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I went through a dozen or so sources and pulled out what all agreed were the Essentials of Christianity. Essentials of Christianity
• The Deity of Christ
• Salvation by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ
• The Resurrection of Christ
• The Gospel
The chart below places these Essentials of Christianity in the core and labels it Essential for Salvation.
Each label that moves outward from the Essentials takes us further from the Core of Christianity. Briefly, the labels represent; Essential for historic Christian orthodoxy: The Trinity, Hypostatic Union, Christ’s 2nd coming, authority of Scripture.
Essential for traditional orthodoxy: Varies between Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox; includes Eucharist, justification, personal relationship with Jesus, liturgy is separate from Gospel.
Essential for denominational orthodoxy: Credo-baptism-Baptism is only for believers Infant baptism- Unconditional election, Arminian theology, Belief in the continuation of the Charismatic gifts.
Important but not essential: Beliefs about particulars in the creation debate, Which translation of the Bible to use from the pulpit, Beliefs about the authorship of 2 Peter, Belief about particular end-time schemes.
Not Important: Whether to use real wine or grape juice at communion, Whether to hold Saturday night services, Whether or not John the Baptist was an Essene.
Pure speculation: Did Adam have a belly-button? What was God doing “before” creation? Will there be meat to eat in heaven? How long was it after creation before Adam and Eve fell?
I am not suggesting we can or will all set our differences aside, join hands, and sing Kum Ba Ya. I do think God did not send Jesus to die for our sins so that we then turn on one another over what are Non-Essentials. We certainly have the duty to define and defend what it is that makes each of us a Christian. However, when we start bad mouthing, name calling and belittling everyone who holds a view different than our own, we are at risk of, at the least not honoring God, and at the worst breaking fellowship with Him.
The chart, label definitions and examples are snippets from Essentials and Non-Essentials in a Nutshell by C. Michael Patton.
I went through a dozen or so sources and pulled out what all agreed were the Essentials of Christianity. Essentials of Christianity
• The Deity of Christ
• Salvation by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ
• The Resurrection of Christ
• The Gospel
The chart below places these Essentials of Christianity in the core and labels it Essential for Salvation.
Each label that moves outward from the Essentials takes us further from the Core of Christianity. Briefly, the labels represent; Essential for historic Christian orthodoxy: The Trinity, Hypostatic Union, Christ’s 2nd coming, authority of Scripture.
Essential for traditional orthodoxy: Varies between Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox; includes Eucharist, justification, personal relationship with Jesus, liturgy is separate from Gospel.
Essential for denominational orthodoxy: Credo-baptism-Baptism is only for believers Infant baptism- Unconditional election, Arminian theology, Belief in the continuation of the Charismatic gifts.
Important but not essential: Beliefs about particulars in the creation debate, Which translation of the Bible to use from the pulpit, Beliefs about the authorship of 2 Peter, Belief about particular end-time schemes.
Not Important: Whether to use real wine or grape juice at communion, Whether to hold Saturday night services, Whether or not John the Baptist was an Essene.
Pure speculation: Did Adam have a belly-button? What was God doing “before” creation? Will there be meat to eat in heaven? How long was it after creation before Adam and Eve fell?
I am not suggesting we can or will all set our differences aside, join hands, and sing Kum Ba Ya. I do think God did not send Jesus to die for our sins so that we then turn on one another over what are Non-Essentials. We certainly have the duty to define and defend what it is that makes each of us a Christian. However, when we start bad mouthing, name calling and belittling everyone who holds a view different than our own, we are at risk of, at the least not honoring God, and at the worst breaking fellowship with Him.
The chart, label definitions and examples are snippets from Essentials and Non-Essentials in a Nutshell by C. Michael Patton.
There is certainly a range of importance in the various doctrines. The doctrines pertaining to salvation being essential. Trivial things such as Adam and Eve's belly-buttons or lack thereof which aren't doctrines anyway are of no importance. There is room for flexibility in the non-essential doctrines, but one must stand firm on the essentials.
That salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus; that Jesus died as our substitute and that He rose again; that Jesus Christ is God are all essential doctrines on which our salvation depends.
