The Journey to Accepting Difficult Doctrines Is Painful (and Rewarding)

Arduous-to-Perceive Doctrines

Once we take into consideration troublesome doctrines, we will take into consideration them in no less than a few completely different classes. One class could be these doctrines which might be significantly laborious to know. The good theologian Francis Turretin stated that the 2 most troublesome doctrines had been the doctrine of the Trinity—the three individuals, one essence—and the doctrine of the hypostatic union, that’s the two natures in a single particular person within the Lord Jesus Christ.

These are usually not irrational, however they’re suprarational. They’re past our full comprehension, and so we’re greedy at classes and language and making an attempt to safeguard what we don’t imply and what we do imply. Any guardian who’s tried to elucidate this to a toddler, or a Sunday faculty instructor who’s had a seven-year-old ask, “Is there one God or three gods?” “Effectively, there’s one God, however three individuals.” “What does that imply?”—that’s laborious to elucidate. In order that’s one class.

Arduous-to-Settle for Doctrines

Then there’s one other class which can be laborious to know, however much more so, it’s laborious to simply accept. It’s troublesome on an existential degree. I consider a few basic examples. One could be the doctrine that’s typically referred to as restricted atonement or explicit redemption.

At first, it doesn’t sound like superb information to consider that God despatched Christ and his intention in sending Christ was to not die for everybody. His demise was adequate for all, but it surely was environment friendly just for the elect. However the excellent news in that’s that his demise was a selected sacrifice. See, everybody limits the atonement both within the intentionality of it or within the nature of it. And so we wish to say with Scripture that the character of the atonement shouldn’t be restricted. It achieved every little thing that God meant to perform in it. There was nothing missing. It didn’t simply make us savable; it made us saved. That’s laborious on a visceral degree.

After which the opposite one which most individuals will consider is the doctrine of election after which the corresponding doctrine of reprobation. If you happen to return additional and additional and ask the Why? query, the last word reply why some are saved and a few are usually not is owing to the great pleasure of God. And that’s laborious. That’s clearly taught in Romans 9, most famously, and in quite a lot of different locations, but it surely’s a troublesome doctrine to simply accept. However it’s actually vital. And it’s an excellent instance of why theology is vital. As a result of if we simply avoid a tough doctrine like predestination, we gained’t be giving God that chance to reshape our hearts.

One of many causes that doctrine is in Scripture is to reshape us from an anthropocentric view—a man-centered view of the world that asks, What do I believe? How does this make me really feel?—to a theocentric view of the world, the place God calls the photographs and God’s pleasure is final. That could be a painful journey for many individuals, however in the end it’s good for us and it’s for God’s glory.

Kevin DeYoung is the writer of Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology.

Associated Articles