Do you believe Jesus is God? Do you believe He rose from the dead? Then guess what? You already believe Christian doctrines, even if you have never called them that.

I remember a year or so ago, I was talking with a pastor and said that another church, it might have been the Catholic Church, had different doctrines. He corrected me and said, “You mean theology.”

I was confused. What did he mean? Back then, I did not understand the difference between theology and doctrine. Later, I learned that my original statement was not exactly wrong either.

Doctrines are the teachings of our faith, such as Jesus being fully God and fully man. Meanwhile, theology is the study of God and what He has revealed. It helps us understand these doctrines, explain them, and see how they fit together.

For example, many Baptist churches understand Communion mainly as a symbolic memorial. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church teaches that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ during consecration, although their appearances remain unchanged.

Yes, you do not visibly end up with a piece of meat in your hands.

So that you do not end up as confused as I was back then, this guide will explain what Christian doctrine is and where doctrines come from. We will also look at how doctrine differs from theology and why sound doctrine matters in everyday Christian life.

Key Takeaways

• Doctrine basically means teaching. It puts into clear words what we believe about God, humanity, sin, Jesus, salvation, and our final hope.
• The Bible gives us God’s revelation, but it does not hand us a neat pop-out list of doctrines. Doctrine helps us connect the relevant passages and understand what they teach together.
• Theology studies God and what He has revealed. Doctrine states clearly what Christians believe. Basically, theology searches for answers, while doctrine puts those answers into words.
• Sound doctrine protects us from false teaching and should change the way we live. But it should also make us more humble. Instead of giving us ammunition to attack everyone who disagrees with us.

Doctrine Basically Means Teaching

The word “doctrine” comes from the Latin word doctrina, meaning teaching or instruction. I know, using Latin makes everything sound more chic.

Christian doctrine refers to the teachings Christians receive, confess, and pass on as true. Many of these doctrines are shared by Christians everywhere, while others are understood differently depending on the Christian tradition.

For instance, Baptists generally believe that a person should be baptized after personally professing faith in Christ. This is called believer’s baptism, also known as credobaptism.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church baptizes infants. This practice is called paedobaptism, and several other Christian traditions practice it as well.

Both are Christian traditions, but they understand the doctrine of baptism differently because they interpret Scripture and the practices handed down through Christian history differently.

So, doctrine basically helps us state clearly what we believe about a particular Christian teaching.

The Bible Gives Us More Than a List of Doctrines

When I started learning more about God, I followed the typical advice:

“You want to learn more about God? Read the Bible. And when you finish, you know what comes next: read the Bible again.”

Now, this advice is not exactly bad. I still read the Bible daily, normally. But the problem is that you might read it several times and still not understand some of the core doctrines of your faith.

And if you do not understand them, how can you explain them? That is a problem, considering that we should share the Gospel with people who might still not know it.

Most Bibles are not arranged in strict chronological order. They are more like a library containing different kinds of books.

Then the Bible also contains:

• History and narrative: Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, the Gospels, Acts, and others.
• Poetry and wisdom: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
• Prophecy: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Minor Prophets.
• Letters: Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Timothy, Peter, John, and others.

So, when you open your Bible, it is not like a huge pop-out jumps from the page and says:

Doctrine 1: Trinity
Doctrine 2: Incarnation
Doctrine 3: Salvation

I have learned much more since I started isolating each doctrine and studying the relevant passages and the theology behind them. Not only that, but it has also given me a deeper conviction about my faith.

For example, when studying the Trinity, you start seeing several truths more clearly:

1) There is one God

2) The Father is God

3) The Son is God

4) The Holy Spirit is God

5) Yet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct

Of course, these five passages do not explain everything about the Trinity by themselves. But together, they give us the biblical foundation for this doctrine.

Now, if you are like me, you might struggle to memorize verses. But at least you have an idea of why Christians believe this doctrine. If someone comes along and teaches something different, you will be less easily misled.

