Doctrine

Doctrine

Anthony BosmanApr 21, 2013, 5:26 PM

A couple summers ago, a friend from my dorm agreed to spend some time studying the Bible with me. He was from a different faith background, so I was excited to share with him some Biblical teachings that had really blessed my life.

We started meeting once a week and, honestly, I thought I was leading out some pretty good studies: compelling cases for what the Bible taught on a host of various topics. But at the end of one study, he asked a question that struck me.

It still strikes me.

"So what?"

At first I didn't get it. "What do you mean so what, this is what the Bible teaches, so we should believe it."

That's true, we should believe what the Bible teaches. But my friend's question still lingered: "So what?"

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how guilty I was: I had reduced doctrine to a set of unrelated, nearly arbitrary statements (believe this about this, but not that about that). The result, a list of well-supported but powerless ideas.

I realize now that this isn't doctrine. The focus of Biblical teaching isn't just propositional truths, but personal truths. Doctrine paints a portrait of Jesus – it reveals to us His irresistible beauty. He's the only satisfactory answer I've found to "So what?".

Since those studies, I decided I would never share a teaching of Scripture without first grappling with the question, "What does this reveal to me about Jesus?" In this spirit, I recently went through a list of 28 teachings of the Bible and wrote down what each one told me about the person of Jesus. I’ve included my copy here, but why don’t you try doing to same: share with us in the comments below a few Biblical teachings and what they reveal about Jesus.

Together, may we continue to discover the beautiful person of Jesus revealed in Scripture.

  1. Holy Scriptures: Jesus is the revelation of Scripture, it testifies of Him. (John 5:39)

  2. Trinity: Jesus is a distinct Person, yet one with His Father and the Spirit. (Matt 28:19; John 10:30)

  3. Father: Jesus is a reflection of the Father. (John 14:7)

  4. Son: Jesus, the Son of God, has also become the Son of Man; fully God, fully man. (Luke 1:32)

  5. Holy Spirit: Jesus is present today through the Holy Spirit whom He sent. (John 15:26)

  6. Creation: Jesus is the Creator--all was made through and for Him. (Col 1:16)

  7. Nature of Man: Jesus was reflected in man's original creation. Today, Jesus is restoring His image in humanity (Gen 1:26; 2 Cor 3:18).

  8. Great Controversy: Jesus leads the victorious battle against Satan. (Rev 12:7)

  9. Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ: Jesus was treated as I deserve, that I may be treated as He deserves. (2 Cor 5:21)

  10. Experience of Salvation: Jesus saves! Moreover, He gives us the faith to claim this salvation. (Jn 3:16, Rom 12:3)

  11. Growing in Christ: Jesus has authority over all the evil spirits and powers that once enslaved us. (Eph 1:21)

  12. Church: Jesus has a body in the world today, a group of people that continue to follow Him and His example. (1 Cor 12:27)

  13. Remnant and Its Mission: Jesus is proclaiming Himself to the world through a visible community, despite their past failures. (Eze 36:33)

  14. Unity in the Body of Christ: Jesus is attractive, drawing us together as we’re drawn to Him. (Gal 3:28)

  15. Baptism: Jesus desires to live in me, inviting me to die to my old life and live a new life in Him. (Gal 2:20)

  16. Lord's Supper: Jesus remembers us, and invites us to remember Him. (Matt 26:26-29)

  17. Spiritual Gifts and Ministries: Jesus cares for His Church, sending the Spirit who gives spiritual gifts. (Jn 14:16)

  18. The Gift of Prophecy: Jesus continues to lead His people back to the Biblical revelation of Himself through the Spirit’s gift of prophecy. (Joel 2:28-29)

  19. The Law of God: Jesus is the Law unfolded: the Savior the Law demands and the Lord obeyed through His gift of a loving heart. (Rom 3:21-31)

  20. Sabbath: Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath--He gave the day as a gift for humanity and taught that it is a time for rest, worship, healing, and service. (Mark 2:27-28)

  21. Stewardship: Jesus owns me: my talents, time, money, and life all belong to Him. (1 Cor 6:20)

  22. Christian Behavior: Jesus’ love for the world is so great, He causes it to flow through me and totally transform my life. (Rom 5:5)

  23. Marriage and the Family: Jesus is in a profound love-union with the Godhead. He also passionately loves His Church. To help us experience a glimpse of this love, He gave us the gift of marriage and family. (Gen 1:26-27, Eph 5:31-32)

  24. Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary: Jesus is active today! He serves as my High Priest in heaven, working nonstop on my behalf. (Heb 7:25)

  25. Second Coming of Christ: Jesus is coming again soon! (Rev 22:12)

  26. Death and Resurrection: Jesus is unique: while we’re dependant for life (naturally mortal), He has life of Himself (naturally immortal). He gives this life freely both today and in the resurrection to come. (1 Tim 6:16, Jn 5:25)

  27. Millenium and the End of Sin: Jesus is just and fair: He will put a final end to all pain, suffering, and death, and will do so transparently. (Rev 20:4-9)

  28. New Earth: Jesus will be our Light and Life as we spend eternity with Him. (Rev 22:1-5)