There is certainly a range of importance in the various doctrines. The doctrines pertaining to salvation being essential. Trivial things such as Adam and Eve's belly-buttons or lack thereof not being worth the time it takes to consider the matter. There is room for flexibility in the non-essential doctrines, but one must stand firm on the essentials.
That salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus; that Jesus died as our substitute and that He rose again; that Jesus Christ is God are all essential doctrines on which our salvation depends.
Essentially, that is your position, which is a false doctrine.
I went through a dozen or so sources and pulled out what all agreed were the Essentials of Christianity. Essentials of Christianity
• The Deity of Christ
• Salvation by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ
• The Resurrection of Christ
• The Gospel
The chart below places these Essentials of Christianity in the core and labels it Essential for Salvation.
This entire edifice of "precepts and doctrines of men" focused on what WE NEED to achieve salvation . . . denies the essential truth of Christ's Gospel . . . the really good news. We have nothing to do with achieving our salvation! Christ achieved salvation for us all. He is our "designated hitter." We just need to believe it and follow His instructions to "love God and each other" daily and repent when we don't. Everything else in this house of cards is pure human vanity and hubris.
Essentially, that is your position, which is a false doctrine.
That is the Bible's teaching. All of your denials cannot change that fact.
1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
That is the Bible's teaching. All of your denials cannot change that fact.
IT is what you have been taught and what you teach about what the Bible contains . . . but that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible is a book and is incapable of teaching anything . . . it can only present information that must be interpreted and then taught. Thankfully we are under the New Covenant and we need no one to teach us. Christ abides with us and we have His Holy Spirit (Comforter) to guide us to the truth God has "written in our hearts." We cannot go wrong by following what Jesus told His disciples to do . . . "love God and each other" daily and repent when we don't. I will rely on that rather than try to believe some complicated and convoluted set of "precepts and doctrines of men."
There is certainly a range of importance in the various doctrines. The doctrines pertaining to salvation being essential. Trivial things such as Adam and Eve's belly-buttons or lack thereof which aren't doctrines anyway are of no importance. There is room for flexibility in the non-essential doctrines, but one must stand firm on the essentials.
That salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus; that Jesus died as our substitute and that He rose again; that Jesus Christ is God are all essential doctrines on which our salvation depends.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike555
That is the Bible's teaching. All of your denials cannot change that fact.
1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
That's substitution.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticPhD
IT is what you have been taught and what you teach about what the Bible contains . . . but that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible is a book and is incapable of teaching anything . . . it can only present information that must be interpreted and then taught. Thankfully we are under the New Covenant and we need no one to teach us. Christ abides with us and we have His Holy Spirit (Comforter) to guide us to the truth God has "written in our hearts." We cannot go wrong by following what Jesus told His disciples to do . . . "love God and each other" daily and repent when we don't. I will rely on that rather than try to believe some complicated and convoluted set of "precepts and doctrines of men."
I back up what I say with Scripture.
The Bible which is the Word of God teaches us everything that God chose to reveal through it.
The things I mentioned,
1.) Christ's substitutionary death; 1 Peter 2:24 as shown above.
24] and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
2.) Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus; Ephesians 2:8-9.
8] For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9] not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
3.) The importance of believing that Christ rose from the dead; 1 Corinthians 15:3.
3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4] and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
4.) The necessity of believing that Jesus is God; John 8:24.
24] "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
You continue to rip 1 John 2:27 out of context in order to claim that no one need teach us. But John was addressing relatively spiritually mature believers who had learned enough doctrine so that they did not need additional teaching to guard them from false teachers.
The Bible is clear that we do need teaching as passages such as Hebrews 5:11-6:2; 1 Cor. 3:1-2; Matthew 28:20; and Eph. 4:11 show.
The only truth written in the heart of believers is what is taken from the Bible under the filling of the Holy Spirit and transferred into the soul though studying the Bible and though the teaching of a prepared pastor/teacher.
No matter how much you deny that, it is what the Bible teaches.
Substitutionary death of the Savior (Rom 5:6-8, 2 Cor. 5:21)
Effectiveness of Christ's blood to cleanse sin (Heb. 9:22, 26; 1 John 1:7,9)
Bodily resurrection of Christ
Ascension of Christ and His present ministry to believers
Literal future return Christ to the earth (John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18)
Hi DRob. I agree that these things are essential doctrines.
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