STATEGIES TO COMBATING
ERRONEOUS DOCTRINE
ABOLAJI ABIOLA OLUWASEGUN
RCNTS/PG22/PGT/0002
DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE (BIBLIOLOGY)
LECTURER : REV. DANIEL OGIDI
November, 2022
Outline
 Introduction

What is Doctrine

Why Doctrine ?
 Essential Doctrine of Christian Faith
 What is Erroneous Doctrine
 Why combat Erroneous Doctrine
 How can we combat Erroneous Doctrine
Introduction
What is Doctrine
Latin doctrina, from doceo, "to teach," denotes both the act of teaching and that which
is taught. In simple terms - it is the way the central themes of God’s revelation in
Scripture are summarized and taught.
Why Doctrine ?
1. Doctrine explains why we can rest in the finished work of Christ
Even after reading the Bible, we may still not fully comprehend why specific
biblical events occurred or why God chose to include particular books. Theology
enables us to comprehend both God's response—the sending of his only Son to live
a perfectly obedient life on our behalf and serve as the ideal, once-and-for-all
sacrifice for our sin—and the issue at hand—guilty humanity's and sinful state.
(Romans 3:23; 5:12–21; Ephesians 2:8–9)
2. Doctrine helps us understand how God is a relational God.
We may be sure that God is not some stoic being who created the world but doesn't
care or love it when we understand the Trinity and how God is one in essence and
three in people. The love between the members of the Trinity is so great that it even
extends to God's creation (Matt. 3:17; John 14:31; Gal. 4:6). In fact, the Father gave
his own Son in order to save fallen people. According to doctrine, the Holy Spirit
convicts people of their sin and transforms them into the likeness of Christ during
the salvation process (Rom. 5:5).
3. Doctrine explains why we feel empty apart from God.
God created us with the intention of using us to glorify and delight him forever.
Because of this, we are unable to experience happiness without him. God created us
to enjoy a loving connection with him, but without Christ, we are unable to do so
due to both God's absolute holiness and our own shame and indwelling sin. The fact
that God deigns to have a love relationship with us via Christ, despite the fact that
we are different kinds of beings and cannot approach him despite our best efforts, is
magnificent.
4. Doctrine teaches us how to worship God.
By better understanding how Israel's creed ("Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the
Lord is one") is true and simultaneously acknowledging that the Father is God, Jesus
is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, doctrine enables us to worship God with greater
joy (Psalm 139:7–8; John 10:30; 1 Cor. 8:6).
Theology teaches to us that we are always approaching our heavenly Father in the
name of Jesus (because of his work on our behalf) by the Holy Spirit when we hear
God's Word accurately delivered, partake in the Sacraments, pray, and sing songs of
worship (who indwells and sanctifies us).
5. Doctrine guides us in how to love God and our neighbor.
We don't have to think of our good deeds as strategies to increase God's love for us
since doctrine informs us that our right standing before God is dependent on Christ's
work and not our own. We are also free from the pressure of impressing or being
respected by others. All the love any of us will ever require comes from God's
complete love for us in Christ. We have a safe inheritance since we are God's
children.
Since of all that God has done for us and because it is our obligation as his children,
we can love God and our neighbor without feeling obligated to do so. Instead, we can
do so out of a deep sense of thankfulness. Doctrine serves as a reminder that God
desires for us to become more holy and more like Christ (Rom. 8:29).
6. Doctrine teaches us that our hope is not in vain.
We don't need to question the reliability of the Bible. We can only be in awe of the
fact that everything we read about in Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, and the other books of
the Bible is inexorably connected together by God's promise in Christ after learning
about the key covenants of the Bible and the astounding continuity of Scripture.
Sixty-six books that all refer to God's purpose to redeem the world appear impossible
to have been written by so many different authors over such a long period of time, but
we do find this in the Bible because the authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit (2
Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21).
7. Doctrine helps us to pick up our cross and follow our King.
We can take up our cross and follow Christ because doctrine tells us the
fundamental truths we need to know (Matt. 16:24). No matter what God permits in
our lives, we don't need to be fearful because we know that he has a plan, and that
plan is good.
Additionally, we are aware of God's greatness and goodness and can rely on him
even when things around us don't make sense. God has peace with him and eternal
life in his presence for us, which are far better than anything this earth has ever
been able to provide, so we don't need to feel bad about leaving anything behind.
Essential Doctrine of Christian faith
The Bible itself reveals those doctrines that are essential to the Christian faith.
They are
1) the Deity of Christ,
2) Salvation by Grace,
3) Resurrection of Christ,
4) the gospel,
These are the doctrines the Bible says are necessary.
1. The Deity of Christ
Jesus is God in human form (John 8:58 with Exodus 3:14). i.1 See also John 1:14,
10:30–33, 20:28, Col. 2:9, Phil. 2:5-8, and Heb. 1:8. "The Spirit of God can be
identified in this way: Every spirit that affirms that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
is a manifestation of God, while every spirit that rejects Jesus is not a manifestation of
God. This is the Antichrist spirit, which is currently present in the globe as you read
about its impending arrival."
a cross-reference should be made between the aforementioned text and John 1:14,
in which John claims that the Word was both God and flesh.
b. According to 1 John 4:2–3, if you reject the claim that Jesus is God in the flesh,
you are a follower of the Antichrist spirit.
John 8:24; "Therefore, I warned you that you would perish in your sins. Since you
will perish in your sins if you do not believe that I am."
Iii .Jesus said that you will perish in your sins if you do not believe "that I am." The
word "I am" or "ego eimi" in Greek means "I am." The identical words are used in
John 8:58 by Jesus when He declares, "Before Abraham was, I am." By using the
Greek Septuagint translation of Exodus 3:14, he was asserting his divine status. (The
Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek and known as the Septuagint.)
B.Jesus is the appropriate object of faith i. Simply having faith is insufficient. Faith is
only as good as the work that goes into it. You need to have faith in the right thing.
No matter how earnest they are, cults' faith is futile since their idols are untrue.
The day of judgment will be very difficult for you if you place your faith in a vacuum
cleaner. Even if you have a lot of trust, what good is it? You cannot be saved by it; it
is in something.
The following are part of the doctrine of Christ's deity:
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different aspects of the one true God.
They share the same nature and are all co-eternal.
There is only one God in all of existence, according to monotheism (Isaiah 43:10;
44:6,8; 45:5,14,18,21,22; 46:9; 47:8). Mormons serve and worship only one god, but
they have a multi-god belief. They are therefore polytheists, excluding them from the
Christian camp.
B. The Hypostatic Union: Jesus' dual nature as God and human.
The sacrifice of Christ is fully sufficient to atone for the sins of the entire world. ii.As
God - Jesus must be God in order to be able to make a sacrifice that is worth more
than one made by a mere man. For the world's sins, he had to die (1 John 2:2). That
could only be done by God.
Jesus had to be a man in order to offer himself as a sacrifice for people. He may act as
a go-between for God and man since He is a man (1 Tim. 2:5).
2 Salvation by Grace
Because you were saved through faith and not through works, so that no one can take
credit for it, you were saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9, NIV).
B. "You who are attempting to obtain justification by the law have become estranged
from Christ; you have strayed from grace" (Gal. 5:4).
i. If you believe that you are saved by faith and works, then you are not saved at
all, according to this scripture and its context. In cults, this is a common mistake.
They have a false doctrine of salvation as a result of having a false Jesus. Read
Romans 3–5 and Galatians 3–5.
ii. You cannot increase God's work. I do not disregard the grace of God, for if
righteousness could be obtained by the law, Christ died in vain. Gal. 2:21 (NIV)
Therefore, following the law won't make anyone virtuous in God's eyes; instead,
it makes us aware of our sin (Rom. 3:20).
However, "his faith is counted as righteousness to him who does not labor but trusts
God who justifies the ungodly" (Rom. 4:5).
ii "Therefore, is the law at odds with God's promises? Without a doubt! Because if a
law had been given that might bring about righteousness, then the law would have
done so " (Gal. 3:21).
3. Resurrection of Christ
And if Christ has not been risen, then both our message and your faith are futile (1
Cor. 15:14). Your faith is useless if Christ has not been risen; you are still in your sins
(1 Cor. 15:17).
B.Denying the physical resurrection means rejecting the work, death, and resurrection
of Jesus as well as our own.
C. These verses unambiguously state that your faith is futile if you assert that Jesus
did not rise from the grave (in the same body He died in; see John 2:19–21).
4. The Gospel
"But even if we or an angel from heaven were to teach a different gospel to you than
what we did, let him suffer eternal damnation! If someone is preaching to you a
gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally damned, as we have already
spoken, so now I say it once more." (NIV, Gal. 1:8–9).
I. Galatians 8 and 9 make the self-evident claim that you must believe the gospel. The
entire message of the gospel is that Jesus, who is God in the flesh, died for our sins,
rose from the grave, and freely offers those who believe the gift of eternal life.
ii.In addition, according to John 1:1,14, 10:30-33, 20:28, Col. 2:9, Phil. 2:5-8, and
Heb. 1:8, it would be impossible to effectively proclaim the gospel without stating
that Jesus is God in the person.
The gospel is defined in B.1 Cor. 15:1-4: "I want to remind you of the gospel I
proclaimed to you, which you accepted and for which you have made a stand just now,
brothers. If you cling firmly to the message I delivered to you, this gospel will save
you. If not, your faith has been in vain. The truth that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was resurrected on the
third day in accordance with the Scriptures is what I passed on to you as being of the
utmost significance " (NIV).
The basics are contained in these verses: Christ is God in the flesh (John 1:1,14;
10:30-33; 20:28; Col. 2:9); salvation is obtained by faith (John 1:12; Rom. 10:9-10);
so, it is by grace; and verse 4 refers to the resurrection. Therefore, the basics are
already included in this gospel message.
What is Erroneous Doctrine
Erroneous doctrine or false doctrine is the partial or total deviation from the christian
doctrine as established in the scriptures. Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians 2:8
admonished the church to beware of philosophy and vain deceit, not to be driven after
the tradition of men.
Ephesians 4:14-15 . . . that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may
grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
Hebrew 13:9 - Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a
good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not
profited them that have been occupied therein.
In the churches of John’s day, both “the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John
4:6) were present. They are today, too. The Spirit of truth was heard in the apostolic
teaching. Now it is heard through Scripture and through those who teach and expound
that Scripture accurately. The spirit of error lives on in false teachers. The Spirit of
truth and the spirit of error each have their respective audiences.
Why We Must Combat Erroneous Doctrine
In the Book of Timothy Paul says - This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son,
in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you
fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected
and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and
Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to
blaspheme.
Acts 20: 28-31 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the
which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he
hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after
them. Therefore watch, and remember.

False Doctrines Cause Followers to Submit to Spiritually Blind Leaders

False Doctrines Cause Followers to Obey the Teachings of Men Instead of the
Doctrines of God

False Doctrines Create Hypocrisy and a Counterfeit Christianity

False Doctrines Lead to People Becoming Followers of Men Instead of Followers
of God

False Doctrines Lead to Spiritual Bondage and Legalism

False Doctrines Lead to Devotion to the Teachings of Demons

False Doctrines Create A Counterfeit Christ or a False Concept of the Biblical
God

False Doctrines Encourage Sin, Pride and Rebellion

False Doctrines Give False Teachers Abusive Control Over Their Followers
How do we Combat Erroneous Doctrine
1) PRAYER:
"Pray that we may be rescued from confused and evil folks" (2
Thes 3:2). (2 Thes 3:2).
2) REPENTANCE: "Remove the plank from your own eye first; then you will
see clearly to take the speck from your brother's eye" (Mt 7:5). (Mt 7:5).
3) OBEDIENCE TO THE LORD AND HIS CHURCH: God's word promises:
"We are ready to punish disobedience in anyone else once your own
obedience is flawless" (2 Cor 10:6). (2 Cor 10:6).
4) TRUE BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE: We must do our utmost to know the
Bible (see Acts 20:30- 32) and the teachings of the Church (see 1 Tm 3:15),
especially the teachings of the Pope.
5) TEACHING THE TRUTH: "I charge you to preach the word, to stay with
this pealing— continuously instructing" (2 Tm 4:2). (2 Tm 4:2).
6) PROFESSING THE TRUTH IN LOVE: (Eph 4:15). (Eph 4:15). We must
despise the sin of false teaching, yet love the sinners. Love is founded on
truth (2 Jn 2). (2 Jn 2).
7) FIRMLY CORRECT FALSE TEACHINGS: (Ti 1:13) but gently "in the
hope always that God would enable them to repent and know the truth" (2 Tm
2:25). (2 Tm 2:25). If our correction is not heeded, we should pray about
contacting the pastor, bishop or proper higher authority about the incorrect
teaching. We should do this only after alerting the fake teacher that we are
contacting his or her superior.
8) "STAY CLEAR" OF THOSE WHO "OPPOSE THE TRUTH" AND
"WITH TWISTED MINDS...FALSIFY THE RELIGION" (2 Tm 3:5, 8;
see also 2 Jn 10-11). (2 Tm 3:5, 8; see also 2 Jn 10-11). "The power of their
discourse will spread like the virus" (2 Tm 2:17). (2 Tm 2:17). We should not
abandon our church; instead we should be careful not to let ourselves be
contaminated by secular humanism and "blinded by the god of the present
age" (2 Cor 4:4). (2 Cor 4:4).
9) BE WILLING TO SUFFER PERSECUTION AND DEATH: "Even to the
death fight for truth, and the Lord your God will battle for you" (Sir 4:28).
(Sir 4:28).
10) REJOICING IN THE EXTENT THAT WE SHARE CHRIST'S
SUFFERINGS (1 Pt 4:13). (1 Pt 4:13). God's truth will win out. "His truth is
marching on" ("The Battle Hymn of the Republic") ("The Battle Hymn of the
Republic").
Bibliography
Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 30, 1993.
Many scholars have discussed the nature of the false teaching Paul is addressing in
Colossians. New Testament professor Craig Keener states, “A great number of
backgrounds have been proposed for the error at Colossae: mystery cults, broader
Hellenistic mysticism, Hellenistic Judaism, Qumran-type Judaism and so on. The merit
of considering these sources is that they all reflect some broader cultural ideas that
played into problems Paul confronted in Colossae.” Craig Keener, The IVP Bible
Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic,
1994), 569.
Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon: Pillar New Testament
Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm.B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2008), 110.
Bertrand Russell, “A Free Man’s Worship,” in Why I Am Not a Christian, ed. Paul
Edwards (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1957), 107.
David was not the firstborn but the youngest of eight sons.
See Bruce M. Metzger, “The Jehovah’s Witness and Jesus Christ: A Biblical and
Theological Appraisal,” Theology Today 10, no. 1 (April 1953): 77.
Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 288.
In Roman Catholic theology the Pope is seen as the head of the church.
See http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12260a.htm.
New Testament scholar Douglas Moo says of the meaning of “head”: “In the ancient
world, the head was conceived to be the governing member of the body, that which both
controlled it and provided for its life and sustenance.” Douglas J. Moo, The Letters To
The Colossians and to Philemon, 128.