Distorted Doctrine Destroys Lives - by John Piper

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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We have commented on Dr. Piper's teachings several times on our blog. We haven't been impressed, unfortunately.

Today Dr. Piper provides us with a moving target. He uses the terms doctrine, theology, beliefs, reality, truth, and knowledge of God as if they were synonymous. This makes it difficult to ascertain his point, and in fact he never really tells us what the title promises. Certainly a poor or mistaken belief about God is a bad thing, but we want to know how distorted doctrine destroys lives.

If we were to speculate we would discern that Dr. Piper intends to tell us that having the right set of doctrines is more important than anything else. In fact, he implies that one cannot love God without complete doctrinal purity.

Therefore, it seems the intellectual process is the only avenue by which one can come to God. This might make the reader wonder, what about the intellectually disabled, those with Down's Syndrome, autism, or other afflictions that impair cognitive function? Are these people unable to love God? What about those folks who aren't intellectually based in their cognitive make-up? We all know people who are more "feelers" than thinkers.

It seems narrow to suggest that one cannot know, love, or please God without the proper intellectual framework.

Happily, he does quote several Scriptures. This is somewhat a departure from his usual practice. 

Audio Transcript

(...)

What do we lose if our doctrine is distorted? Is it harmless? Is there any real danger to be feared? It’s the question from a listener named Regina. “Pastor John, hello. What is the real danger of having the wrong theology? Does misunderstanding God’s character or his word lead to spiritual damage, or is it just a matter of differing interpretations? Many people believe that as long as someone sincerely loves God, doctrinal errors aren’t a big deal. But others warn that false beliefs can lead to serious consequences in our faith, our worship, and even our daily lives. How should we think about this? What’s at stake when our theology is off? Is there really harm that will come of it?”

Defining Doctrine

The key sentence that needs clarification is this: “Many people believe that as long as someone sincerely loves God, doctrinal errors aren’t a big deal.” The clarification that this needs is this: Which God are you loving — Buddhist god, Hindu god, Muslim god, Christian God? In other words, in order for “love of God” to have any meaning at all, you need to know something about God. Which God are you loving? Is he worthy of love? Does he have enough factors, attributes, things about him, that make him worthy of love? Are you loving an unworthy God? What God are you loving? “He’s like this” or “He’s like that”; “He’s not like this” or “He’s not like that.” (Dr. Piper runs with a premise he infers, that the questioner was asking about an unspecified god. But was she? It seems to us she was asking about a Christian who loves God but has "doctrinal errors." 

Why would Dr. Piper respond in this way? Because it ties in with his premise.)

It would be fair to say, wouldn’t it, that this knowledge of God that we need in order to love God is doctrine. (Dr. Piper's premise is two part: Knowledge of God is doctrine, and we can only love God if we know doctrine.)

Doctrine is just things we know about God and his ways from the Bible. (This is false. Doctrine is 

1. noun a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school...

Doctrine is a specific collection of beliefs rigorously obtained and codified as official. Doctrine is not "just things we know.")

It’s simple. Everybody’s got doctrine, either good or bad, (Everyone has beliefs, but it isn't necessarily true that those beliefs rise to the level of doctrine.)

and we can’t live without it. (Why?)

Would it be fair to say that to make an error in the knowledge of God might mean you’re loving something other than God? (No, it would not be fair to say this, because everyone has errors in their knowledge of God, even if slight.)

So, the straightforward initial answer to the question is that the real danger of wrong theology, (Theology is a related concept, but it is not the same as doctrine. Theology is the rational and systematic study of religion. So theology is the formal study of God, the result of which is knowledge about God, which then gets codified into doctrine.)

mistaken doctrine, is that it prevents or limits genuine love to God. (Why?)

You can’t love God if you don’t know God, (Why?)

and that knowledge is called doctrine. It’s either right (and it’s the true God) or wrong (and it’s the wrong god). Doctrine is simply the knowledge of God and his ways.

Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God . . . with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Why did he say that? That means, at least, that you should use your mind to gather the kindling of true knowledge of God (doctrine) (New term, "true knowledge," which Dr. Piper equates with doctrine. 

More to the point, Dr. Piper claims without evidence that loving God with our mind means accumulating knowledge about Him.) 

and throw it onto the flame of love in the furnace of your heart. That’s what the mind is for: gathering the kindling of truth and doctrine, and throwing it onto the flame of love in the furnace of your heart. (Dr. Piper waxes poetic. The upshot of this is that our love for God is enhanced by knowing Him, which is certainly true, but this is different than what he has been telling us up to the point. He has been asserting that it is impossible to love God at all without doctrine.)

