Dear Pastor,
“Good friends of ours attend a Reformed church near Grand Rapids. John shared with me that doctrine isn’t emphasized, just love for Jesus and others. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Kerry Pauls
Three Rivers, Michigan
Dear Kerry,
Thanks for writing.
Let’s consider this for just a moment.
First we have the problem that apart from doctrine being taught how is it possible to know what love is or looks like? If I don’t have doctrine being taught there is no stable definition of love and each man defines “love” as is right in his own eyes. Apart doctrine how could I determine whether any action is loving or unloving? Bottom line is, one can’t not know what love is apart from doctrine being emphasized.
Second, we have the problem that apart from doctrine being taught how is it possible to know whether the “love for Jesus” is the love for the real Jesus or some impostor Jesus? Without doctrine how do I know if I have the right Jesus or one made up of my own fancy? It is only doctrine that tells me who Jesus is and whether he is worth my love.
Third, as the real Jesus Himself said, “If you love me keep my commandments,” then it is not possible to love the real Jesus without the doctrine that limns out the meaning of His commandments. In other words if you don’t emphasize doctrine then it is not possible to love Jesus because the only way to love Jesus is to understand His commandments and you can’t understand His commandments without emphasizing them.
Fourth, this is not possibly true. I presume that something is said in the pulpit week in and week out. Whatever is said from the pulpit even if it is only “we don’t teach doctrine here but just loving Jesus and others,” then that is the church’s doctrine. (Pathetic as it would be.)
Fifth, this attitude tells me that this Church which does not emphasize doctrine does not “just love Jesus.” Paul tells Timothy explicitly in I Timothy 4,
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.”
“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
You see here the importance that the Holy Spirit puts on doctrine?
But you know what … I’m willing to bet that what your friend said of his church is true of a overwhelmingly high percentage of “conservative” “Reformed” “churches” in America. I’m willing to stipulate that most Pastors in most “conservative,” “Reformed” “churches” in America don’t teach doctrine and ironically enough it’s probably a good thing they don’t since if they did they would bugger it up so badly that it would be even more damaging to the congregations souls then what is being said now from pulpits. Your better off with a Pastor that doesn’t emphasize doctrine then you would be with a R2K pastor who did emphasize doctrine.
I’ve been around. I’ve sat in on ordination exams. I’ve spoken with ordained conservative ministers frequently. I’ve been in the ministry over 30 years now. And in all that time I personally know (I’ve met them and talked to them and have a relationship with them) only one other Reformed pastor who I would want emphasizing doctrine. I’m sure there are more out there but I’ve not got to know them beyond just an acquaintance status.
