教義很重要 Does doctrine really matter?
作者: admin 誠之翻譯
如果你膽敢在教會裡說出「教義」這個字，你立刻會引來側目。再多說一次，你就會被孤立起來。對今日許多基督徒來說，教義與教會的實際生活似乎沾不上邊。教義是給那些把他們的時間都花在他們自己象牙塔裡，不斷進行猜想的學術精英的。教義是屬乎頭腦的，但基督徒要關心的是「心」的事情。
這對有些人來說是也許出乎意料，但是聖經實在是教義的頭號粉絲。事實上，對耶穌和使徒來說，教義就是生命的全部，關係重大。要進入上帝的國，要對福音有正確的認識，要與永生上帝有一個真實的關係，都取決於一個人對一些教義的信念，包括上帝是怎樣的一位上帝，罪的可惡，基督的神性，以及十字架的本質等等。
對聖經作者來說，教義如此重要，以至於保羅告訴提摩太，「你所講的總要合乎那純正的教義（sound
doctrine）」（和合本作「純正的道理」）。而當保羅列出教會長老的資格時，有能力教導聖經的教義被列為首選：「堅守所教真實的道理，就能將純正的教訓（sound
doctrine）勸化人，又能把爭辯的人駁倒了」（多一9）。
在這一期的「我信」雜誌裡，有幾位牧師和神學家幫助我們明白對基督徒生活和對教會來說，教義有多麼重要。我們會發現教義隨時都在滲透到我們所唱的詩歌裡，我們所講的道裡，以及我們身為基督的門徒該如何彼此輔導。我們會學到，想要與上帝和其他人有正確的關係，沒有什麼比教義更重要的了。無論我們是否認識到，教義就是一種生活方式。基督徒生活完全取決於純正的教義。簡而言之，教義非常重要。
Does
doctrine really matter?
Say
the word “doctrine” in church and you will get some strange looks. Say it again
and you will find yourself sitting all alone. For many Christians today
doctrine seems miles removed from real life in the church. Doctrine is for
academics that spend their time speculating in their ivory towers. It’s the
stuff of the head, but Christians are to be concerned with matters of the
heart. Plus, shouldn’t we just stick to reading the Bible anyway?
Perhaps
this will come as a surprise to some, but the Bible is doctrine’s number one
fan. In fact, for Jesus and the apostles doctrine was everything. It really
mattered. Entering the kingdom of God, a proper understanding of the gospel,
and a real relationship with the living God all hinge upon one’s doctrinal beliefs
concerning the character of God, the heinousness of sin, the divine identity of
Christ, and the nature of the cross.
Doctrine
is so important to the biblical authors that Paul told Titus to teach only what
“accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). And when Paul spelled out the
qualifications to become an elder in the church, an ability to teach biblical
doctrine was at the top of the list. “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word
as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and
also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).
In
this issue of Credo Magazine, several pastors and theologians help us
understand just how much doctrine matters for the Christian life and for the
church. We will discover that doctrine infiltrates the songs we sing, the
sermons we preach, and the way we counsel each other as disciples of Christ. We
will learn that nothing could be more critical to a right relationship with God
and others than sound doctrine. Whether we realize it or not, doctrine is a way
of life. The Christian life depends entirely upon sound doctrine. In short,
doctrine matters.