Essential vs Non-Essential Doctrine

[Jim B]

Hi all.

I am preparing a series of messages for our church on Essential Doctrine. I thought it would be an easy study, but I am bogged down.

I am trying to separate the doctrines that are necessary for us to believe in order to be “Christian” from those that are marginal (non-essential). It seems believers spend a lot of energy fighting over the peripherals.

I have decided to limit my study only to those beliefs the New Testament expressly tells us are necessary. So far I have found only five:

1. Belief in the One True God.

Hebrews 11 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

John 5 19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 24"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.​

2. The Deity of Christ.

1 John 4:2-3: "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."​

3. Salvation by Grace through Faith.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9, NIV).

"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace" (Gal. 5:4).

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" (Rom. 3:20).​

4. The Resurrection of Christ.

"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1 Cor. 15:14).

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17).​

5. The Gospel.

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!" (Gal. 1:8-9, NIV).​

What do you think?

 

[Svt4Him]

The Law...Repentance....

The Gospel (good news) can only be understood in light of the law. And in order for someone to understand salvation, they need to know they need to be saved.

 

[Jim B]

Thanks Svt4Him. You said,

The Law...Repentance....

The Gospel (good news) can only be understood in light of the law. And in order for someone to understand salvation, they need to know they need to be saved.

Couldn't this be included in point #3:

3. Salvation by Grace through Faith.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9, NIV).

"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace" (Gal. 5:4).

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" (Rom. 3:20).

 

[Charlesinflorida]

Jim,

How about, "To live righteously before the Lord your God for He is righteous!"

Charles in Florida

 

[SavedByGrace3]

No Question. Paul lists them:
Heb 6:1-3
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.

This "doctrine of Christ" or the "foundation principles", are also called (see Heb 5) "milk", "the first principles of the oracles of God", and "beginnings".

This is the list:
1. Foundation of repentance from dead works
2. Faith toward God
3. Doctrine of baptisms
4. Laying on of hands
5. Resurrection of the dead
6. Eternal Judgement

 

[Jim B]

Didy listed them from Heb 6:
This is the list:

1. Foundation of repentance from dead works
2. Faith toward God
3. Doctrine of baptisms
4. Laying on of hands
5. Resurrection of the dead
6. Eternal Judgement

Question: Are these “essentials” or simply elementary beliefs upon which all others are based? Still marginal, but a foundation for sound doctrine. Is it still possible to be a Christian if we do not, say, practice laying on of hands or have a clear understanding of "baptisms?"

Jim
\o/

 

[Svt4Him]

Thanks Svt4Him. You said,


Couldn't this be included in point #3:

3. Salvation by Grace through Faith.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9, NIV).

"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace" (Gal. 5:4).

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" (Rom. 3:20).

It could be, but often repentance is overlooked. All heaven rejoices when one sinner comes to repentance.

 

[LynneClomina]

the Athanasian Creed

Whoever wishes to be saved must, above all else, hold to the true Christian Faith.
Whoever does not keep this faith pure in all points will certainly perish forever.

Now this is the true Christian faith:

We worship one God in three persons and three persons in one God, without mixing the persons or dividing the divine being.

For each person -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- is distinct, but the deity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory and coeternal in majesty.

What the Father is, so is the Son, and so is the Holy Spirit.

The Father is uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated;

The Father is eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal;

Any yet they are not three who are eternal, but there is one who is eternal, just as they are not three who are uncreated, nor three who are infinite, but there is one who is uncreated and one who is infinite.

In the same way the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit is almighty;

And yet they are not three who are almighty, but there is one who is almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;

And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.

So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord; yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.

For just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually to be God and Lord, so the true Christian faith forbids us to speak of three Gods or three Lords.

The Father is neither made not created, nor begotten of anyone.

The Son is neither made nor created, but is begotten of the Father alone.

The Holy Spirit is neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeds from the Father and the Son.

So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.

And within this Trinity none comes before or after; none is greater or inferior, but all three persons are coequal and coeternal, so that in every way, as stated before, all three persons are to be worshiped as one God and one God worshiped as three persons.

Whoever wishes to be saved must have this conviction of the Trinity.

It is furthermore necessary for eternal salvation truly to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ also took on human flesh.

Now this is the true Christian faith:

We believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and Man.

He is God, eternally begotten from the nature of the Father, and he is man, born in time from the nature of his mother, fully God, fully man, with rational soul and human flesh, equal to the Father, as to his deity, less than the Father, as to his humanity;

and though he is both God and Man, Christ is not two persons but one, one, not by changing the deity into flesh, but by taking the humanity into God;

one, indeed, not by mixture of the natures, but by unity in one person;

for just as the reasonable soul and flesh are one human being, so God and man are one Christ.

Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose the third day from the dead.

He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty, and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

At his coming all people will rise again with their own bodies to answer for their personal deeds.

Those who have done good will enter eternal life, but those who have done evil will go into everlasting fire.

This is the true Christian Faith.

Whoever does not faithfully and firmly believe this cannot be saved.


>>>This creed is named after St Athanasius, a staunch defender of the Christian faith in the fourth century.
It was prepared to assist the Church in combatting errors concerning the Trinity and the nature of Jesus and is one of the earliest detailed statements of the nature of the Trinity.

 

[Jim B]

Dear Lynne.

Thanks for participating in this study.

Personally, I am more committed to the Apostle’s Creed than either the Nicene or Athanasian Creeds. It seems the more the Apostle’s Creed was amended in the following centuries , favored doctrines (like the Trinity as defined by Athansius) crept in. The same is true of modern denominations, where pet non-essential doctrines become essentials. And that draws near the heart of why I chose to post this question.

