“The Doctrine from Above”
John 7:1-24

“Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” [John 7:16]

Doctrine [didachē] is “the act of teaching and instruction.”  When Jesus said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me,” He was clearly saying that His teaching and instruction was from God.

But notice, too, that Jesus followed with a qualifier, “If anyone wills to do His [God’s] will, he shall know the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.” [Jn 7:17; italics inserted].

If you want to know right doctrine and if a person is teaching right doctrine; the discerning qualifier is the will to do God’s will. If your desire is to do the will of God, then you shall know [and discern] right doctrine. It is an interesting intersection to ponder.

It is more than scholastic exercise. It is more than taking a class on doctrine at a Seminary or Bible School. Knowing God’s doctrine is a result of the will to do God’s will. A desire for His will is the substance for right doctrine.

Jesus made this specific point at the Temple among the religious scholars on the Feast of Tabernacles [ref. vv. 7, 14], a High Holy day for the Jews. Can you imagine? The place was packed. Even our Lord’s earthly family was there [ref. vv. 3-5]. And amid them all Jesus said that His teaching was directly from God.

The sobering inference was that they did not desire the will of God. Because if they did, they would have known that Jesus’ instruction was from God. It would be like saying at a contemporary Pastors Conference “you don’t know the doctrine of God because you do not desire to do the will of God.”

But this is a lesson for us as well. The study of Christian Doctrine is a study of the Person of Jesus Christ which is a study of God Himself. It is more than an intellectual study; it is a relational experience of knowing Jesus, His will, and desiring to do His will. This is the place where doctrine becomes right doctrine.