J.A. Matteson
It is fashionable in our day for many within evangelicalism to view doctrine with contempt, "Doctrine divides," they say, "let's just love Jesus." What did Paul say to the church at Corinth?...."By which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you" (1 Cor. 15:2). To Paul the content of his teaching mattered. If we accept the premise of merely "loving Jesus" as the basis of our fellowship we must then ask, which Jesus? The Jesus of the Gnostic's? The Jesus of Islam? The Jesus of the Jehovah's Witnesses? The Jesus of the Mormon's? The Jesus of the New Age movement? The Jesus of the seclarist? Which Jesus are we speaking of? By formulating an answer to the question we are now engaged in doctrine. So doctrine actually unites, serving as the basis of our common faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Blessed be the Name of the King immortal who protects His sheep from falsehood by leading them into all truth.
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