Q: Which is more important: to try to live the way that the Bible says we
should, or to understand theology and doctrine correctly?
The best one-word answer to this
question, when asked by a Christian, is “Yes!”
A person’s good deeds, their
ability to closely follow the Bible’s commands, or their attempts to live in a
Biblical fashion can never, under any circumstances earn them God’s
blessings. However, for one who is
already a Christian, correct doctrine and a God-pleasing life are both things
that they should strive for.
Far too frequently, it happens that
these two aspects of the Christian faith are placed as opposed to one another,
and individuals, and even whole denominations, who strive for one often make
the mistake of neglecting the other. While the Christian seeks to keep these two
aspects in balance, it is important to remember that neither of them can be the
cause of salvation. It is only trust in
Jesus as the only savior which can do that.
At the same time, unrepented errors in either doctrine or life have the
potential to endanger faith and salvation.
Without correct doctrine, a person
could easily be misled into trusting in the wrong thing for their eternal
salvation. Even small doctrinal errors
have the potential to grow into faith-destroying, salvation-threatening false
teachings. In addition, if one does not
have a proper understanding of the Bible, how would he even know what a
God-pleasing life really looks like?
On the other hand, a person who has
correct doctrine, but pays no attention to their way of life runs the risk of
developing a sinful pride which leads them to believe that their doctrinal
understanding makes them spiritually superior, or of developing sinful habits,
which if continued without repentance, have the risk of separating them from
Jesus and the blessings He gives.
Since God is the one who designed and
made humans and all creation, it only makes sense that following His commands
can bring blessing, but while living according to a Biblical morality has the
potential to have earthly benefits for any person, good deeds can never earn
them anything from God.
This is the vast difference which
exists between Christians and their Bible compared to every other religion of
the world and their respective holy books.
Every other religion of the world has a code of behavior or a path to
enlightenment proposed in their holy books, which, if followed, claims it will
bring divine blessing or good fortune to its adherents. Christianity, on the other hand, proposes
that humans are incapable of satisfying God by their deeds, and therefore, God
Himself took up the task of satisfying His commands by taking on Human flesh in
the person of Jesus, then gives His blessings to humans by grace, that is, as a
gift.
The purpose of the Bible’s commands,
in light of this, is to show humans how badly they have failed to live up to
God’s moral demands and force them to look outside of themselves, to Jesus, to
obtain the righteous status that God demands.
I’ve seen often two slogans on bumper
stickers and t-shirts which reflect the failure of Christian preachers and
Bible teachers to properly convey the Biblical truth regarding these two
aspects of correct doctrine and a god-pleasing life. Both of these are usually imposed above a picture
of the Bible, and they say: “When all else fails, read the Instructions.” or
“Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.”
In Christian teaching, the Bible is
far more than mere instructions. From
beginning to end, it is the true story of God’s actions throughout history to
bring about the salvation of humanity.
This message emphasizing the birth, life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus are the Bible’s central message, and the commands and moral teachings
contained within are never intended to dominate over that message, but instead
to act in service to it.
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