Doctrine, as many would define it, is not popular in religion today. Many believe that doctrine is what divides us. The denominations mostly leave matters of “doctrine” to the heads of their denomination. The preachers/pastors then can limit their message to topics like salvation, grace, love, social issues, etc. In the Lord’s church, some are de-emphasizing “doctrine” so they can focus more on the “gospel” (a faulty distinction that is not made in the New Testament). But doctrine simply means teaching. Many passages in the King James Version that use the word “doctrine” actually have the word “teaching” used instead in some of the newer translations. There is not a complicated definition of the word “doctrine.” That which is taught in the New Testament is doctrine.

The intent of this article is to show the importance of doctrinal purity. In the previous paragraph we noticed what doctrine is – the teaching contained in the New Testament. Purity means it is unchanged, uncorrupted, and complete. So when I speak of the need for doctrinal purity, I am referring to the desire to learn and believe all that is taught in the New Testament and only that which is taught in the New Testament. Many find this undesirable or impossible, but the word of God teaches that this must be our goal.
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