The Doctrine of The Word

Overview

The words “dogma” and “doctrine” are negative words in our society. But what is doctrine? Doctrine is something you take by faith, something you trust in, and something you promote. If you’re one who says, “I believe everyone should determine what is right or wrong for himself or herself,” guess what? What you just said is a doctrine. It’s European Enlightenment individualism. First of all, you can’t prove that—it’s a particular view of reality. Secondly, you’re betting your life on the belief that there’s no God who thinks it’s important for you to believe and live in a certain way. Thirdly, you’re promoting it, because when you say, “I think everybody should be open-minded like me,” that’s just another way of saying, “Everyone should accept my view of reality.” It’s something you take on faith, you’re betting your whole life on it, and you’re promoting it to others. It’s doctrine. There is no way to avoid doctrine-based living.

Psalm 19 is filled with doctrine. It’s all about the Word of God and how God communicates with us. How do you know anything about God? How does God tell us anything? This psalm talks to us about the soundless Word of God, the perfect Word of God, and the searching Word of God. If we look through those three parts, we’ll answer the question: How do we learn about God?