Everywhere I Go: Learning to See JesusPrimjer

THE IDOL OF DOCTRINE Did you know that even the things of God can become idols? They can. Doctrine is the means by which we approach and know God, but it is of no use on its own. It is a map, or the lens on a telescope, enabling us to grasp the untouchable reality of God. But doctrine is not a thing to be worshipped or revered. Only the God it points to deserves our worship. Everything of God that is real can be counterfeited by Satan. Beware of the idolatry of doctrine, or of ideas. Certainly we want to know more about the Lord. We are curious, like the little girl riding through the countryside with her father. "Daddy," she asked, "how big is that lake?" He said, "I don't know." They drove on a little farther and she said, "Daddy, how high is that mountain?" Again he said, "I don't know." She gazed out the window in silence for a few miles. "Daddy," she asked, "how long is this road?" His father shook his head and said, "Sweetie, I just don't know." She said, "Daddy, you don't mind my questions, do you?" He said, "Oh, no, honey. How else are you going to learn?" We must learn to seek a relationship with God, not merely facts about Him. We can know, teach and apply scripture without knowing God through Jesus Christ. But what a sad, sad waste! Doctrine is of no use without relationship, and unless we know the Living Lord through His Son Jesus Christ, our learning is nothing more than idolatry.