Why We Believe What We Believe

by Debbi Weeks

Doctrine is important. It is so very important for us to know what we believe and why we believe it! Do you know what you believe?

We are warned throughout scripture not to fall prey to false doctrine. (Check out 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus for some concentrated exhortation!) But the only way to not fall for false doctrine is by knowing the Truth from God’s Word – that is God’s doctrine; what God says about things. When we don’t know doctrine or we’re uncertain what God’s Word teaches, then we are so very vulnerable to Satan’s lies. And, they are all around us (God even warns us that they’re going to sound oh so good)!

Having not grown up in the church, there are some things I feel so clueless about. So, recently I got this “bee in my bonnet” to look up the doctrine of the Church. I started looking at catechisms. The definition of a catechism is “instruction in the principles of Christianity using set questions and answers.” Seeing as I believe myself to be reformed (in case you’re wondering what that means, look it up!), I looked at those catechisms first. I was thinking how awesome it would be to memorize a catechism. Ah, but ignorant me, I had no idea how long the catechisms are! So I settled for the Westminster Shorter Catechism – it’s only 107 questions! I think that’s still a little too long for me to memorize, but I want to know it, so maybe I will try to commit it to memory.

Here’s the web address in case you’re interested: http://www.reformed.org/documents/WSC.html

The fact that God saved us by His grace through faith is found in question and answer #20:

Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? God, having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.

But we have a responsibility to grow in faith and not be ignorant about truth. Our responsibility is to know what we believe so that we will not be “carried about by every wind of doctrine.”

Ephesians 4:13-15 says, “ . . . until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ . . . “

Father God, I praise You for your omniscience and for Your perfect plan – for us individually and corporately. I confess that I am sometimes lazy and don’t want to work or put the effort in to really know You – and to know what I believe.I thank You that You don’t give up on me and that You are faithful to reveal Yourself and Your truth to me through Your Word.Please help me to be diligent in study – that I might become mature and not be carried off by every wind of doctrine. In Christ’s Name, Amen.

P.S. I have two book recommendations for you in regards to doctrine – Know What You Believe and Know Why You Believe, both by Paul E. Little. They are copyrighted in the 60’s and 70’s and are short and easy to read and understand.