If we’re going to live out God’s purposes for us in our studies, then the gospel will play a central role in shaping how we live and work. But for this to happen we need to understand and agree upon what ‘the gospel’ is. Cue doctrine.
You might be thinking, ‘what even is doctrine?’ Doctrine is just the formal expression of beliefs that Christians, churches, and other organisations hold to be important. It exists pretty much anytime believers express in shared language their agreement on certain theological issues.
As we work for God in the world and worship him with all we do, carefully defined doctrine helps us hold our own understanding accountable to biblical truth and recognise others who also share this commitment to the gospel. We see the gospel safeguarded in this way throughout the bible (check out the examples in Acts 8.37, 1 Cor 15.3-5, 2 Cor 4.5, and 1 Jn 4.2-3). Good doctrine helps us clarify the gospel as our basis for unity in mission with other Christians as we study together.
Uniting around UCCF’s Doctrinal Basis
From the very basic affirmation, “Jesus is Lord,” to extensive confessions of faith like the Westminster Confession, the world is not short of Christian doctrinal expressions. What’s the place of UCCF’s Doctrinal Basis in all of that?
The Doctrinal Basis serves as a summary of core convictions that are vital for the integrity of the gospel (sometimes described as ‘primary issues’). It is not an exhaustive outline of biblical truth, but a basis for unity with other Christians in a shared faith which fuels our mission.
Why not unite around something (basically) all Christians can agree upon like the Nicene Creed?
The Doctrinal Basis is built on the foundations of classical Christianity (the Trinity, Christ’s mission, etc.), affirming essential truths in agreement with statements like the Nicene Creed. However, it expresses further clarifications of the gospel retrieved in the Reformation, such as justification by faith alone, which continue to be significant in the face of contemporary threats to and distortions of the gospel.
Why not unite around a more detailed confession of faith?
The Doctrinal Basis aims at partnership that is broadly evangelical or non-denominational. It is not an exhaustive list of every doctrine needed for a flourishing life of faith or healthy expression of church, but only a basis for unity in gospel mission. While it makes important affirmations for preserving the integrity of the gospel, it holds back from taking positions on certain secondary matters such as baptism or church governance. As we unite for the sake of the gospel, embracing the Doctrinal Basis means we can be as broad as the gospel allows and as narrow as it demands.
How does this impact my studies?
The Doctrinal Basis isn’t just a symbolic or pragmatic marker of unity: clarity about the gospel will shape your studies in practical ways.
Firstly, the Doctrinal Basis allows clarity over where and where not to draw the line for the sake of the gospel. You could take a variety of positions on the enduring significance of the Battle of Waterloo or which theory seems to best unite the four fundamental forces without compromising the gospel. However, if Scripture is your supreme authority, you could find yourself in a lecture on ethics firmly taking a different position to your classmates because the Bible gives clear guidance on how to live in many circumstances.
Secondly, the DB provides the theological basis necessary to hold fast to our mission in the face of competing visions for engaging with our studies. The affirmations in the Doctrinal Basis of both God’s sovereignty in all of creation, and the specifics of sin, Jesus’ substitutionary death, and justification by faith alone help us hold together the different aspects of our mission – working for the wellbeing of creation, worshipping the God we work for, and witnessing to the world. Affirming the authority of Scripture means we can be confident about the gospel we share.
Thirdly, the Doctrinal Basis is not just intellectual content, but points to the gospel by which we grow in Christlike character and approach our studies with the mind of Christ. Here are just a few specific examples of how our doctrine makes a difference to the way we study:
- Because Scripture is our supreme authority, we learn from other sources, but we wear the biblical story is like a pair of glasses through which we see and understand everything in our subject area, including those other sources.
- Jesus’ death on the cross, taking the punishment for our sin, encourages the intellectual humility we need for good academic work. Success looks less like presenting an image of intelligence and more like admitting weaknesses in the pursuit of better understanding and practice in our subject
- We are justified by faith alone, not by works. We approach our work not as a means of establishing ourselves but out of a place of resting in what Jesus has accomplished. For example, your value as a musician doesn’t lie in whether or not you ‘make it’ but in the finished work of Christ on your behalf.
The impact may not always be as obvious or direct as these examples, but the content of our faith in Jesus will shape our engagement in our studies in all sorts of ways. The shape of the gospel is the shape of our academic engagement.