What Do We Mean By “Bible Doctrine”?
You don’t have to look far on MasterTruth before you gather that we make Bible “doctrine” the main emphasis. But what do we mean by that?
The word itself is not mysterious. Doctrine simply means “teaching,” and the whole Bible is first of all profitable for doctrine: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
Let me first explain the sense of the word I inherited from my Bible college education. I attended two fundamental Bible colleges and loved both of them dearly. In that setting, doctrine often meant the great systematic teachings of Scripture, including the major doctrines that make up our salvation: regeneration, justification, sanctification and glorification. Simply put, those mean receiving eternal life, being declared righteous, being set apart unto God and ultimately receiving our transformed state in heaven.
Fundamental pastors, including those I have sat under for decades, readily teach these essential doctrines. But when MasterTruth emphasizes doctrine, we mean something broader than a list of subjects in Bible college systematic theology. We mean studying the Bible as a whole architecture.
Scripture is not a random collection of historical events, isolated teachings and scattered prophecies. God is going somewhere with all of it. He declares “the end from the beginning” and says, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:10)
From Genesis to Revelation, God uses events, patterns, types, key words, repeated phrases and prophecy to reveal His larger purpose. Doctrine therefore asks more than, What happened? It asks, What does this reveal about the ways of God, and where is God going with it?
The Old Testament provides countless examples. Its historical events frequently anticipate truths revealed more clearly later in Scripture, including Christ’s first coming, His death, the Tribulation period, His Second Coming and His Millennial reign.
Some examples are unmistakable because the Bible interprets them for us. Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14–15)
Christ reached back to the historical event of Numbers 21:7–9 and showed that the serpent lifted up in the wilderness pointed forward to His own crucifixion. The history was real, but God had embedded something more within it.
We commonly approach the Bible through two lenses. First is the historical: What happened? Second is the inspirational or practical: How does this apply to my life? Both are valuable. But there is also the doctrinal: What is God revealing about His ways, His purposes and His plan?
We discover that dimension by comparing scripture with scripture, following repeated words and phrases, and tracing patterns and types through the Bible. An event in Genesis may connect with something in the prophets, something Christ says in the Gospels and finally something fulfilled in Revelation. The pieces begin to fit together.
Does God want us to study Scripture this way? Can’t we simply learn the history, draw personal applications and call it good?
Certainly. That is the milk of the Word. But Scripture calls us beyond the milk and into deeper understanding: “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. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” (Isaiah 28:9–10)
Notice the method: “here a little, and there a little.” One passage sheds light on another. One historical event establishes a pattern that appears again later. One word may become a thread running through many books of the Bible.
That is why the studies in the MasterTruth Library approach a Bible book or passage through all three dimensions: historical, inspirational and doctrinal. We especially emphasize the less-taught doctrinal aspect in order to understand the ways and purposes of God. Personally, that helps me know God better, and from the day I accepted Christ more than 50 years ago, knowing Him has been my life goal.
In summary, doctrine helps us understand the ways of God. It moves us beyond merely asking what a passage means to us and teaches us to ask what God is revealing about Himself and His purposes. Someone once aptly said, “Doctrine makes too much of Jesus Christ and too little of us, and our flesh hates it.” But remember, “all scripture” is profitable for doctrine, and we must “study to shew thyself approved unto God.” (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:15)
Jody