Evangelicals: We Can And Must Distinguish Between Essentials And Non-essentials Better
by Calvinist Michael C. Patton
We Evangelicals talk a lot about essentials and non-essentials. Rightly so. We talk about distinguishing between those areas in our faith—those doctrines—which are central or “cardinal” doctrines, and those which are not so important. However, we often have trouble when someone asks us to define, distinguish, and defend this whole “essentials/non-essentials” distinction.
Evangelicals: We can and we must distinguish between sssentials and non-essentials better. Draw our circles too tightly, and we slip into fundamentalism. Draw our circles too wide, and we slip into liberalism.
I have written on this many times, but I am going to attempt to be somewhat comprehensive here. That means: “long article forthcoming.” But I think that this exercise is representative of a pressing issue in Christian discipleship. So put on your seat belt. It is going to get bumpy.
At the Credo House of Theology (our headquarters in Edmond, Oklahoma), right when you walk in the front door you will see written on the wall in Latin the words in necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. Translated into English, this means, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” This phrase (often wrongly attributed to Augustine) comes from an otherwise obscure German Lutheran theologian of the early seventeenth century named Rupertus Meldenius. It has served as a place holder for a sort of Evangelical credo (statement of faith—hense, it is the first thing you see at the “Credo” house). It expresses the idea of orthodoxy and grace existing together. It reminds us that there are essential Christian beliefs and there are those matters of lesser importance.
I remember hearing a pastor once say concerning doctrine, “You are either one-hundred percent right or one-hundred percent wrong. There is no in-between and there are no gray areas. God is not confused or unsure. Why should we be?” While this might be true concerning God, for us things are different. For now, we see in a mirror dimly (1 Cor. 13:12).
Paul spoke about those things that are “of first importance [protois]” (emphasis mine). Christ spoke about straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel (Matt. 23:24) and the “weightier things of the law” (Matt. 23:23). The very existence of creeds and pithy statements of faith in the Bible evidence the assumption that there are many issues that are of “first importance.” Here are a few examples of biblical creeds and succinct statements of faith:
Deut. 6:4: Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD alone.
1 Cor. 12:3: Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor. 15:3-7: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Phil. 2:6-11: who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1 Tim. 3:16: Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Heb. 6:1-2: Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, with instruction about ablutions, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
1John 4:2: By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.
As I said, this is one of the things that (should) distinguish us as Evangelicals. We are those who unite around those things that we believe are the weightiest, the things that are the most important, while we (should) give liberty in the non-essentials. I often tell people that there are some things that I believe that I would die for; there are some things that I believe that I would lose an arm for; there are some things that I believe that I would lose a finger for; and then there are some things that I believe that I would not even get a manicure for.
Like in all areas of life, we need to learn to choose our battles carefully. But in order to do this, we must first come to know the difference between essentials and non-essentials.
But (as the criticism goes) it is not that easy to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials. More importantly for now, many Evangelicals have simply never been exposed to this and therefore practice their theology in a much more legalistic way, believing every conviction that they have to be representative of a hill upon which they should die.
Here I want to elaborate upon and expand the discussion a little bit. While we need to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials, we also need to recognize that there are different types of essentials. Along with this goes my belief that there are different ways to “break fellowship” based on our beliefs. In other words, not all essentials are equal. Some are essential to the very foundation of Christianity, but some are only essential to a particular denomination or expression. This will require different types of breaks in fellowship.
Let me start with a chart, then I will briefly break it down (see attachment):
Essential for salvation: These are the most essential doctrines of all essentials. This includes what every Christian should always be willing to die for. In essence, if someone does not believe the doctrines that are “essential for salvation,” they are not saved.
What I include:
Belief in God (there is no such thing as an atheistic Christian)
Issues pertaining to the person and work of Christ:
Belief in Christ’s deity and humanity (1 John 4:2-3; Rom. 10:9)
Belief that you are a sinner in need of God’s mercy (1 John 1:10)
Belief that Christ died on the cross and rose bodily from the grave (1 Cor 15:3-4)
Belief that faith in Christ is necessary (John 3:16)
As with all of them, I am sure that there are some ancillary matters that could be included, but this gives you the key doctrines. Without these, you simply don’t have any sense of what it means to be a Christian present.
Essential for historic Christian orthodoxy: These include beliefs “essential for salvation” but are broader in that they express what has been believed by the historic Christian church for the last two thousand years, no matter what tradition. This is expressed by the Vincentian Canon (434 A.D.): “that which has been believed everywhere, always and by all.” The exception of fringe movements has never been valid for this canon. It is simply asking, “What have all Christians everywhere always believed?”