If God says to you, “Why do you love me?” and you answer, “I don’t have any knowledge of you — I don’t know who you are or what you’re like, but I love you anyway,” (There is no one who possesses zero knowledge of God.)

God will not be honored by that. (How does Dr. Piper know this?)

You can’t honor a god by saying, “I love you” for no reason. (How does Dr. Piper know this?)

That you doesn’t even have content. It won’t have any meaning. You can’t glorify God by your love for him if your love for him is not based on any truth about him, (How does Dr. Piper know this?)

which is what we mean by doctrine. 

Biblical Reasons for Doctrine

So, that’s the basic answer. Now, let’s put some Bible under it, because that’s what really matters. (Yes, indeed. Where does Scripture tell us these things?)

Does God himself, in his word, in the Bible, teach or show us that doctrine, knowledge of God and his reality, (These are not synonymous.)

is precious and worthy of our life’s pursuit? Does the Bible teach us that making mistakes in doctrine is destructive to our love for God and our soul? And the answer to both of those questions is yes.

Here are three ways that the Bible shows us the importance of doctrine — that is, the importance of true knowledge of God and his ways.

1. Doctrine matures us.

First, the Bible urges us to grow in our knowledge of God. In Ephesians 4:13–14, Paul argues that the church should pursue “the knowledge of the Son of God . . . so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Well, actually, Paul was writing to tell us that God gave the Church certain people, and their job is to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up... [vs. 12] 

Dr. Piper ever-so-slightly twists a Bible verse.)

So, he’s saying, “Grow up! Grow up into doctrinal maturity so that you’re not victims of human doctrine and deceit.”

Here’s what people need to think seriously about: Life is not doctrine-less. We are always believing somebody’s view of reality. (He equates belief with doctrine with reality.)

It’s not like there’s anything neutral. Let’s be God’s people and listen to God’s word and believe his doctrine. That’s the point of Ephesians 4:13–14.

Peter said in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord . . . Jesus Christ.” (Knowledge is "gnósis," simply, knowledge.)

In Colossians 1:10, connecting right living and the growth of the knowledge of God, Paul said, “Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (A related word, "epignósis," true knowledge.)

It matters — it matters for life, it matters for love — that we increase in the knowledge of God and not be children anymore. (Quite true.)

2. Doctrine protects us.

The second way the Bible shows us the importance of doctrine is by teaching us the destructive effects of making doctrinal error. Paul warns the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 that they need the whole counsel of God, not just fragments of it. And one reason is that wolves will come in and twist true doctrine and drag away Christians to ruin.

Here’s what he says: “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. . . . I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things” — in other words, distorting true doctrine — “to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:27, 29–30). And Peter says in 2 Peter 3:16 that “ignorant and unstable” people will twist Paul’s teaching “to their own destruction.” That’s the issue. That’s the danger.

What’s the danger of bad doctrine? Answer: destruction. It destroys people.

3. Doctrine profits us.

The third way that the Bible shows us the importance of doctrine is that it exists. The Bible exists. It’s a book. Why did God give us such a big book, a profound book? What, to ignore it? He gave it to us so that we read it and think about it and live by it. In 2 Timothy 2:7, Paul says, “Think over what I say” — think over what I say, my inspired words; think over my inspired words — “for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” He says in the next chapter, “All of it, all Scripture, is inspired and profitable. It’s profitable, especially for how to live and do good deeds and glorify God and love people” (see 2 Timothy 3:16–17).

And add to that — the sheer existence of the Bible — the fact that the Bible tells us that God has provided elders in all the churches who “must be . . . able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2). If the church needs good teachers (which it does, the Bible says), it’s because there’s good doctrine that needs teaching, explaining, so we can grow by it and live by it.

Hope Through Doctrine

And I would close by simply pointing to my fifty years of watching true doctrine make massive differences in people’s lives for their good. For example, to have a right understanding of God, a right doctrine of God, in the midst of suffering and tragedy is the difference between suicide and staying sane. It is. People have told me this.

Knowing that there’s a holiness of life without which we won’t see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14) could be crushing and overwhelming, unless one has a right doctrine of how to pursue holiness. The whole issue of sanctification and getting it right, or right knowledge of how you got saved — whether you yourself were the decisive cause or whether God was — that will make a huge difference in your assurance and whether you love God and give proper thanks to him.

Oh, there are many reasons why wrong theology is tragic and destructive, and many reasons why good theology is life-giving and full of hope. So, I encourage everyone: Grow in the grace and the knowledge of God like the Bible says we should.