Good or god Doctrine?

No one will deny that man's understanding is limited.  We are limited by our experience, exposure, our prejudices, and the filters of perspective.  Solomon affirms our human limitations in Ecclesiastes 3:11:  "He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."  People remain ignorant without teaching.  Because God desires that men know Him through personal experience He has given us the Bible, His Word.  Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we learn of God's impeccable character.  We marvel at His wisdom, learn we are gross sinners through His laws, and remain awed by His love and grace toward us.  Just like we can never know God's works from beginning to end (not to mention His operation for eternity!), we will at best wade in the oceans of His wisdom revealed in His Word.  His knowledge and wisdom go to a depth no man can plumb, and has love so expansive it reaches galaxies beyond our sight.

As we mature and grow in faith, a danger exists that we would grow in knowledge unchecked by humility.  The second part of 1 Corinthians 8:1 teaches us, "...Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."   As people we struggle to keep everything in balance.  Think about in terms of eating and exercise; we likely eat too much and exercise too little.  The same can be true about our study of biblical doctrine.  It is possible we have a personal affinity for certain scriptural teachings.  Understanding doctrine is not the end:  doctrine exists that we might know God and experience Him in a personal, continual relationship.  Because none of our understanding is complete, there is a distinct danger that we would unconsciously confine God within our knowledge of a doctrine.  By doing so we limit our faith and no longer allow God to be God.

How terrible it would be if God was confined by our own ideas of Him!  Lately I have been studying promises and examples of divine healing in the Bible.  I have learned much concerning God's operation to heal men in body and soul, but I freely admit I do not know all.  God did not develop the doctrine of healing and is then forced to abide by His own rules.  On the contrary:  the revelation of divine healing through God's Word proves to us the character and will of God to heal.  But God can still do whatever He wants whenever He wants.  I either can make a god of my limited doctrine that God must bow to, or I allow God to be God.  Romans 9:20-21 exhorts, "But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" ²¹ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?"  Instead of taking God at His Word, we can allow a single apparent exception from our experience to derail the whole of God's promises and His clearly declared will.  What we classify as exceptions according to our limited view God consecrates otherwise.

May we never make a god out of our limited understanding to which the Almighty must yield!  When we run into difficulties, let us retreat back to the truth which God has clearly revealed.  Good doctrine always is a reflection of truth, not boundaries we set to which God must conform.  Thank God nothing He does is arbitrary, but according to His good purposes!