How do you define "Christian Doctrine"?

To first define Christian Doctrine can be quite straightforward. Doctrine is "teaching or instruction," specifically Christian Doctrine, the beliefs and teachings of Christianity. Christian Doctrine is based on the teachings in the Bible, specifically Jesus' teaching, which is found in the New Testament and is built upon the Old Testament. Christian Doctrine is the foundation for understanding Christianity and how biblical truth changes your life.

What is Christian Doctrine?

Christian Doctrine is all rooted back to the one central truth of all of Christianity, the Good News, or in other words, the Gospel. The Good News is that Jesus had died on the cross for all sinners to be made right with God. Our guilt and condemnation of God's law were made clean by Jesus' death. The act of Jesus' death was made out of grace, meaning we did not do anything to deserve the gift of eternal life. The message of the Gospel grounded in Christian Doctrine brings all believers to Jesus. Jesus is not just a Savior to the men of Galilee back when He died; He is a Savior to all. This message can be so powerful and accurate because it is based on fact rather than just human feelings. The facts of true Christian Doctrine are that Jesus lived, died, and rose again for the world's sins. The second part of the Gospel is that Jesus has risen and is a living, reigning King. If the second part of the Gospel were not true and did not happen, the fact that Jesus lived a sinless life and died would lose all meaning. Therefore, so would all of Christianity and Christian Doctrine. But, the fact that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to live a perfect life, die in our guilty place and rise from the dead as He commanded everything else about Christianity to be true. 

Is solid Christian Doctrine important?

The short answer to the question, "Is solid Christian Doctrine important?" is yes. But, looking deeper, every believer has to understand why we need solid Doctrine. They also have to understand what solid Doctrine truly means. Solid Doctrine is truly understanding the Gospel and knowing it is solely the truth and good news. You could have someone understand the Gospel but may not think that just the Gospel was enough for them to be saved. Some believe that something else is necessary for a sinner to be saved. Of course, it was Jesus' death, but that would go along with the believer having to keep the law. If someone believes that there is something else needed for true salvation, that is not the true Gospel upon which true Doctrine is based. The sad news is if you would try to keep God's law to attain eternal life, you will always fail no matter how hard you try. It would be impossible for an additional step to be added to the Gospel. But, in the case of this sad news of you not being able to keep the law, it turns into the very "Good News" of the Gospel. Since Jesus' did live a perfect life and died on the cross for all our sins, we don't have to do anything. All our sins have been taken away, and Christ alone is enough. And it is in that truth that we trust and believe to be our solid Christian Doctrine.