Doctrine is so important to Catholics because Jesus said, “The truth will make you free” (John 8:32). If the truth frees us, then error binds us. Thus, while one may sincerely love Jesus, if he believes something false about Him he is not yet as free as the Lord desires him to be. Christian doctrine, in safeguarding against error, gives us the freedom to know and love Jesus in the fullest sense.
Doctrine, furthermore, builds community, to the degree a community cannot remain united long-term without it. In the absence of doctrine, the community will invariably fragment. To better illustrate this point, let us imagine by way of analogy parents who, for the sake of fostering peace and togetherness in the household, choose to do away with rules, giving their children permission to do whatever they please: eat what they want, go to bed when they want, skip school, stay up late, and so on. How long will such a household stand, and what in the end will be the fate of those poor children?
A common misconception is that Jesus eliminated the need to follow doctrine. In reality, He affirms in the Gospels that He has not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it (cf. Matt. 5:17-20). Jesus did not advocate religion without rules. In His Sermon on the Mount, He called His followers to live lives of holiness, delineating a litany of sins that bore eternal punishment (cf. Matt. 5:8, 21ff.). Nor was His ministry devoid of doctrine, but included teachings on the Trinity (John 14:26), His divinity (John 8:58), the Atonement (John 3:14-18), grace (John 15:5), baptismal rebirth (John 3:5), good works (Matt. 25:31ff.), merit (Matt. 6:4), His Eucharistic presence (John 6:35-58), liturgical worship (Luke 22:19), standardized prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), guardian angels (Matt. 18:10), the forgiveness of sins through His representatives (John 20:23), the sanctity of marriage (Matt. 5:31-32), the anointing of the sick (Mark 6:13), Mary’s unique role (John 19:26-27), the primacy of Peter (Matt. 16:18-19), the authority of His Church (Matt. 18:17), Judgment Day (Matt. 16:27), purgatory (Matt. 5:26), heaven (Matt. 7:21), and hell (Matt. 18:8).
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