Some of what I include:
The doctrine of the Trinity as expressed at Nicea
The doctrine of the Hypostatic Union (Christ is fully man and fully God) as expressed at Chalcedon
The belief in the future second coming of Christ
A belief in the inspiration and authority of Scripture
A belief in eternal punishment for the wicked
A belief in God’s transcendence (his metaphysical distinction from the universe)
Belief that Christ is the only way to the Father
To be sure, some of these doctrines “develop,” but their development is only in relation to their seed form which preexisted their more mature expression. (For more on this, see here.)
Essential for traditional orthodoxy: Again, these will necessarily include all of those from the two previous categories, but add some distinctives of their own. Essentials here will include all of those that are foundational to one of the three main Christian traditions: Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism. These are beliefs that distinguish one tradition from the next, but are not absolutely essential from the broader Christian worldview expressed above.
Some Protestant distinctives would include:
General belief in the major pronouncements of the first seven ecumenical councils (325-787 AD)
Belief in the necessity for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
Belief that justification is through faith alone on the basis of Christ alone
Belief that Scripture alone has ultimate authority on all matters of faith and practice
The canon of Scripture made up of 66 books (excluding the Deuterocanonical books)
Some Roman Catholic distinctives that would include:
Belief in transubstantiation (the bread and wine turn into the actual body and blood of Christ)
Belief that justification is through faith and works
Belief that both Scripture and unwritten tradition have ultimate authority as they are interpreted by the Magisterium
Belief in the authority of twenty-one ecumenical councils
Belief that the Pope is the infallible vicar of Christ
Belief in the Marian dogmas
Belief that the canon includes the Deuterocanonical books
Some Eastern Orthodox distinctives that would include:
Belief in the infallibility of the first seven ecumenical councils (325-787 AD)
Belief that the liturgy of the Church is part of the Gospel
Rejection of substitutionary atonement and the imputation of Adam’s sin
Salvation by grace through faith as God works these out through our unification with Him (theosis)
Traditional inclusion of the Deuterocanonical book (although there is some debate about this)
Essential for denominational orthodoxy: This will be similar to the above, but one step down in importance, dealing as it does with the particular and peculiar denominational expressions by the various Protestant traditions.
Some examples:
Credo-baptism, i.e., Baptism is only for believers (Baptists)
Infant baptism (Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans)
Unconditional election (Reformed and Presbyterians)
Arminian theology (Methodists, Nazarenes)
Belief in the continuation of the Charismatic gifts (Pentecostals, Church of God)
Important but not essential: These are those beliefs that do not describe any particular tradition necessarily. They are important, but not that important.
Some examples:
Beliefs about particulars in the creation debate
Belief whether the books of Jonah and Job are historical accounts
Beliefs about the inerrancy of Scripture
Beliefs about the authorship of 2 Peter
Belief about particular end-time schemes (i.e. premillennial, amillennial, post-millennial)
The order of books in the canon
Which translation of the Bible to use from the pulpit
Which Gospel was written first
How often one should celebrate the Lord’s supper
Whether or not Christ taught in Greek or Aramaic
Not Important: These are beliefs that people have concerning Christian doctrine that are not important for any expression and do not affect Christian devotion or spirituality.
Some examples
The date of Christ’s birth (Christmas)
What kind of music to play at church
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: That is just what these are—speculation. We just don’t know one way or another, nor does it matter.
Some examples
Did Adam have a belly-button? (yes, they did…it would just look funny otherwise)
Belief in the eternal destiny of pets? (except I know my dog Rocky is going to heaven)
What was God doing “before” creation? (decrees)
Will there be meat to eat in heaven? (we can all hope)
Will there be sex in heaven? (we can all hope more)
How long was it before Adam and Eve fell? (didn’t I just write on this?)
So far, my purpose has been to stimulate a deeper level of thought about the difference between essentials and non-essentials. Really, I just want to convince you that there are essentials and non-essentials.
Now (take a deep breath), let’s move on and talk about the criteria which makes a doctrine essential.
Four Tests
So far so good? I can hear the objections: ”This all sounds really nice. But who decides what are essential doctrines and non-essential doctrines? The Pope? Your local church pastor? The SBC? Al Mohler? (Didn’t Al Mohler just anathmatize yoga?) Or is it my private interpretation of the Scripture? Alas, with such a question, the divisions start all over. “In essentials, unity.” Sounds nice, but impractical.”
I don’t think we have to be so pessimistic about this. I actually think that there are certain criteria that most thoughtful people can agree constitutes the foundation of our faith—the essentials. I have them narrowed to four in no certain order. It is important to note that I am persuaded that all four must be present for a doctrine to be considered essential. These criteria would pertain to the first two circles: 1) Essential for salvation and 2) Essential for historic Christian orthodoxy.
