I firmly believe people have hitherto been a great deal too much taken up about doctrine and far too little about practice. The word doctrine, as used in the Bible, means teaching of duty, not theory. I preached a sermon about this. We are far too anxious to be definite and to have finished, well-polished, sharp-edged systems - forgetting that the more perfect a theory about the infinite, the surer it is to be wrong, the more impossible it is to be right.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Doctrine is duty, not theory; perfect systems about the infinite are likely wrong.
- In plain terms
- Practice duty instead of polishing perfect theories.
- What can you take from it?
- Focus on teaching duty rather than perfect systems.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do you focus more on theory or duty?
- Is doctrine theory or practice?
Another view
Some theoretical frameworks help clarify practice.
More from George MacDonald
Alas! how easily things go wrong! A sigh too deep or a kiss too long, And then comes a mist and a weeping rain, And life is never the same again.
Permalink to quote #2 Where did you come from baby dear? Out of the everywhere into the here.
Permalink to quote #3 Where did you get your eyes so blue? Out of the skies as I came through.
Permalink to quote #4
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