What Does God Consider to be Doctrine? (Part 1)

In America today, doctrine has become unknown to most citizens, even among those who regularly attend church and/or call themselves Christians.  For instance, in a recent survey done by Lifeway Research (see link below), the following statistics were unveiled:

1. 67% of Americans believe in a Heaven, but 45% of these believers say there is more than one way to get into Heaven, including 55% of Protestants (considered as all non-Catholic Christians in the survey) who said that there are MANY ways into Heaven.

2. 61% of Americans said there was a Hell, with the largest percentage (86%) being in the black Christian community.  But less than 18% said so called little sins condemn a person to Hell with 67% saying humankind is "basically good."

3. 71% of those surveyed said they had a part in their salvation by good works, while 64% said man starts the process of salvation not God.

4. 71% said there is a Trinity, but 59% of these said that the Holy Spirit was not a person but instead was just "a force" of God.

5. 48% said the Bible was the Word of God, with 41% of these saying its completely accurate, while 41% of Americans in general (saved and unsaved) saying the Bible is simply a helpful book and cannot be taken literally.

How can Christians work together in unity (Ephesians 4:3, 13) with this great division over doctrine?  Clearly, they can't!  How can these diverse beliefs all be true?  They obviously are not!

But what is doctrine if so many interpret these foundational truths in so many different ways?

To know God's truth about doctrine we must see what Jesus taught about doctrine and in progression what the early churches accepted as "doctrine."

This study continues in the next post.

(Surrey results can be found at - http://www.lifewayresearch.com/2014/10/28/americans-believe-in-heaven-hell-and-a-little-bit-of-heresy/)