Orthodox

Orthodoxy

Basic Christian Doctrines 3

1. Orthodoxy is Right Doctrine.

The word "orthodoxy" comes from two Greek words meaning "right doctrine." It is not used in the NT, but the idea is the same as "sound doctrine" in I Tim. 1:10 2 Tim. 4:3, Tit. 1:9, 2:1. We use it in English to refer to the right mainstream as opposed to the unusual fringe (such as orthodox medicine vs. alternative medicine). The Greek Orthodox Church once held to Biblical orthodoxy, but no more. The test of Christian orthodoxy is not antiquity, but Scripture. That doctrine alone is orthodox which is Biblical. In turn, orthodoxy must produce "orthopraxis", or right practice.

2. Some Truths are Essential and Foundational to All Others.

All Bible truths are true, but some are "of first importance" (I Cor.15: 3-4). Heb. 6:1 calls them "the elementary teachings about Christ". They are the basics, the ABC doctrines. In theology we call this "dogma". Dogmatic theology is concerned with the essential truths of Christianity. Dogmatic doesn't mean stubborn or obscurantist; it means firm commitment to truth. Christian dogma is not defined by a church (as Romanism claims for itself), but by the Bible alone. One must believe these essential truths to be a real Christian. It is impossible for someone who rejects, substitutes or adds to these essential truths to be a true Christian. These are "sine qua non", or "that without which" Christianity is not Christianity. It is dangerously wrong to say, "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere."

3. The Gospel is the Main Message of the Bible.

Among the essential doctrines is the Gospel. EUANGELLION means "good news" or "good message". It is a divine record of facts to be believed, not a command (that is Law). Specifically, I Cor. 15:3-4 sums up the Gospel as the truth about the person and work of Christ - the God-Man who died for our sins and rose again. There is only one true Gospel, but many false Gospels (Gal. 1:8-9). The OT preached the same Gospel in advance by prophecy (Gal. 3:8, Luke 24:25-26, 46-47). The true Gospel calls for only one response for salvation: faith and repentance (Mark 1:15, Acts 20:21). To add good works or baptism to this is to preach a false Gospel. To preach the Gospel is simply to present the basic truths about Jesus Christ.

4. Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism are Two Kinds of Orthodoxy.

Evangelicalism accepts the truth of the evangel (Gospel). But it does not always defend it strongly. A weak form is known as "Neo-Evangelicalism". It emphasizes peace and unity over truth. Fundamentalism is the term given to militant Evangelicalism. This is that kind of orthodoxy which fights to defend the essentials by exposing false kinds of Christianity. A key verse is Psa. ll:3, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" We need to believe and defend the fundamentals of the faith.

5. Orthodoxy is Also Called The Faith.

Another term for this basic content of Bible Christianity is "The Faith" (I Tim. 1:19, 3:13, 4:1, 5:8, 6:10, 21, etc). It refers to those basic doctrines which are to be believed. Saving faith has a content, known as The Faith. Jude 3 calls upon us not only to believe it but to earnestly defend it. "The Analogy of Faith" (cf. Rom.12:6) means that we study the Bible with reference to this basic message. Any interpretation that contradicts the basic Gospel is automatically a wrong interpretation. We need to see the harmony of the entire Bible's message, structured around this basic theme of orthodoxy, the Gospel, The Faith.

6. Heresy is False Doctrine.

Orthodoxy is true doctrine. Heterodoxy is false doctrine. The technical word here is heresy, meaning one's own views that divide from others. In practice, it produces wrong schisms. In general, all error is wrong and heretical. But in a more precise sense, heresy means the rejection of a fundamental truth. One can still be saved if he is in error on a secondary truth but still believes the essential truths. But rejection of any or all of the basics is heresy and theological poison. Scripture repeatedly warns against promoters of heresy as false prophets (Matt. 7:15), false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1) and false brethren (2 Cor. 11:26). God pronounces a curse on those who preach a false Gospel (Gal. 1:8-9). Heresy is no small thing. It attacks the very essentials of the faith. Those who believe heresy, do not believe in the fundamentals, and are not true Christians. It primarily refers to pseudo-Christianity, not non-Christianity.

7. Apostasy Occurs When a Person No Longer Professes Orthodoxy.

This is not the same as backsliding. True Christians backslide; but they do not lose their salvation. Apostasy occurs when someone who once professed the truth of the Faith now rejects it. This is what Heb. 6 is discussing. Judas is a good example. Apostasy is spiritual and theological treason. There are degrees of apostasy. One may reject only one essential doctrine but still profess the others, such as when someone goes from Evangelicalism to Roman Catholicism or Mormonism or other brands of pseudo-Christianity. Full-blown apostasy is when someone who once professed all the basic truths now rejects all of them, such as when one becomes an atheist. 2 Thess. 2:3 and I Tim. 4:1 predicted that there would be a great apostasy one day.

8. A Creed is a Short Summary of What You Believe.

After the time of the NT, early believers were challenged by the Romans and other pagans, "What do you believe?" The Christians replied by producing short summaries of the Faith. The word "creed" comes from the Latin word "credo", which means "I believe". A creed, then, is a short summary of the Faith, or orthodox fundamentals. Some passages in the NT hint at the idea (I Tim. 3:16). The earliest post-Biblical creed is known as the Apostles' Creed (2nd century), but was not composed by any of the Apostles. It meant that it was a summary of the Gospel preached by the Apostles. The Nicene Creed (early 4th century) amplified it a bit in order to emphasize the deity of Christ. The Apostles Creed is popular with Protestants, the Nicene with Catholics. A third and longer early creed is the Athanasian Creed, based on the teachings of Athanasius in the 4th century. It mainly deals with the Trinity. A Christian ought to be able to summarize his own creed.

9. A Confession of Faith is a Longer Summary of Christian Doctrine.

Later, Christians expanded their brief summaries to include other doctrines. Some concentrate on specific truths which were debated at that time. Some are more theological, others more practical or ecclesiastical. If a creed is concerned with the primary doctrines of the Faith, a confession of faith expands it to include the secondary and other doctrines. Most churches have a confession of faith. The best and most well known ones are the Westminster Confession of Faith, the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, the Belgic Confession, and the 39 Articles. Many contain Scripture proofs.

10. A Catechism is a Confession of Faith in Question-and-Answer Form.

Catechisms were written mainly to instruct children and new converts. They are very useful for memorizing. The best ones are the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Heidelberg Catechism, Keach's Catechism (the Baptist version of the Westminster Shorter Catechism), and others. Creeds, confessions and catechisms are useful tools to study the Faith. But they must be tested by the Bible, for Scripture alone gives us true orthodoxy.