\o/

 

[LynneClomina]

Dear Lynne.

Thanks for participating in this study.

Personally, I am more committed to the Apostle’s Creed than either the Nicene or Athanasian Creeds. It seems the more the Apostle’s Creed was amended in the following centuries , favored doctrines (like the Trinity as defined by Athansius) crept in. The same is true of modern denominations, where pet non-essential doctrines become essentials. And that draws near the heart of why I chose to post this question.

\o/

he he, i just thought reading it, whether you agree with it or not, might help ya think of something for your list!!!!



Lynne

 

[Charlesinflorida]

Athanasian Creed,

This is what happens when you try to understand Hebraic writings through Greeco-Roman thought processes. You see the Greeks have to make everything balance out like in an equation. But in Hebraic thought, it is perfectly fine to have a mystery that seems to be a contradiction. The trinity is a Greek invention that is modeled after its Pagan roots. In Hebraic thought God can be spirit and yet appear as man or as a flaming fire. These do not need explanation. They are acceptable as mystery. All this creed verbage rather than just saying that God is who he wants to be. (I am who I am)

Charles in Florida

 

[LynneClomina]

i think the trinity is clearly taught in scripture.

God the Father,
God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit.

all the one true God, and yet distinct, they talk amongst themselves, the Father and the Son and the HS all at once, not God rotating between versions of Himself...

??? Lynne

 

[Charlesinflorida]

The father is eternal, infinite and boundless. Yet he has a need to communicate with his creation. So his right arm extends into creation as Messiah, God in the flesh finite. And although Messiah has all the essence of God, he is not all that God is. He is the right arm of God.

As a friend explains it, holding my right arm in his hands, this is Charles. But if I separate the arm from the body I can not say that this arm that I hold in my hands is Charles, because Charles in more than that. The arm is part of Charles, but is nothing without being connected to the rest of him.

This is how it is with Messiah Yeshua, He is Gods right arm extending into the physical world that can not contain God in his entirety, so that God can have relationship with his creation. Further, God would live in us, but the infinite God nor the Son can dwell inside of us, but the Spirit, his life breath can live in us. They are all God.

The lord says in the O.T. I am the Lord your God there is no savior but me.

Charles in Florida

 

[enoch son]

Without love all of the above is nonsense.

 

[Jim B]

Lynne said:

i think the trinity is clearly taught in scripture.

Thanx, Lynne. I think it might be better stated that “the Trinity is clearly inferred in scripture.” While I do believe in the Trinty as the manner in which God has chosen to reveal Himself to man, I do not believe that that that is all there is to God. We say God is love, but that’s not all He is; I also believe we could say, God is Trinity, but that’s not all He is. Apart from 1 John 5.7, which is a highly disputed scripture not found in any Greek manuscript or translation of the Bible prior to the 16th century (see reputable commentaries and notes in Quest Study Bible, NIV Study Bible, etc.), there is no “clear” passage of scripture that "clearly" teaches a Trinity of the Godhead. It is strongly inferred in many place, just not clearly stated.

It is believed by most, if not all, evangelical scholars of the Bible that the inclusion of the disputed scripture may have been added to the text of 1 John 5 by a medieval copyist in order to provide just such a clear statement regarding the Trinity.

Most believers are not comfortable with his fact. In fact, I had a hard time accepting it at first, not wanting to diminish in any way the efficacy of the Word. But I have come to see, through honest research, that honest Bible-believing, God-fearing teachers of Word actually provide us protection from inclusions like this. God set teachers in the Body of Christ (Eph. 4.11) to protect the faith as it was once (and originally) “delivered to the saints.”

Jim
\o/

 

[Charlesinflorida]

Another one of those Jim is where Jesus is confronted by the pharises about not washing hands beore eating and Yeshua says it is not what goes into the mouth but what comes out of it that defiles a man. Then in some translaions it says (Thereby he declared all foods clean) abrogating Kosher law. This phrase was also added about the same time. Some bibles have the phrase in brackets to let the reader know it was added, and some today have since removed it. But the teaching that was built upon the added verse has stuck with christianity. The harm was done.

Charles in Florida

 

[pmarquette]

???? Mark 16.16-20 ; Mark 11.23-4 ; Luke 9.1 , 10.9 believer's authority
1 Corinthians 12 , Ephesians 4.11-12 ministry of Holy Spirit , mission of
the children of God ???

 

[Jim B]

pmarquette offered:

???? Mark 16.16-20 ; Mark 11.23-4 ; Luke 9.1 , 10.9 believer's authority
1 Corinthians 12 , Ephesians 4.11-12 ministry of Holy Spirit , mission of
the children of God ???

Thanx p. The OP said

I have decided to limit my study only to those beliefs the New Testament expressly tells us are necessary.

Do these passages expressly say that these doctrines are essential for one to be a Christian?

\o/

 

[Perceivence]

Another one of those Jim is where Jesus is confronted by the pharises about not washing hands beore eating and Yeshua says it is not what goes into the mouth but what comes out of it that defiles a man. Then in some translaions it says (Thereby he declared all foods clean) abrogating Kosher law. This phrase was also added about the same time. Some bibles have the phrase in brackets to let the reader know it was added, and some today have since removed it. But the teaching that was built upon the added verse has stuck with christianity. The harm was done.

Charles in Florida

That's not the only scripture that speaks "against" the Kosher Law.

 

[Charlesinflorida]

That's not the only scripture that speaks "against" the Kosher Law.

Can you site others?