The Undoctrine

I use a bold title to emphasize a simple concept. I realize that my understanding is far from perfect. I came to this conclusion a long time ago that some part of my doctrinal stance is wrong. There is no possible way that I could have 100% of the truth 100% of the time. Because of this, I want to learn everything I can so that the things I have wrong I can correct, but I also do not suffer under the delusion that while in this mortal coil I can have all of the truth. Even the Apostle Paul didn't claim to have all of the truth (1 Cor 13:9,12).

The thing is, I don't know what doctrines I have wrong. I do want to understand every good thing I can about God, but at the same time, I don't expect to ever have an answer to every question, I'm not even looking for that. It takes a pressure off knowing that I don't have to understand everything in order to be saved. Instead we see that the saved eventually will know even as we are known (1 Cor 13:10).

Expanding on this idea, what applies to me applies to everyone. I realize that there is no one in my church, the pastor included, that possesses all of the truth. My church has some doctrines that they hold to and teach that are wrong, how could they not? There is a flip side to this too though. There are those in my church that understand things that I don't, so in the church there is opportunity to grow in knowledge (2 Pet 3:18).

Expanding again, what applies to me and to my church applies to our group of people. There is no way that our group could possess all of the truth. The ministry in our group are divided on doctrine. What use is the threshing floor if everyone agreed on everything? Additionally, if there is a disagreement on a doctrine, can you honestly say that at least one of the parties disagreeing aren't in the wrong? Even if the ministry was in complete agreement on everything, that would be no assurance of accuracy, merely of being wrong (1 Cor 8:2).

Am I trying to destroy and lay waste to our heritage? No, instead you should be asking yourself what my intent is. Merely this: Humility. "God keep me humble" is a truly precarious prayer indeed; He's just might do it. It takes a truly humble person to stand up and say the words "I am wrong". This is the difference between someone who is searching for truth and someone who is defending their position.

Do we lose anything by admitting that we are wrong? I ask you this, if a father wrongs his children or a husband wrongs his wife, does he lose their respect by apologizing to them? No, the opposite is true. By admitting our faults instead of pretending we don't have any, we stay humble, teachable, open to the moving of God. The alternative is to be mired in arrogance and self-righteousness (1 Cor 8:1).

I learned early in my Christian walk that knowledge and understanding can be a trap. Someone who is knowledgeable can be easily tempted to rely on that understanding. We've been admonished not to do this though (Prov 3:5-7). We need to acknowledge and rely upon God; He will direct our paths. I'm so thankful that as a schoolchild I was made to memorize that passage, it's never left me. When I rely solely on myself, I am building on sand, and when the trials of this life surround me, what I've built will collapse because it has no foundation (Matt 7:24-25).

So do we throw away everything that we are and everything that we have? Of course not. We are built together upon truth with Jesus as our cornerstone and what kind of fool would I be to ever suggest throwing that away (Eph 2:20-22)? Instead I want to have a proper focus. I want to be Christ centered. Where our focus should be is on the Love of God and not on our own understanding.

The third verse of the old hymn The Love of God is such a beautiful thing, I've included it here in its entirety:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

With a love like that, how can we refrain from talking about it every chance that we get? That should always have top billing over any doctrine or man's understanding. For you see, the love of God fills the gaps of my understanding and I become known of him (1 Cor 8:3). I'd rather be known than know anyday, that is my undoctrine.