So, Scripture gives us God’s revealed truth, while doctrine helps us connect and clearly state what Scripture teaches.

That is why, if you want to go deeper into your faith, I suggest studying theology alongside your regular Bible reading.

I am not saying that you should place your Bible on a shelf and forget about it. Read it again and again. But also take time to study individual doctrines and connect the relevant passages.

Otherwise, you might read the same verses hundreds of times without connecting all the points as we have done here.

Doctrine vs. Theology

This might sound confusing at first. Well, at least it did for me. But theology is not the same as doctrine.

Theology is the study of God and what He has revealed. This study helps us understand God’s Word, explore Christian teachings, and see how different doctrines fit together.

For example, studying everything Scripture reveals to us about Jesus is theology. Theology raises and explores questions like:

• Who is Jesus?
• Why did the eternal Son become human?
• Why did He suffer and die?
• How does His death bring salvation?

Meanwhile, doctrines clearly state what Christians believe about these questions:

• Jesus is the eternal Son of God.
• Jesus is fully God and fully man.
• The Son became human for our salvation.
• Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead.

Basically, theology asks questions and searches for answers, while doctrine puts those answers into clear statements of belief.

Some Doctrines Sit Closer to the Center of Christianity Than Others

Not all doctrines have equal importance. Of course, everything God reveals is important. But some doctrines sit at the very center of Christianity, such as:

• There is one God.
• God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Jesus is fully God and fully human.
• Christ died and rose from the dead.
• Salvation comes through Jesus Christ.
• Christians will be raised from the dead and receive eternal life.

You really need to internalize these doctrines. Someone might come along and say, “Believing in the Trinity is paganism.

Come to our church instead. We believe in only one God.” But Christians who believe in the Trinity already believe in one God: one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Or someone might claim, “You can only be saved if you join our particular organization and follow our leaders.” If you understand the core doctrines of Christianity, you will be more prepared to recognize when something sounds wrong.

Unfortunately, some people end up joining cults because they are misled. That is one reason the Church has spent centuries clarifying and defending these central doctrines. Church councils did not invent these beliefs.

They helped explain what Christians already believed from Scripture and the faith passed down by the apostles, especially when false teachings began to spread.

Doctrine Can Go Wrong

I know discerning sound doctrine is easier said than done, especially for a new Christian. But even when I was only a few months into the faith, I encountered missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the street.

I enjoyed speaking with them. They were really friendly. At least once a week, I went to their church to speak with them. So, I started digging more into their church history and teachings, and they sounded fishy, to say the least.

One of their teachings is that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers because both are spirit children of Heavenly Father.

I guess that should raise a red flag for anyone with some basic theology. Historic Christianity teaches that Jesus is the eternal and uncreated Son of God, while Lucifer is a created being.

Still, I love those missionaries, and my conversations with them pushed me to study more and come closer to God. May the Lord bless them in their walk.

The New Testament repeatedly tells us to distinguish sound teaching from false teaching:

False doctrine happens when Christian teaching contradicts or seriously distorts what God has revealed. So, the problem is not simply that someone disagrees with our opinion.

The problem is when a teaching breaks with the faith handed down by the apostles, preserved in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and clarified and defended through Church councils.

Understand Scripture in context. For the love of God, follow trustworthy teachers—someone reputable who knows what they are talking about. Study Church history, Sacred Tradition, and the writings of the Church Fathers.

Honestly, especially as a beginner, do not assume you can read the Bible once and accurately form doctrines based only on your own understanding.

That does not mean you should not read Scripture for yourself. You absolutely should. But be willing to listen and be corrected by more mature Christians and Church leaders.

I constantly need to upgrade my theology. I seek the truth beyond all else, so I also need to be careful not to think I already know everything.

The Bible is not a simple book, and not every passage is easy to understand. Christians did not take centuries to invent these doctrines.

However, the Church spent centuries developing more precise explanations of them, especially when false teachings began to appear.

