Paul repeated the question: “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” And Jesus spoke in parables. So is doctrine just a bunch of trivia created by preachers and theologians—essentially theoretical—that might direct us toward God, but should not cause anyone to think he or she knows anything about who God really is?

J.F.K. once said, “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason why it was put up.”  This could probably apply to doctrine, which means instruction or teaching.  The bible discusses two types.  One is man-made (e.g., Mar. 7:1-16), and the other comes from God (Tit. 2:10).  As Corey and Matt explained, the bible—God’s instruction—reflects who God is.  So those who genuinely desire to know God must be open to his instruction (Joh. 14:15-17).  The danger of man-made doctrine is that it causes people to stray from God’s instruction (Mar. 7:1-16, Col. 2:8).  Those who promote it aren’t interested in building up the church or being faithful to the clear teaching of the bible—they’re experts in things that cause speculation, disputes, and moral uncertainty (1 Tim 1:3-11).  They often operate subtly.

In Genesis, for example, Satan could’ve openly told Eve, “Disobey God!”  Instead, he cleverly approached her when she was alone, asking, “Did God actually say . . . ?” (Gen. 3:1).  He apparently convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit by getting her to question the authoritativeness of God’s instruction.  By causing confusion about what God has said, Satan causes confusion about who God is (see Rom. 1:18-32).  But our “God is not a God of confusion.”  (1 Cor. 14:33).  He wants us to know Him (Joh. 17:2-3).  This is why Paul prayed that we would “be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding . . . and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Col. 1:9-10).

Of course, we presently know only what God has revealed to us at this time.  But at some point, we “shall know fully.” (1 Cor. 13:12).  Meanwhile, we can be confident that what we know now is substantial (see 1 Joh. 5:20).  Believers “have the mind of Christ” and can actually comprehend “the thoughts of God.” (1 Cor. 2:9-16).  And what we learn about God through the Spirit is confirmed in the bible.  So if you reject or otherwise mishandle sound, biblical doctrine, you’ll be rejecting the truth about who God really is—this is not trivial (see Tit. 1:10-16).