Ask many pastors about discipleship, and rather than pointing directly to Jesus’ own words, they will often—perhaps without realizing it—default to theological frameworks like the Westminster Confession or other doctrinal systems. This is a real problem.
Jesus did not tell His disciples to create theological statements to define discipleship. He simply said, “Follow me.” He gave clear instructions: “Go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Yet, instead of focusing on what Jesus commanded, many have allowed systematic theology and rules taught by men to replace simple obedience to Christ.
This is not to say that theology has no place, but when it overshadows Jesus’ actual words, it becomes a distraction. A disciple’s life should be centered on Jesus Himself—His teachings, His example, His Spirit leading us today. If we replace that with rigid doctrinal systems, we risk making disciples of a theology rather than disciples of Christ.
Much of what is called discipleship today has been filtered through systematic theology and the rules of men rather than through the actual words of Jesus. Instead of making disciples of Christ, many churches unintentionally make disciples of theological systems, confessions, and denominational traditions—things Jesus never commanded.
Jesus warned about this very thing: “They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules” (Mark 7:7). The danger is that believers can become more loyal to a theological framework than to Christ Himself. Instead of learning directly from Jesus’ teachings, they measure their faithfulness by how well they align with a confession, a catechism, or a doctrinal statement written by men.
True discipleship is simple: Believe in Jesus, follow Him, obey His words. The more we complicate that with human rules and theological constructs, the more we risk losing sight of what it really means to be His disciple.
Stephen D Green, with ChatGPT, April 2025
