“You are a king then!” Pilate said.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” Pilate retorted. (John 18: 37-38 – NIV)

“What is truth?” is a question that has been asked throughout history. In the contemporary world, it is more prevalent than ever before. “Is there anything such as truth at all?” is the revised question. The adage “all truth is relevant and not absolute” has been adopted.

The reality is that “experience” and “feelings” have replaced truth. The entire work of fine art, which is biblical truth in all its complexity, has been reduced to an abstract painting with wide brushstrokes that can be manipulated, interpreted, and felt.

Extensive Bible study has become, well, exhausting in a world where information is available instantly. The best people to handle doctrine and theology are academics and professors. Unfortunately, a large number of academics and professors are liberal in their views and have largely disproved what was once thought to be true in the Bible. Furthermore, in the modern world, where relationships and emotions are of the utmost importance, the truth—whatever it may be—is superfluous and unrelated to the course of daily Christian life in the twenty-first century.

Think about the previous verses. Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews, and only in John does Jesus respond, according to all four gospels. What is the “Truth” that Jesus came to earth to proclaim, then? Jesus came to proclaim the truth, which is God’s Word as it is written in the Old Testament. In the writings of the New Testament, that testimony of the Truth is later elaborated and developed.
The doctrines of God and the affirmation of the Old Testament theology are the truths that Jesus came to testify of and that He was the embodiment of. He is God’s full revelation, the Living Word. He is at the centre of all theology. Life has a reason and a purpose because of him.

After all, this is about the incalculable riches of God’s existence and glory in all of his eternal complexity and nature, so it is intellectual stuff. For the modern Christian, it is the exact opposite of “experience” and “feelings.”

Still, it is the truth that Jesus speaks about when he says, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” We are genuinely set free by the doctrines of God that we study in theology of God. These are the unalterable, absolute facts and truths that firmly establish a human connection to God, independent of ephemeral, flimsy, and irrational emotions or experiences.

What, then, does “doctrinal theology” mean in plain, intelligible terms?

A doctrine is defined as a position, a set of principles, or a branch of knowledge or belief system.

The term theology refers to “thinking about God,” which includes contemplating, studying, analysing, investigating, assembling, and comprehending God.

In a Christian context, doctrinal theology is therefore commonly understood to refer to the ideas and information that inform our conception of God. It is how we learn about Him, His character, and how I can relate to Him. It is the foundation of our relationship with Him, our rock, and our foundation. We cannot have a genuine and enduring relationship with God if we do not adhere to His doctrines and the rules that govern it. The God we believe to be real is only a creation of our imagination in the absence of the doctrines.

The Christian faith is vulnerable to deception if the Bible is not followed and the doctrines and principles of theology are not applied to guide our lives. In Matthew 24, Jesus discussed this deception in the last days. He talked about false Christs who pose as Christ and trick a lot of people.

In a similar vein, Paul states in 2 Timothy 4.3 that “the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.” Rather, they will assemble a large group of teachers around them to say what their itchy ears want to hear in order to satisfy their own desires.

These days are here and now. People want experiences to stoke their emotions, not the truth. Their goal is to feel good. Relationships on an emotional level are now crucial. They desire acceptance, like-mindedness, connection, and acceptance. Because it separates, divides, and demands necessities for survival, the truth is rejected.

There cannot be more than one truth in a rational world. You can not have different levels of truth either. It is impossible to have one truth that is more accurate than another. I can be certain that 2 + 2 will always equal 4 in a sane world. It is impossible for one fact to override another without rendering it unfactual. In the event that 2 + 2 truly equals 6, it had never truly equalled 4.

The truth and facts have vanished from the modern world. Every interpretation is predicated on emotions that support the Self as the ultimate judge of reality. As a result of deceit, the majority of the world has become delusional.

Some Christians do not consider Jesus to be the Christ. Why in the world do they still call themselves Christians? It is as ridiculous as someone calling themselves a mathematician while holding the belief that 2 + 2 = 6. If you do not believe in the Bible, how can you call yourself a Bible believer? If the Word of Truth is not properly divided, how can you understand what the Bible says?

The root of all false teaching is a misinterpretation of the Bible. By assuming meaning based on preference and partiality, we misinterpret. Other texts that contradict our deduced meaning are disregarded. Rather, we should take the meaning that scripture suggests and put it in the context of other scriptures to fully comprehend what it means. The debate over whether baptism is a baby’s right of passage into Christendom or complete immersion by a willing individual who has made their own decision is a good example. I could name a long list.

The good habit of studying the Bible has become obsolete. We read to feel good about ourselves. We avoid reading about the Righteous God of Judgement, but we enjoy reading about the loving Father. We adore the mild and gentle Jesus, but not the Jesus who took the whip. We love the bread and make him king of our lives, just like the 5,000 who were fed, but when He says the difficult things the following day, we flee in large numbers.

Convenience, consumerism, cancel culture, corporatism, and casual, emotionally charged relationships are the hallmarks of the modern age. Many Christians and churches have fallen victim to the traps of the modern era. Generally speaking, Christianity has evolved into a multifaceted product that is offered to unsuspecting consumers in order to fill chairs and baskets. To accommodate your every need, it is available in a variety of blends and flavours. Try it over there if you do not like it here!

Finding the truth is a challenging, time-consuming, heartbreaking, relationship-destroying, and complex process. It meant that Jesus would have to die on the cross. For us, it means listening to and following His teachings, taking up our cross every day, and dying to ourselves. It resembles a puzzle with countless pieces. We can only ever put together fragments of the eternal mosaic, but it is promised that we will gradually be set free and learn the truth piece by piece. As we learn to conform to the image of Christ, line by line, precept by precept, we are set free from the control of our emotions and feelings. Eventually, we will see Him as He is, and we will be like Him forever. Yes