The Sufficiency of Scripture (Part 2)

So, after finishing The Sovereignty of God this morning I decided there is still some I wanted to comment on about the sufficiency of Scripture before I move to the will of God.
In my last post I focused mostly on the "training in righteousness" aspect of Scripture. And although much could be said about each one of the benefits of God's Word, I want to comment quickly(without diverging too much from our topic of God's will) on Doctrine. Simply put, doctrine is teaching(specifically about God here). It teaches us about God, who He is, what He is like, How he interacts with humanity, etc.

In today's society doctrine has become quite unpopular for most people. They do not want to invest the time and effort to search and study Scripture. They see doctrine as "impractical" and "unnecessary". They have substituted doctrinal exposition of God's Word for so-called "practical" preaching. But this belief is just plain ridiculous. As Pink says, this wrong view is "the root cause of many of the evil maladies which now afflict the church of God." How can you rightly worship and adore God if you do not know Him. Like Paul said, this is the first(and probably most important) outcome of Scripture(2 Tim 3:16, 17). Rightly taught and understood doctrine will give way to a Greater love for God based on a greater understanding of Him, resulting in a greater love for others and a greater heart for the lost. To quote Pink again, "where doctrine is neglected, growth in grace and effective witnessing for Christ necessarily cease."

A note must be made, though, that doctrine, like anything else, can easily be approached with a cold heart simply for academic or intellectual means, leaving the seeker with a haughty spirit and unpassionate life. I can, though, from my own experience, testify that a sincere search for doctrine based on a desire to know and understand God deeper - approached with a right heart and attitude - will, inevitably, lead to a greater passion for God and closer walk with Him.
Ending with a final quote from Pink: "Doctrine properly received, doctrine studied with an exercised heart, will ever lead into a deeper knowledge of god and of the unsearchable riches of Christ."

LORD, may we seek and desire to know You more through doctrine in order that our love for You and others may grow, and let us rejoice in the blessing that it is available to us through Your Scriptures.