Basic Bible Doctrine - A Grace Baptist Church

Basic Bible Doctrine

Don Fortner

? Don Fortner 2007. All rights reserved. My desire is not to restrict, but to further the use of the materials in this book. Any part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, with prior permission.

Don Fortner 2734 Old Stanford Road

Danville, KY 40422

Basic Bible Doctrine

Don Fortner

Foreword

We are living in a day when many truths are preached, but little Truth is preached. The woman, who was possessed with a spirit of divination in Acts 16:16-17, serves as an illustration of this. When she said, "These be the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation," she spoke truths. They were the servants of the most high God who did show the way of salvation. There is no error in that statement. But she never spoke the Truth! There is an infinite difference between speaking truths and the Truth!

Basic Bible Doctrine stays true to its title. The Bible has only one doctrine - The doctrine of Christ. The doctrine of Christ consists of many doctrines, which stand together as the doctrine of Christ. All of these doctrines are essential, and if any of these doctrines are omitted, distorted, or separated, it is no longer the doctrine of Christ. Break one link in the chain, and the whole chain is broken. In this book Pastor Fortner clearly presents the doctrine of Christ as a unified whole, in a warm and readable style. In these pages, I was both instructed and encouraged by seeing the completeness of the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. What Pastor Fortner says regarding the redemptive work of Christ and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit is particularly needed in our day. I believe those who read these pages will profit greatly. If God is pleased to bless it, we will not merely learn truths, but the Truth!

Pastor Todd Nibert Todds Road Grace Church Lexington, Kentucky (USA)

2

2

Basic Bible Doctrine

Don Fortner

Chapter 1

Why Study Doctrine

"If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Psalms 11:3

Why should we study doctrine?

People often object to any talk about doctrine and the study of doctrine, because they wrongly imagine that it is an unnecessary cause of strife and division. The fact is, we cannot have any unity at all if we do not have doctrinal unity. Doctrine is not everything in Christianity; but nothing is more important than doctrine. Gospel doctrine is the foundation of all true faith, the basis of all real comfort, and the inspiration for all worship, obedience, and devotion.

I often hear people say, "Let's not discuss doctrine. Let's just get on with evangelism." "Let's not talk about doctrine. Let's just worship the Lord." "Don't preach doctrine. Just preach Christ." That makes about as much sense as a basketball coach saying to his team, "Boys, don't worry about the baskets, or the ball, or those lines out there on the court. Let's just play basketball." You cannot have basketball without the baskets, the ball, and the lines; and you cannot have evangelism, worship, and Christianity without doctrine.

The study of doctrine is important, because it is foundational. In Psalm 11:3, David asked, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Obviously, we recognize that "the foundation of God standeth sure" (2 Tim. 2:19). Yet, we also know that in this dark, apostate age in which wicked religious men and women walk in darkness, without knowledge and without understanding, "all the foundations of the earth are out of course" (Ps. 82:5). The religion of the world constantly attacks, assaults, and seeks to destroy the foundation of doctrinal truth. When men seek to destroy the very

3

3

Basic Bible Doctrine

Don Fortner

foundations of our faith, what can the righteous do? Here are three things we can and must do...

We must recognize and assert the importance of doctrine in the Word of God. "Doctrine" is not a dirty word. When we talk about the doctrine of the Bible, we are simply talking about the "teaching" of the Bible. To say, "Doctrine is insignificant," is to say that the teachings of the Bible are insignificant. Doctrine is not insignificant. It is vital.

Gospel doctrine is absolutely necessary to saving faith. Faith in Christ is not a leap in the dark. It is walking in the light. That person who is not taught the doctrine of Christ or believes that which is contrary to the doctrine of Christ does not know Christ. This is not a matter of speculation, but of revelation (Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 John 1:9).

Sound doctrine is necessary for godly behavior, too. I do not doubt that people may live in an outwardly moral, religious manner without doctrine; but you cannot live for Christ, to the glory of Christ, and after the example of Christ, without the doctrine of Christ. Paul tells us that the doctrine of Christ is that doctrine which is according to godliness (1 Tim. 6:3).

Our comfort as believers living in this world of woe greatly depends upon our grasp of the doctrine of Holy Scripture (Rom. 15:4). Were it not for the teachings of Scripture regarding God's sovereignty and grace in predestination and providence, Christ's substitutionary atonement, and the Spirit's efficacious grace, where would we find the strength and comfort we need to face and deal with life in this world?

We must recognize the importance of doctrine; and when men would destroy the foundations upon which our souls are built, we must cling to the Word of God.

4

4

Basic Bible Doctrine

Don Fortner

In this world of chaos, the one thing that stands unchanged, unchanging, and unchangeable is the Word of God. Here is a foundation that cannot be destroyed. "The foundation of God standeth sure" (Ps. 119:89; Isa. 40:8). Our house of faith is built not upon the shifting sand of human philosophy, but upon the solid rock of God's own Word.

When the foundations are being assaulted from every quarter, we must earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3-4).

If, in these dark days, we would contend for the integrity of the Scriptures and the faith of the saints, we must prayerfully study and seek, by the grace of God, to comprehend the teaching (the doctrine) of the Word of God.

The study of doctrine is important, because it is foundational and because the doctrine we are studying is of God. The doctrines we believe, those doctrines taught in Holy Scripture and believed by all true Christians, are not of men, but of God. These are not mere denominational dogmas, church confessions, doctrinal debates, and theological theses, but the teachings of God himself. Those things which are vital to our souls, vital to the knowledge of God, and vital to salvation are things which could not be known except by divine revelation (1 Pet. 1:21)

They can be understood only by divine illumination (1 Cor. 2:1314). Both the man who attempts to teach and those who seek to learn the doctrine of Holy Scripture are totally dependent upon the grace, wisdom, and power of God the Holy Spirit. If he is our Teacher, we shall be taught well; for we are taught of God.

What is the source of true doctrine?

To those who read these pages that question may, at first, appear to be redundant, perhaps even silly; but it is not. The fact is, in the

5

5

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download