Doctrine: The Key to Christian Living

Right doctrine is essential to right living.

It is impossible to live a faithful Christian life without knowing biblical doctrine. Doctrine simply means “teaching,” and there is no way that even the most sincere believer can conduct a life pleasing to God without knowing what God Himself is like and what sort of life God demands of His people. Those who set biblical theology aside also set aside sound Christian living. And this happens more often than you might think.

Just Love People?

Many people today do not believe doctrine is necessary at all. They teach that we can “just love people” and never make doctrine an issue. I remember a group of Christians in the ’70s who taught that all doctrine was opposed to Christ.^[1]For one example, see Witness Lee, Christ Versus Religion (Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1971). They chose not to adopt any doctrines (which was, of course, their cardinal doctrine). That is a dangerous sentiment, and a recipe for apostasy.

Every generation of Christians is faced with this idea. People return to thinking that the church should set theology aside and just love people or perform acts of kindness. Talking about theology forces Christians to draw clear lines, so some choose to stop talking about it altogether.

One verse that is frequently quoted in defense of such foolishness is Philippians 1:9, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more.” People will isolate a verse like this one and say, “That’s all we need to do: love more and more! Forget about all that doctrinal hair-splitting.”

But that’s not the whole verse—it continues, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.” Paul did not promote mushy sentimentalism—love is not an uncontrolled impulse. It must be guided by knowledge of the truth.

Paul also says love must abound in discernment. Biblical love is not blind; it discriminates between right and wrong. A love that is not guided by truth is volatile and deadly. So Christians must be discerning and make doctrinal judgments to keep their love on track. They must abound in love informed by theology. Scripture consistently shows us this pattern.

Paul's Pattern

In the book of Ephesians, Paul gives three chapters of doctrinal truth, then begins the fourth chapter saying, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” This verse marks the transition from doctrinal principles to Christian living—from principle to practice. Only after a lengthy doctrinal exposition does Paul exhort his readers to holy living.

The word “worthy” in Ephesians 4:1 has the root meaning of balancing the scales—what is on one side of the scale should be equal in weight to what is on the other side. By extension, the word came to apply to anything that was expected to correspond to something else. A person worthy of his pay was one whose day’s work corresponded to his day’s wages. The believer who walks “in a manner worthy of the calling” is one whose daily living corresponds to his doctrine and his position as fellow heir with Jesus Christ.

Paul uses this same word in Philippians 1:27, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” In other words, your conduct must match what you believe. The exalted reality of the gospel demands an exemplary lifestyle. And that is precisely the issue in Ephesians 4. Doctrine and duty are linked as closely as the flower and the stem—you cannot have one without the other.

This connection between doctrine and duty is found as a transition point in many of Paul’s epistles. After giving eleven chapters of doctrine in Romans, Paul begins chapter 12 with these words, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Paul is urging people to live sacrificially in light of the doctrine he has expounded. That’s why chapters 12–16 are all practical—serving in the church (chapter 12), responding to government (chapter 13), answering a weaker brother (chapters 14–15), and working with others in ministry (chapter 16). All of those wonderful, practical chapters are built on the foundation of the theological truths that preceded them.

In Galatians, Paul devotes the first four chapters to explaining Christian liberty and the last two to exhorting Christians to live by that liberty. In 5:1, Paul summarizes the first four chapters, saying, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” Then immediately after that, he writes, “Therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” So the whole verse reads: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (emphasis added). Right practice must always be based on right principle. The two are inseparably linked.

Paul always built practical imperatives on doctrinal truth (Philippians 2:1–2; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:1). He understood that you cannot expect a believer to live out a principle he does not know.

Doctrine for Practice

People have criticized me for preaching that is too heavy or too doctrinal. But that’s what God has called me to preach. Without doctrine, people will never mature as Christians, that’s why Ephesians 4:23 says, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Paul understood that any true renewal in the church begins with doctrine and the mind. Only after doctrinal principles are taught can people live them out.

I never spend much time telling stories or jokes in my sermons. I don’t try to manipulate the congregation into an emotional frenzy. All I want to do, week after week, is teach the principles of the Word of God so that the people can obey them.

We see this pattern in 2 Timothy 3:16–17. Verse 16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” Then verse 17 adds, “So that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” There are no good works without the knowledge that comes from Scripture.

It is really quite simple: You can’t live what you don’t know. You can’t play the game if you don’t know the rules. You can’t walk worthy of the calling you received unless you study the truth.

Doctrine is the key to Christian living.