Doctrine Isn’t Supposed to Stay Inside Your Head

Doctrine is not supposed to be just a collection of cool teachings you learn and do your best to memorize.

Instead, these teachings should shape the way you live. In my case, as I said, studying doctrine has brought me closer to God.

For example:

If God is Creator → creation and human life have meaning. God created everything, including us, freely and out of love. Creation exists for His glory, and He gave it to us as a gift to care for.

If humans bear God’s image → every person has dignity. We were all created in the image of God. That means even if someone is an atheist, that person still has the same human dignity.

If Christ truly rose → death does not have the final word. That means Christ is alive. His resurrection confirms what He taught and assures us that He will fulfill His remaining promises.

If God forgives → repentance is met with mercy rather than hopelessness. God’s forgiveness has given us a way to be reconciled with Him. So, that’s extra great news!

If Christ will return → Christian hope extends beyond our present circumstances. That means whatever chaos we are going through now is not the end of the story. Christ will return, make all things right, and we should live ready to meet Him.

So, yeah, doctrine is not just information to store inside your head. If you really believe it, then sooner or later it should begin showing up in the way you live.

Doctrine Should Give Us Humility, Not Ammunition

Now, I’ve seen this more times than I would like. We talk about the love of God, and churches preach about it.

But then, I see brothers and sisters arguing over doctrinal differences. Usually, nobody manages to convince the other side, and everyone ends up angry.

Now, some doctrines are simply wrong. Humility does not mean pretending that every teaching is equally true or that doctrine does not matter.

For instance, a lady once got mad at me because, back then, I believed that Christ was spiritually present in Communion. I did not know much. Now, after studying it, I believe that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ.

But this woman got seriously mad. She told me I did not know much about the Bible and that I should study more.

Well, her anger did not change my perspective. She believed Communion was only a symbolic remembrance of the Last Supper. In fact, her reaction made me start studying the Eucharist, its history, what the first Christians believed, and how that teaching was passed down through Sacred Tradition.

And that’s the point: we should learn, but not in a way that makes us prideful. Sometimes, we act like we need to beat down our opponent with our perspective until they surrender and we can declare a knockout.

Often, that brings more harm than good. In my case, it pushed me to study more. But I honestly admit that my relationship with this person changed.

We can learn and speak with humility, knowing that none of us understands everything perfectly. Only God knows the fullness of truth.

So, yeah, truth matters and sound doctrine matters. But having good doctrine does not give us a free card to treat other people like crap.

Start With the Doctrines That Help You Understand the Christian Story

Now, if you’re looking to deepen your theology, you do not need to study twenty-five doctrines all at once. Otherwise, you might end up with smoke coming out of your head.

A beginner might start with these questions:

1. Who is God?
2. Who is Jesus?
3. What does it mean to be human?
4. What is sin?
5. What did Christ accomplish?
6. What is salvation?
7. What is the Christian hope?

I used to answer each question in my own words as best as I could. Then, I’d look for relevant Bible passages and read them in context to see if I was right or completely off. I’d also check what trustworthy Christian teachers and the Church had taught about it.

Nowadays, you can also give your answer to ChatGPT and ask it to research the topic and correct you. It’s a great way to learn.

But carefully read its corrections and check the sources it provides. AI can sound extremely confident while being completely wrong. So, yeah, ChatGPT can help you study, but do not blindly believe everything it says.

Go through these questions several times. Sometimes, we need to rinse and repeat until we grasp these doctrines well.

After a while, you’ll start understanding God better, and explaining these beliefs to someone else will become much easier.

These are also the questions most new Christians want answered first.

Last Thoughts

Which Christian doctrine do you find easiest to explain? Which one still makes smoke come out of your head? And have you ever changed your mind about a doctrine after studying Scripture and Church history?

I’d really like to hear about your experience. Share your answers in the comment section below. And if something still confuses you, leave your question too. You are probably not the only one asking it.