Doctrinal Precision

This article was originally published here, on February 6, 2009.

Have you ever needed a dohicky? How about a thingamajig? Often when we are doing work that falls outside of our normal daily routine, terminology gets loose. You may not know or care what that tool that will aid you in loosening that bolt is called. You just want to get the bolt loosened. However, you would not want a brain surgeon working on you to turn to his assistant and say, "Could you hand me that thingamajig? No, not that dohicky, that one!" Repairing a toilet, while important, is not the same as brain surgery. Brain surgery requires precision. and brain surgery, while important, is not as important as leading others to Christ.

As Ezekiel was set apart as a watchman for Israel (Ezek. 33:1-9), so we, too, have been set apart to warn our generation of the coming judgment and to call them to turn to our Lord Jesus Christ. Ezekiel was instructed to sound the trumpet (warn of impending judgment) so the sinner could know to repent, but if he failed to warn the people God would hold him accountable. If we fail to call sinners to repentance, we will be held accountable, also.

If our call is not clear and certain, it will not be heard. Paul instructs the Corinthians, "Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?" (1 Cor. 14:8). Paul's is saying that if we speak in a way that cannot be understood (in this context, by a foreign language) it does not do anybody any good. Applied to sharing the message of Christ, if we fail to clearly define our terms biblically and precisely our message will be misunderstood. Numerous cults and false religions use the same terminology as Evangelical Christianity: saved, faith, grace, Jesus Christ, the Spirit, God, prayer, etc. However, they purposely use these terms to confuse those who do not know the difference.

Paul instructed Timothy, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save yourself and your hearers" (1 Tim. 4:16). Doctrine matters. It mattered to Christ and it mattered to the apostles. It should matter to us. We lack the authority to define ourselves. God defines us as he reveals his will and ways to us through his Word. The Church did not establish the Word, but by the Word, God established the Church. If we do not truly understand God, as he reveals himself in the Scriptures, then we are not truly worshiping God. If our Jesus is not the Jesus of Scripture, then he is not Jesus. We must be precise in our understanding of the teachings in the Bible.

Misunderstanding the person and work of Jesus has major consequences. It is like the difference between a being locked in a burning building by the arsonist and being rescued from the building by a firefighter. An unbiblical Jesus may be able to offer ethical advice, but he cannot redeem the sinner from hell. An unbiblical Jesus may be able to inspire or motivate, by he cannot rescue the sinner from death. Imprecision in our doctrines of God, Jesus, and salvation and lack of clarity in the gospel message leads to eternal death. If a do-yourself plumber messes up, he can always call in a real plumber and a cleanup crew. If a surgeon messes up, people are either maimed or die. If we mess up the gospel and doctrine, people die, in their sin, and go to hell.

The grave consequences for wrong theology should move us to be diligent students of the Word. We should seek to understand it correctly and to present it carefully to others. We should be careful that they understand what we are saying and careful that they understand that it applies to them. Friends, heed Paul's admonition to watch your life and doctrine closely.