Doctrines

For years people have studied the Bible and religion. Many have degrees upon degrees. There seems to be no end to the various areas of study folks have pursued.

Things like “Ecclesiology”, the study of church architecture or art; “Numerology”, the study of numbers; “Theology”, the study of God; “Apocrypha”, the fourteen books of the Septuagint that are rejected in Judaism and regarded by Protestants as not canonical; although eleven of them are fully accepted in the Roman Catholic canon; “Septuagint”, a translation into Greek of the Old testament, made several centuries before Christ; “Pseudepigrapha”, a group of early writings not included in the Biblical canon or the Apocrypha; some of which were falsely ascribed to Biblical characters; “Gnosticism”, a system of belief containing ideas derived from Greek philosophy, Oriental mysticism and Christianity stressing salvation through knowledge.

“Josephus”, the writings of a Jewish historian; “Linguistics”, the science of language; “Rabbinic”, a language from the writings of Rabbis in the early middle ages; “Epigraphy”, the deciphering ancient inscriptions; “Papyrology”, a study and translation of ancient manuscripts written on papyrus.; “Archaeology”, a study of life and culture of ancient peoples; “Hermeneutics”, the study of Biblical exegesis; the science of interpretation; “Hellenistic”, a study of the history, language and culture of the ancient Greeks; “Semitics”, the study of Jewish culture, language and literature; “Eschatology”, end times theology; “Theism”, the belief in a god; “Atheism”, the belief in no god; and the list goes on…….and on…..and on…….

Hours upon hours of study; we’ve done all we can to complicate a very simple thing. Jesus said’ “…Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein” (Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17)

The deepest, most profound and complicated theology in the scriptures can be stated in only three words, “Jesus loves me”. He knows everything I’ve ever done, everything I’ve ever said, and everything I’ve ever thought, and He loves me anyway. Which is also our example for loving others; it matters not what they have done or said or thought, we’re to love them anyway.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation….For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”. (Romans 10:9,10 &13)

It’s just that simple.