274
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
May 1924
Tke Necessity of Dogma Address by Dr. Frederic W. Farr, Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Los Angeles, at the regular monthly meeting of the Southern California Premillennial Association. The symposium entitled “ The Essential Creed of a Christian” in this issue shonld be read in this connection. “ Speak thou the things that become sound doctrine.” Titus 2 il.
or inferences from the words of Scripture and they are not infallible. Such a statement is rather a testimony and a confession of faith. We ought to believe far more than our fathers believed because we have more light than they. Faith is more con cerned with an unexplained remainder than with an irre ducible minimum. Our modification of the dogmas of our fathers is not subtraction but addition. We do not discover error in them but richer and more precious truth. Clear thinking must express itself in dogma. The faith that has confused and halting utterance is nebulous and fruitless. Truth must, be apprehended, experienced and formulated. Its formulation will conduce to clearer apprehension and deeper experience. The cry that is often raised “ Away with dogma” and “ Back to Jesus,” is "misleading and de- The Apostles Preached Dogma ceptive. If we go back to the beginning of Christianity and examine the preaching of the Apostles we shall find that it consisted wholly of dogma. On the day of Pentecost Peter proclaimed the death and resurrection of Christ and im pending retribution. Paul began his ministry by confound ing the Jews in dogmatic discussion. He kept it up for twenty-five years and with our last view of him in Rome he is doing the same thing. One cannot preach the Gospel without preaching dogma because every phase and feature of the Gospel has been for mulated into doctrine. The earliest extant symbol of the Christian faith is found in 1 Tim. 3:16, “Without contro versy great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” It has been well said that Christian morality is a fruit that grows only on the tree of Christian doctrine. It is im possible to cherish an opinion in the mind without having its influence upon the life. “ Miscreant” comes from “ mis- credo.” Error in the creed produces incalculable harm in the life. Thought precedes action and rules the world. A man’s life is made or marred by his creed. No man can be better than his creed. The Spanish Inquisition was the logical product of the creed of the inquisitors. The “ sound doctrine” of Titus 2:1 is literally “ healthful teaching.” Healthful teaching will produce healthful liv ing. Sickly teaching will bear fruit in sickly living. In writing to Timothy, Paul predicts a time coming “ when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Indications are not lacking that we have fallen upon these evil days. The shadow of apostasy is creeping over the land in an eclipse of truth. God told Isaiah what he would have to meet. “ This is a rebellious people, lying children, that will not hear the law of the Lord. Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.” (Isa. 30:9-10). God told Jeremiah that “ a wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely
HARACTER, creed and conduct are closely related and interdependent. Character is what a man is, creed what he believes, conduct what he does. Creed is usually the outcome of character. Bad ness or goodness is the make-weight of intellectual opinion. The magnetic needle is disturbed by the iron in the vessel beneath it. Doctrinal preaching is sometimes disparaged. Ethical preaching is preferred. Doctrine is simply teaching and people are always suffering and perishing for lack of knowledge. Ethics is simply the logical result in conduct of believing certain doctrines. The relation between creed and conduct is that of cause and effect. Some suppose that if a man holds to certain doctrines he will surely be saved no matter what kind of a life he lives. Others maintain that if a man’s conduct con forms to certain standards, he cannot be lost, no matter what he believes or disbelieves. Both of these views are false in fact and mischievous in tendency. It makes a great deal of difference what a man believes and what kind of a life he lives. He is bound to believe the truth and to live in accordance with it. In the early church doctrine was made the test of fellow ship. “ Whosoever progresseth (margin) and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you and bring not this doc trine, receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed. For he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (2 John 9-11). Doctrine, however, is a means to an end, not an end in itself. That end is holy living. The Scriptural method is to have pure doctrine first and then a life in full accord therewith as becometh godliness. Dogma or Life? The question is often raised whether Christianity is dogma or life. It may be answered by saying that it is both. The etymological meaning of dogma is that which seems to me to be true, my own personal way of thinking. Many have opinions about everything. Few have convic tions about anything. One who has lived a reasonable length of time in this world whose opinions haye not ripened into convictions concerning the great questions that agitate the minds of men, has not used his brains to advantage. Every thought ful man, however, appreciates the fact that with the lapse of time, the increase of light and the acquisition of knowl edge, his views may change. On this account a creed should not be hermetically sealed at both ends. It should at least be kept open at one end for the reception of any new light that may break out of the inspired Word. In theological usage the word “ dogma” is not applied to personal and private convictions. It is a doctrine set forth by some person or persons claiming authority. The Roman church publishes certain dogmas which must be accepted by all the faithful as authoritative and final. Among Protest ants a dogma is a statement of doctrine found in the creeds of the churches. These statements are interpretations of
A Crisis and a Challenge (Page 310) Have you responded?
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker