Dr Paul Allen

Orthodoxy means the right doctrine or belief. In one essential sense, it is critical to salvation. Although we are saved entirely by the grace of God, not based on the correctness of our thinking, the right views of God promote wonder, reverence, and love. Moreover, for future generations to believe in Christ, we must guard the gospel, without which no one can be saved (2 Tim. 1:14).  Hosea bemoaned the fact that “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). Israel’s idolatry had affected its whole national existence. False worship bred sinful practice. God is faithful; allegiance to him requires attention to what is true and right. Ideas have consequences.  Truth is healthy for both body and soul (1 Tim. 6:3). Worship is to be in truth, which is embodied in Jesus Christ (John 4:21–24; cf. John 1:9, 14, 17–18; John 14:6). True biblical orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy (right practice), which should promote healthy living and relationships. Not All Orthodox Doctrine Is of the

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of man , you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” [John 8:28] The question of the written Word of God boils down to a question of the incarnate Word of God. We defend the Bible ’s authority and inerrancy as the Word of God because Jesus himself claimed it to be so. It is not possible to have an inerrant Jesus without haying an inerrant Bible. Consider it this way: The overwhelming majority of scholars admit that the Bible is the most generally reliable historical document we have from the ancient world. Without granting the inerrancy of Scripture, it is clear that the man Jesus Christ claimed to be a prophet. Everyone grants this, including liberal theologians. Jesus’ claim to be a prophet makes it important to investigate what Jesus taught about the Bible, because a prophet was required to be more than just generally reliable. Interestingly, whi