Doctrines

The doctrines of Christianity are the guiding principles of the faith. These are the teachings of the church as they have been derived from the scriptures and compiled by the various Christian theologians over the past millenniums. The doctrines are the essential teachings of the faith as given by God, through the various authors of the Bible to mankind. These doctrines include the nature of God and creation. They also include God’s relation to His creation, including man. Theology is the study of God and of His teachings. It is also the process of arriving at doctrine. Doctrine is the summation or description of the truths found in the bible.

Definition- A doctrine is defined as; something taught, something taught as the principles or creed of a religion. A theological definition; that which is taught and believed to be true by a church.

Another view of doctrine is that it is systematized knowledge of the true or correct teachings of the Christian faith. Doctrine interprets the scriptures to provide these teachings in an understandable and comprehensive form. It encompasses the collected teachings of authors of the various books of the bible as they were inspired in their writing by the Holy Spirit. The doctrines of the faith have been studied, debated, and finally agreed upon by various church councils in the form of creeds. Doctrine provides Christians with a set of accurate guidelines and parameters in which the teachings of the bible are to be understood. It preserves the truth of scripture and minimizes the possibility of false teaching.

The doctrines of the faith contain ideas which can be complex in their understanding as they delve into deep philosophical concepts, such as the doctrine of Christology. Doctrines can be understood at a basic level by the average Christian as he studies scripture. The study of doctrine does require some time and effort as even the most knowledgeable theologians are constantly learning. The extent of this site is only to present the doctrines so that they may be understood at a basic level. The reader is encouraged to continue the study of the doctrines on their own through bible study groups, personal study, or through formal education classes. The title of each doctrine of the menu bar is followed by its formal title in parenthesis. If a student were to search through a systematic theology book the doctrines would be listed by their formal title.