Why does doctrine matter so much in the Christian life?
Doctrine matters because it is the teaching that sets a believer’s feet in concrete. Without doctrine, a person has nothing; experience alone cannot provide that stability. Scripture shows Paul defending doctrine against false teaching and legalism, which has plagued Christianity through the centuries and remains relevant today.
Les explains that in Galatians Paul is not so much defending his person as he is defending his doctrine. Doctrine is not a word to use loosely, yet in our day it has largely gone by the boards. Les teaches that if you do not have doctrine, you have nothing. While experience is all well and good, experience does not set your feet in concrete; it takes doctrine, the primary word being teaching. Paul was refuting false doctrine and false teaching that had crept into the Galatian churches and every church he founded. This problem was not unique to Paul’s day; it has plagued Christianity through the centuries and is just as apropos today, because we are still constantly fighting the false teaching of legalism. Legalism is not merely temple worship and Judaism; it comes in all kinds of shapes and forms, and it is always subtle.