Grace To You:: Unleashing God's Truth, One Verse at A Time
Grace To You:: Unleashing God's Truth, One Verse at A Time
Grace To You:: Unleashing God's Truth, One Verse at A Time
Doctrine Is Practical
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20
Code: A141
John MacArthur
I have in my library a book by the spiritual father of a quasi-Christian cult. It argues that structured
doctrine and systematized theology are contrary to the spirit of Jesus' ministry.
The idea that Christ is anti-doctrine is a foundational belief of that cult. But no idea is further from the
truth. The word doctrine simply means "teaching." And it's ludicrous to say that Christ is anti-teaching.
The central imperative of His Great Commission is the command to teach (Matthew 28:18-20).
Unfortunately, cultists aren't alone in their bias against doctrine. Some evangelicals have almost the
same perspective. Because they view doctrine as heady and theoretical, they dismiss it as
unimportant, divisive, threatening, or simply impractical.
People often ask why I emphasize doctrine so much. Now and then someone tells me frankly that my
preaching needs to be less doctrinal and more practical.
Of course, practical application is vital. I don't want to minimize its importance. But if there is a
deficiency in preaching today, it is that there's too much relational, pseudopsychological, and thinly
life-related content, and not enough emphasis on sound doctrine.
The distinction between doctrinal and practical truth is artificial; doctrine is practical! In fact, nothing is
more practical than sound doctrine.
The pastor who turns away from preaching sound doctrine abdicates the primary responsibility of an
elder: "holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he will be able both
to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict" (Titus 1:9). We teach truth, we teach
error, or we teach nothing at all.
Building on the Truth
Practical insights, gimmicks, and illustrations mean little if they're not attached to divine principle.
There's no basis for godly behavior apart from the truth of God's Word. Before the preacher asks
anyone to perform a certain duty, he must first deal with doctrine. He must develop his message
around theological themes and draw out the principles of the texts. Then the truth can be applied.
Romans provides the clearest example. Paul doesn't give any exhortation until he has given eleven
chapters of theology.
He scales incredible heights of truth, culminating in 11:33-36, where he says, "Oh, the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and
unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or
who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and
to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."
Then in chapter 12, he turns immediately to the practical consequences of the doctrine of the first 11
chapters. No passage in Scripture captures the Christian's responsibility in the face of truth more
clearly than Romans 12:1-2.
Resting on eleven chapters of profound doctrine, Paul calls each believer to a supreme act of spiritual
worship giving oneself as a living sacrifice. Doctrine gives rise to dedication to Christ, the greatest
practical act. And the remainder of the book of Romans goes on to explain the many practical
outworkings of one's dedication to Christ.
He follows the same pattern in Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians.
The doctrinal message comes first. Upon that foundation he builds the practical application, making
the logical connection with the word therefore (Romans 1:1; Galatians 5:1; Ephesians 4:1; Philippians
2:1) or then (Colossians 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:1).
Living by the Truth
We have imposed an artificial meaning on the word doctrine. We've made it something abstract and
threatening, unrelated to daily living. That has brought about the disastrous idea that preaching and
teaching are unrelated to living.
The scriptural concept of doctrine includes the entire message of the gospel its teaching about
God, salvation, sin, and righteousness. Those concepts are so tightly bound to daily living that the
first-century mind did not see them as something separate from practical truth.
The New Testament church was founded on a solid base of doctrine. First Timothy 3:16 contains
what many expositors believe is an early church hymn: "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the
Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory"
(KJV). There, in capsule form, is the basis of all Christian teaching. Without that, no practical
application matters.