the doctrines of men have become destructive to the Body of Christ, and detrimental to the Bride making herself ready for our Savior and Lord. The reader may question both the trust and importance of these claims. We will do our best to defend the veracity of the statements and explain why they deserve even more consideration than whether or not we and our congregants are abiding in correct doctrine.
Distinction, Separation, and Divisiveness
Doctrinal quarrels have existed in the church for most of its existence. However, except for a mostly politically induced divide called the Great Schism, she held together for roughly fifteen-hundred years. Then all hell broke loose, beginning with the Protestant Reformation (just to be clear, I am a Protestant and happy to be one). Now there are more than thirty-thousand registered denominations in the United States alone.
The distinctions would not be so injurious if they were not allowed to separate us from one another spiritually. Recently, with the decline of church membership and the shift toward dependency of church growth on transferred membership versus conversion, relations between doctrinal groups have become tactfully adversarial and divisive. Being wise as serpents and innocent as doves is hard to pull off when you begin using marketing tactics against your brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Bride made ready will not be so dismembered.
Misalignment of Trust
As we previously stated, well-intended and godly men developed doctrines, as best as they could, to help the masses understand the boundaries of the doctrine of Christ. What a responsible and honorable thing to do! The problem seems to have come when the people in the pews began trusting men and their doctrines more than the Holy Spirit to protect them from heresy. What has been, in fact, a necessary shepherding move has now tragically become an inhibitor of our people from the adventure of a lifetime: Walking in step with the Holy Spirit.
As Oswald Chambers (1963) so eloquently puts it:
Discipleship is based on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on adherence to a belief or a creed.
Chambers goes on to imply that devotion to a cause or doctrine is idolatry. It is also as limiting as the minds of the men who develop and enforce them – no matter how great those minds may be.
The Bride made ready will trust and devote herself to no one but her King.
Stunted Growth
When I was in kindergarten, our schoolroom was in a small house on property next to the much larger building used to house the rest of the elementary aged children. The back yard of the house, our play area, was fenced, that we might feel and play safely. The yard was probably smaller than I remember, but just the right size for five- and six-year-olds.
When I grew up and went to high school, the fields of play were naturally larger. Imagine having to practice and play high school baseball, soccer, or football within the confines of a kindergarten playground. It is a ridiculous thought; and I am sure you get the point.
Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 1Corinthians 4:1-2
A faithful steward explores the estate to which he has been given responsibility, not only to know what he is commissioned to manage, but to maximize the profit of it for his Master (think Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30). Furthermore, based on Isaiah 55:8-9, much more of the mystery and wonder of Christ will be found outside our doctrinal boxes – no matter how comprehensive we imagine them to be.
It has been God’s will to expose me, in business and parachurch ministry, to many different denominations and their doctrines. One important thing I have learned is that each one has some measure of truth and/or a different perspective on the Truth that the others need, but have not discovered for themselves. My relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has been enriched by my curious exploration.
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2
The Bride made ready will have been a curious and faithful steward.
Lesser Kingdoms
I share this final point with trepidation and concern for the offense it may trigger, so let me first confess that I do not know, nor do I judge, the hearts of those reading this article. I am committed to just be the pen, and the author would not allow me to exclude the warning: Doctrinal boxes encourage and/or support men building their own kingdoms.
For example, church leadership is an ongoing battle against the enemy of our souls, our own carnal minds, and those under our care who are still conformed to the world. The truths found in our doctrines make for handy, heavy, and rather sharp swords. Wielding them to maintain control exposes the best of us to the enemy’s subtle temptation to replace stewardship with ownership. We do well to remember: The kingdom of God is governed by the doctrine of Christ; the kingdoms of men by the doctrines of men.
The Bride made ready will claim nothing of her own, including herself.
The Solution
What we are about to suggest will come across as radically ridiculous and impossible, even unthinkable. So, please be sure to weigh the ask versus the previously articulated dangers; at least for a moment. Okay? Here goes: Christian leaders should suspend the application of church doctrine in its current forms and functions until those doctrines have been retested against the doctrine of Christ.
I know, it is a crazy notion. What in heaven and on earth could be accomplished by such a wild idea? “Much” is the answer I am hearing. Here is one BIG example: Love the brethren, your neighbors, and your enemies are three doctrines of Christ which should be given their proper priority, and our diligent application.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. John 15:12-14
Love one another is the commandment Christ most demands. Loving one another is a mystery and a wonder; and very much worth taking the lids off our boxes to further discover and apply. It is the primary way the Bride is making herself ready.
God bless you with courage and grace to participate in the Bride’s preparation.
Humbly yours and forever His,
Rob
#iamjustthepen
Bible Hub Encyclopedia. (n.d.). The Doctrine of Christ. In Biblehub.com encyclopedia. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_doctrine_of_christ.htm.
Chambers, O. (1963). My Utmost for His Highest (June 19). Barbour Publishing; Uhrichsville Ohio.
Henry, M. (n.d.). Matthew Henry : Commentary on 2 John 1. In BlueLetterBible.org Text Commentaries. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/2Jo/2Jo_001.cfm?a=1165009.
Thayer. (n.d.). Doctrine. In BlueLetterBible.org Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1322/kjv/tr/0-1/.