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What Is Christianity?
Is it a list of doctrines to believe in, or a relationship with a living Saviour?
by David A. DePra
 
     The apostolic age, as it is called, began to come to a close
about 70 A.D., when Jerusalem was destroyed. It is probably
correct to say that it was totally gone by 100 A.D., or after the
death of the apostle John. With the original apostles all dead, and
the church generally scattered and persecuted, how could "the
faith once delivered to the saints" possibly be preserved? Would
not the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles eventually
become lost, watered down, or perhaps misrepresented all
together?
     By the second to fourth centuries, many of these fears were
indeed realized. Christianity was under attack. This attack was
not, however, from a worldly government. It came from another
familiar source: The religious community. Christianity was being
bombared by heresy. Heresy had always been around. It was
the reason Paul wrote many of his epistles. But now it seemed to
be more formalized and organized. It was a real threat to the faith
of God's people.
     When we think of heresy, we usually think of something bad.
And make no question, heresy, by itself, is bad. It is a lie about
God. Pure and simple. But have you ever seen the good use
God has for this bad heresy? The good use? Yes. Paul
speaks of it in his first letter to the Corinthians. He said, "For there
must be heresies among you, that those who are genuine may
be proved among you." (I Cor. 11:9) The lesson here is clear:
Heresy is never God's will. But He does allow it to come upon us.
He says there MUST be heresies among us. Why? Because
by facing heresy, we are motivated to seek the Truth. Often, it is
only by facing the attacks of error that I will ever seek out Truth on
the various matters of my Christian walk.
     The church was faced with much heresy in it's infancy. This
made it necessary for God's people to find the answers. Thus, we
have the great councils of the early church, and the formulation of
the doctrinal statements and creeds which have been handed
down to us today. And all because of heresy. Unless God had let
it come, the questions may not have been faced. The answers
may have never been formalized into concrete teaching.
     This happens on a personal level with each Christian, as well
as on a corporate level in the Body of Christ. When an individual
never faces tough questions; never has to seek out the Truth;
never has a need to overcome the attacks of error, he can remain
passive and undecisive. But if God allows him to enter a trial of
faith; one which demands that He seek out a greater knowledge of
God -- then the promise is there for us that God will reveal that Truth
to us. That is a wonderful thing. And all because God allowed the
heresy to come.
     God is a mightly redemptive God! He takes even the errors and
sins of man and turns them into a tool which He can use to work in
us a greater freedom.
     This was why God allowed heresy to attack the early church.
He knew it would motivate them to clearly state what they believed.
He knew it would result in the formulation of church doctrine.
Doctrine is the "on-paper" statement of what we believe about
God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. By doctrine we state our belief of
God's purposes and His plan. It is important that each Christian be
able to clearly state what he or she believes from the Word of
God. Doctrine is a good tool for doing that.
     Once we understand that doctrine is important, however, we
need to also understand it's proper place. If we go back to the
early church, for example, we find this fact about the relationship
of doctrine to early believers: Christianity did NOT emerge from
doctrine. Indeed, doctrine emerged from Christianity.
     Get that. It's vital to grasp it. Christianity did not start out as a
list of doctrines to believe in. Jesus did not hand the apostles
a piece of paper and say, "Here is a list of true things to believe
about Me." No. The faith of the apostles rested in a Person,
Jesus Christ. The doctrine which was later formalized, was
simply a matter of taking a living faith in a living Saviour, and
putting it down on paper in a formal way.
     Many Christians today have made the mistake of putting their
faith in a list of beliefs about Jesus, instead of in Jesus Himself.
They have exalted teachings -- yes, true teachings -- ABOUT
Jesus, to the place where Jesus Himself should occupy. Thus,
we have many of God's people who know much about the Bible,
and much about Christian doctrine, but have somehow never
been personally set free by the Truth which they are able to
so easily quote.
     One cultish group made this mistake. They always called
their list of doctrines "The Truth." If you believed the doctrines,
then you were "in the Truth." If you doubted, you were "out of the
Truth." They were blinded to the words of Jesus: "I AM the
Truth." They had much doctrine, but no personal relationship.
     Christianity is NOT doctrine. It is a relationship. It is reality.
The doctrine is merely the expression, or product of that. This
does not minimize the importance of doctrine, or sound Biblical
teaching. Not at all. Indeed, doctrine should enhance and point
us towards the reality in Christ. But we must never make the
mistake of thinking that believing all the right doctrines is equal
to faith in Jesus Christ Himself.
     So what should we do about the true doctrines of Christianity?
We should stand by them to the death. We should share them,
preach them, and teach them. We should be able to prove them
from God's Word. But above all else, we should allow them to
point us to the reality of which they speak: The Son of God.
Without that, our doctrine is merely a hollow shell.
     Jesus said, "You search the scriptures thinking you will find
in them the secret of eternal life. But you will not come to Me."
An amazing statement. Afterall, the scriptures DO reveal how
we might receive eternal life. Yet unless you do what those same
scriptures tell us, place our personal faith in the living Christ, we
will not get far. The letter killeth, but the Spirit gives life.
     This is a wonderful Truth, because it means that you don't
have to have a PhD in theology to place your faith in Christ. You
don't have to memorize every doctrine of the Bible before you
can be saved. It means you can come to God as a little child
and know that He will accept you in His Son, as you are, right
where you are. And then He'll change you by His grace.

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