Spotlite
Resident Homesteader
This was your view “On Judgement Day, our character will matter more than our doctrine”That's not my view. I've learned to appreciate humility in not making every point of doctrinal disagreement into a litmus test. Scripture tells us explicitly what the most important points of doctrine are, and those points ARE a litmus test for me. (See 1 Cor 15)
What is "false doctrine"? Any point of Biblical teaching you disagree with?
Consider that Paul accepted doctrinal disagreements, writing to the Philippians, "And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you." If we are diligent like the Bereans, searching the Scriptures daily to see if what the preachers say is true, then God will wash us through his word and we will become more and more like Jesus. For many believers, their doctrine is far ahead of their character. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Experience has taught me it's better to trust brothers whose character is ahead of their doctrine.
Paul also wrote to the Corinthians, "No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval." But Paul was clear (1 Cor 13) that love among the Corinthians was more important than doctrinal uniformity. He then laid out the most important doctrines.
From a practical viewpoint, I am much more likely to agree 100% with a church's statement of faith if it is closer to 500 words long and sticks to the most important doctrines. By the time a church's statement of faith is 5000 words long (close to the Baptist Faith and Message), there will be a few points of disagreement. If those aren't show stoppers for them, then they aren't show stoppers for me either. Most Southern Baptist preachers don't have 100% agreement with that document, and the SBC does not expect them to.
But, no, a false doctrine isn’t anything I disagree with - it’s anything that disagrees with the Gospel. Within that are ALSO multiple doctrines; there’s a way that seems right………., I can think of Donnie Swaggart making fun of Pentecostals speaking in tongues and receiving the Holy Ghost, now he’ll Yabba Dabba do during his preaching saying that receiving the Holy Ghost is another level of salvation -
He’s not the only one preaching multiple doctrines of salvation.
All I’m saying is there’s a lot of finger pointing saying “you’re doctrine isn’t right, mine is”.
Doctrine is important.
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