Patterns reveal themes of redemption, promise, and fulfillment

Patterns reveal themes of redemption, promise, and fulfillment [∞]

Pattern of Doctrine: Recognizing the Revelation of Christ

It is often said that doctrine is not determined by a single verse, yet many preachers build entire sermons around isolated passages—sometimes without any supporting Scripture at all. I have heard messages on topics like not boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk, nephilim and angelic hierarchies, the dispute over Moses’ body, and even cremation—all from well-known and respected pastors who should know better.

A common practice is to extract a moral lesson from historical events, coercing them into imperatives for Christian living. But God did not entrust the revelation of the invisible Father to such human frailties. Instead, He revealed Himself in a way that we may "know, believe, and understand."

Patterns are one of the ways God draws our attention, but curiosity alone is not revelation. A pattern becomes meaningful only when it is clarified in Christ—this is the first stage of true revelation. When we go further and see ourselves “in Christ”, recognizing that what happened to Him as our federal head also happens to us, then we arrive at doctrine—the knowledge of God and our relationship to Him.

This knowledge is not subjective or speculative; it is verifiable and reproducible. It is derived directly from Scripture and confirmed by two or three witnesses, ensuring that our understanding is rooted in the revelation God has given, not in human imagination.