The Doctrine is the bone structure of the body of revealed truth, the neglect of it must result in a message characterized by uncertainties, Inaccuracies & immaturity.
No substitute will ever be formed for the Knowledge of the Word of God that would alone deals with things eternal & infinite and it alone has power to convert the soul & develop a God-honoring Spiritual Life.
There is a limitless yet hidden Spiritual content within the Bible which contributes much to its super-natural character. This spiritual content is never discerned of learning or ecclesiastical authority. The natural capacities of the human mind do not function in the realm of spiritual things.
Acquiring the knowledge of the spiritual content of the Bible is a life task. Great preachers who moved people’s hearts with a divine power have been saturated with Bible truths secured through daily study of the Bible.
No student of the Scriptures should be satisfied to traffic only in the results of the study of other men. The field is inexhaustible and its treasures ever new.
In his years of class room discipline, the theological student should be taken over the entire field of doctrine that he may be prepared to continue his research in every portion of the Bible throughout his ministry, being prepared to proceed intelligently in every phase of the divine revelation, Apart from such a complete introduction to doctrine, no preacher will be able to hold truth in its right proportions, nor can be assured that he or his auditors will not drift into errors of unscriptural cults, or into modernistic unbelief.
The Bible has to be studied exegetically, doctrinally, devotionally, historically, prophetically and practically in the aspect of the divine revelation. So that in the future the theologian may be ‘apt to teach”, to be one who avoids the “traditions of men” and to rightly divide the truth.
Doctrinal faddists have been the cause of the untold harm in the church, and the only way of avoiding this danger, or that of securing preachers who will not be “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine”, is to provide a required discipline in Systematic study of the scriptures which incorporates a complete consideration under a competent teacher of the essentials of each doctrine with due recognition of the relation of each doctrine to every other doctrine.
For those who are called to be misters for witnessing to the lost, as stated in Ephesians 4:11,12) “Gifted men”- apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors & teachers, especially the pastors & teachers are appointed to the task of “perfecting the saints for the work of the ministry” need to be well equipped for this service.
The Ministers responsibility is greater than that of other men inasmuch as the heavenly things transcend the things of earth, Observe this stream flowing forth from its source: whatever truth and ideals the teacher imparts to the students in training, they, in turn will later impart to the larger groups over which they are given spiritual care. If the congregation is not actively engaged in soul-winning and missionary work, it is usually because of the fact that they have been deprived of the God-intended leadership to that end. If the pastor ha s no soul-winning passion, no missionary vision, is limited in this proficiency, and inaccurate as an exponent of the Word of God, his lack in these respects may generally be traced to the fact that he has been deprived to the God-intended, spiritual and vital training in the seminary.
