Introduction to Doctrine

Question 0027 This question touches on one of the great tensions within the Church today. On one side are those who say doctrine divides and love unites, so we should ...

Question 0030 Walk into any theological seminary and you will encounter rigorous study of systematic theology, historical theology, biblical languages, and philosophical argumentation. Walk into most local churches and you ...

Question 0028 This is one of the most important questions any believer can ask, and it requires careful thought. Get this wrong in one direction, and you will divide over ...

Question 0029 Every believer who takes both truth and relationships seriously will eventually face this question. You find yourself at odds with someone over a matter of faith or practice ...

Question 0046 There is a scene that plays out in churches, conferences, and online platforms with alarming regularity. A preacher stands before a crowd and delivers a message that makes ...

Question 0049 It is one of the most sobering realities in the Christian life, and one that every serious believer must confront: it is entirely possible to have impeccable theology ...

Question 0037 This question helps us appreciate both the remarkable providence of God in preserving His truth and the reality of how the early Church actually functioned. It also reminds ...

Question 0040 The short answer is: you can't. And this isn't a criticism—it's simply the reality of how human beings engage with any text, including Scripture. Everyone Has Theology The ...

Question 0034 The good news is that we live in an age of unprecedented access to theological resources. Books that were once available only in seminary libraries are now accessible ...

Question 0032 It is one of the great tragedies of the modern church that the study of God—which is what the word "theology" means—has become associated with dusty books, academic ...

Question 0033 The question itself is encouraging. Anyone asking how to develop an appetite for doctrine already possesses something precious—the recognition that such an appetite is desirable. Not everyone reaches ...

Question 0031 The comparison between doctrine and an immune system is remarkably apt, and Scripture itself uses similar language. Just as our physical bodies possess an intricate defence system designed ...

Question 0013 In his final letter, penned in the shadow of martyrdom, the Apostle Paul issues one of Scripture's most memorable warnings about the future condition of the church. The ...

Question 0015 Among the most significant challenges facing the contemporary church is a movement that calls itself progressive Christianity. Unlike obvious heresies that reject Christian vocabulary entirely, progressive Christianity retains ...

Question 0016 This is one of the most important questions any Christian can ask, and the fact that you're asking it suggests you already have a healthy spiritual instinct. The ...

Question 0017 This question gets to the very heart of how the Christian life actually works. There's a connection between what we believe and how we live, and understanding that ...

Question 0020 This might seem a strange question at first. Doctrine often gets a bad reputation—it's seen as dry, academic, divisive, the province of theologians arguing about angels on pinheads ...

Question 0019 This is one of those questions that's painful to ask but necessary. Walk into many churches and you'll find people who've been Christians for twenty, thirty, even forty ...

Question 0018 The letter to the Hebrews contains one of the New Testament's most direct discussions of spiritual maturity, and it comes with a sharp rebuke that still stings today ...

Question 0025 The book of Acts gives us a snapshot of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem, immediately after the Day of Pentecost. Three thousand people had just been baptised ...

Question 0041 When we elevate experience above doctrine, we step onto dangerous ground. This isn't merely an academic concern for theologians to debate in ivory towers—it strikes at the very ...

Question 0023 Anyone who has spent time reading Paul's letters will notice a consistent pattern. Take Romans: the first eleven chapters are dense theological exposition—the righteousness of God, justification by ...

Question 0039 This question reflects a misunderstanding that some sincere Christians hold; the idea that because we have the indwelling Spirit, we can bypass careful study and simply rely on ...

Question 0012 Paul's warning to Timothy about false doctrine in 2 Timothy 2:17 employs one of the most visceral metaphors in Scripture. Writing from his Roman imprisonment, likely in the ...

Question 1137 See my sermon on the Introduction to Bibliology here: The Word of God: Our Growing Guide. Whenever Christians study the doctrines of the faith systematically, they use certain ...

Question 0024 The Bereans have become something of a byword in Christian circles for careful biblical discernment, and rightly so. Whenever someone encourages us to check teaching against Scripture, the ...

Question 0010 Before we can answer why, we should be clear about what we mean by a catechism. The word comes from the Greek κατηχέω (katēcheō), meaning "to teach by ...

Question 0009 The answer is yes... and no. It depends entirely on which doctrines are in view. This is not evasion. It is the consistent witness of Scripture. The New ...

Question 0008 This is a question that cuts right to the heart of the matter. If theology matters, and it does, then surely some of it matters more than others ...

Question 7053 When someone comes to faith in Jesus, what should they be taught first? The writer to the Hebrews gives us the answer in chapter 6, verses 1-3, where ...

Question 0048 It sounds so reasonable, so irenic, so Christian. "Doctrine divides, but Jesus unites." The sentiment is appealing, especially to those weary of theological controversy and ecclesiastical strife. Why ...

Question 0007 Not all doctrines carry the same weight. This is not to say that any part of Scripture is unimportant, every word of God matters, and we should strive ...

Question 8000 Angelology is the study of angels, and demonology is the study of demons. Together, they form the branch of theology that examines what Scripture reveals about the spiritual ...

Question 9001 Ecclesiology is the study of the Church. The word comes from the Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklesia), meaning "assembly" or "called-out ones," combined with λόγος (logos), meaning "word" or "study." ...

Question 60000 Apologetics is the defence of the Christian faith. The word comes from the Greek ἀπολογία (apologia), meaning "a reasoned defence" or "a speech in defence." It is the ...

Question 7011 Soteriology. It sounds like a complicated word, and in some ways it is, but really it just refers to the study of salvation. The term comes from the ...

Question 6000 Hamartiology is the theological study of sin. The term comes from the Greek word ἁμαρτία (hamartia), meaning "sin" or "missing the mark," combined with λόγος (logos), meaning "word" ...

Question 4000 If you have spent any time in theological study, you have almost certainly encountered words ending in -logy: theology, Christology, eschatology. Pneumatology is one of these, and it ...

Question 3000 Christology is one of those theological words that can sound intimidating, but it simply means the study of Jesus. The word comes from the Greek Χριστός (Christos), meaning ...

Question 0006 This question comes up more often than you might think, and it usually comes from a sincere place. Someone genuinely loves the Lord, feels close to Him in ...

Question 0005 The word "theologian" carries a certain mystique. We imagine scholars in book-lined studies, poring over ancient manuscripts, debating the fine points of doctrine in language most people cannot ...

Question 0004 When Paul instructs Titus to "teach what accords with sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1), he uses a word that might surprise us. The Greek term translated "sound" is ὑγιαίνω ...

Question 0003 Few verses in Scripture carry more weight for understanding the nature of the Bible than 2 Timothy 3:16. Paul writes: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and ...

Question 0002 It is stated as fact and has become a cliché: "Doctrine divides, but love unites." The point is clear; if we would only set aside all our theological ...

Question 0001 You can find my sermon on the Introduction to Doctrine here: Why Does Doctrine Matter? When someone mentions 'doctrine,' many Christians feel their eyes glaze over. It sounds ...

Question 0000 This is actually a foundational question that gets to the heart of everything at BibleProclaimer.com. Why do we insist on going to Scripture first when the world has ...