"If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained."—1 Timothy 4:6

Doctrine has been likened to the bone structure of the body of Christ. It forms the framework around which the Christian character is built. As true science reveals the mechanical workings of the Creator, so true biblical doctrines gives us an insight into his moral character.

Psychiatrists have long shown that when children reach their adult years, they tend to mimic their parents. Thus abused children often become abusive parents; those raised with a strict father become strict with their children; those with indulgent parents have a tendency to spoil their offspring.

In a similar vein, Christian behavior is based largely on the individual’s concept of God. It is little wonder than the inquisitors of the past burned heretics at the stake or that Hitler fomented the Holocaust in twentieth century Europe. The creedal God they accepted as their model was a deity who punished disobedience with an eternity of torture. They were only mimicking their caricature of Jehovah.

Fortunately, there has been a tendency in recent years to revise these demonic doctrines of past centuries. In 1950 the United Church of Canada became the first major denomination to rid itself of the doctrine of inherent immortality, a doctrine which forced the believer to consign unbelievers to a place of eternal torture and punishment for their failure to accept Christ. In recent years the Episcopalian Church has followed suit and, just this year, Pope John Paul II has similarly stated that hell is not a place, but a condition.

From the very early days of Christianity, there has been much discussion on the nature of God. When the Nicean Council, in 325 AD, determined on the trinitarian formula which was never so expressed in the Bible, the debate was far from over. In the century that followed the official doctrine of the church swung back and forth between Arianism and that expressed in the Athanasian Creed. Over the centuries, and even today in many Christian churches, there are those who sincerely dissent with the trinitarian expression.

In this issue of THE HERALD, a number of these basic doctrinal issues are treated in some detail. It is best to start with an overview of God’s plan. This has been depicted graphically by Charles Taze Russell in his book, The Divine Plan of the Ages. A copy of his chart, along with an article covering the concepts it is mean to convey opens our issue. This article is simply entitled The Plan of God.

The nature of God is dealt with in the succeeding article—Mystery or Confusion? The author deals not only with the scriptural evidence for a concept of oneness, but the origin of the trinity doctrine as well.

The verse-by-verse Bible study is on the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Entitled The Resurrection of the Dead, this study investigates the detailed reasoning of the apostle Paul on this important subject.

The central role in God’s plan is that played by Jesus at his first advent. Calvary has correctly been described as the crossroads of time. This theme is dealt with in length in the article entitled Ransom and Restitution--How Long?

The work of Jesus in man's salvation is closely connected with that of his church. In One Redeemer, Many Saviors, the author distinguishes between the function accomplished by Jesus alone and those in which he associates his bride, his church.

The results of the salvation process will eventually produce life on two planes of existence. Salvation--Heavenly and Earthly delineates the promises of God for each of these groups and the roles they are to eventually play in God's plan.

The final article answers a frequently asked question: Where Are the Dead? This question requires an examination of the nature of the human soul. In treating this subject, the author deals with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. One of the editors of this journal, in a dissenting opinion, offers an alternative explanation in On the Other Hand.

While there are many more basic Bible doctrines which deserve discussion, we trust that the space given to these will be profitable to our readers as they search the Scriptures to see how God deals with his human creation.