Church Doctrine & the Bible
Theology in Ancient Context
David Instone-Brewer
Church Doctrine and the Bible: Theology in Ancient Context
Scripture in Context Series
Copyright 2020 David Instone-Brewer
Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225
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Unless otherwise noted, Bible quotations are from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (kjv) are from the King James Version. Public domain.
Scripture quotations marked (nrsv) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Earlier versions of some chapters in this book appeared as articles in Premier Christianity magazine (www.premierchristianity.com). Used by permission.
Print ISBN 978-1-68-359376-8
Digital ISBN 978-1-68-359377-5
Library of Congress Control Number 2020931312
Lexham Editorial Team: Elliot Ritzema, Claire Brubaker
Cover Design: Owen Craft
Doctrines are the church’s conclusions about theology in the Bible. But would its first readers agree with modern doctrines? This book digs into the Bible text to discover whether the original readers would have drawn the same conclusions. This method ends up revitalizing some doctrines and invites revision of others. It even suggests we should reject a few.
1. Finding Doctrine in the Bible Is Difficult
Doctrines summarize what the Bible says on different topics. But how do our conclusions today compare with those of the Bible’s original readers? Understanding what they would have thought sometimes adds depth to our doctrine, but at other times it suggests there are things we have misunderstood.
All churches accumulate traditions—even those that claim to have done away with them! Can they help us to interpret the Bible, or should we challenge some of them like Jesus did?
Jews baptized themselves every day, so baptism wasn’t something new for the early Christians. However, John changed the Jewish practice completely, and Jesus changed it into an initiation. Today different beliefs about baptism divide the modern church—but these are changing again.
Denominations use different systems of leadership, from powerful hierarchies to self-ruling congregations. The Bible isn’t clear about leadership structures in the first churches, but there are some clues.
Belief in the rapture arose from a couple of ambiguous prophecies to become a necessary article of faith for many. Perhaps we can’t work out what prophecy ...
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About Church Doctrine & the Bible: Theology in Ancient ContextYou know the doctrines, but are they biblical? Too often, Christians are content to state a doctrine, list a few supporting Bible passages, and proceed on to the next. But are these doctrines truly derived from the Bible, or are we slotting verses into our pre-determined theological grids? In Church Doctrine and the Bible, biblical scholar David Instone-Brewer applies his expertise in first-century backgrounds and culture to popular Christian doctrines. Peeling away thousands of years of theological development reveals how the Bible’s original hearers would have understood these doctrines and helps us resolve some of our doctrinal disputes and misunderstandings. Through this process, Instone-Brewer answers the question, “Is this doctrine biblical?” Church Doctrine and the Bible will help pastors, theologians, and laypersons see familiar doctrines with fresh, first-century, eyes. By restoring the revolutionary simplicity of the Bible’s teachings, we gain new insights into these doctrines and what they mean for the church today. |
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