Unity of faith: Non-Negotiables & Non-Essentials?

[GoldenEagle]

I recently heard a good explanation of having unity of faith with other Believers. The idea was to differentiate non-negotiable and non-essential in viewing doctrines.
 

A non-negotiable would be God is the creator of all the universe. A non-essential would be where people land on the whole Armenianism and Calvinism spectrum of the free will vs predestination argument.

 

For example I can be leaning towards the whole Armenian view and still have fellowship with someone who is more leaning toward a Calvinistic ideology. We still agree on the non-negotiable that God is the creator of all the universe so we are united in the same faith. 

(Not saying I lean either way for reference this is just an example).

 

What else can we agree upon to be non-negotiable to the Christian faith? What can we agree are non-essentials?

God bless,

GE
 

[Littlelambseativy]

God the Father

God (Jesus the Word) created heaven and earth

Jesus Christ His only Son conceive by Holy Spirit

Virgin birth

Suffered for our sin

Died and was buried descended to the dead

Rose the 3rd day

Sits on the right hand of the Father in heaven

Will come to judge the living and the dead

The Holy Spirit

Communion of Saint

Forgiveness of sins

Resurrection of our bodies

Basically ...the Apostles Creed says it all. ONE JESUS the Son of the LIVING GOD, son of David who will sit on David's throne forever.

NON NEGOTIABLE.

[Guest]

Essential:

God the Father

God (Jesus the Word) created heaven and earth

Jesus Christ His only Son conceive by Holy Spirit

Virgin birth

Suffered for our sin

Died and was buried descended to the dead

Rose the 3rd day

Sits on the right hand of the Father in heaven

Will come to judge the living and the dead

The Holy Spirit

Communion of Saint

Forgiveness of sins

Resurrection of our bodies

Basically ...the Apostles Creed says it all. ONE JESUS the Son of the LIVING GOD, son of David who will sit on David's throne forever.

NON NEGOTIABLE.

Nonessential:

Anything else. Although deviation from the inerrancy of the Bible would call into question the veracity of the entire Bible.

[Willa]

We believe in one God:

The Father, Almighty Spirit, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Word, Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; and for whom all things were made;

Who, to graciously purchase our salvation with His blood, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; As perfect God and perfect man, the Branch of David was sinless. He was crucified for our sins,, and was buried; the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven, and sits in power on the right hand of the Father; From thence he shall come again to judge the the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, the Comforter who proceedes from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets and by whom men wrote the Scriptures. He indwells, seals, guides and enlightens all who rely on Him.

We look for the resurrection of the dead: eternal life with Christ for those that are born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, saved by grace through faith as a gift from God; Eternal torment awaits the wicked.

The person and work of God are non negotiable, as is the work of the Holy Spirit inspiring Scripture, infallible in the original manuscripts. The modified Nicene Creed does a better job of addressing errors that have been addressed here on worthy, like people who claim that Jesus ceased to be God when He became man, Those who claim that Father had a human body or that Jesus did not, or that Jesus was created.

[Littlelambseativy]

Essential:

God the Father

God (Jesus the Word) created heaven and earth

Jesus Christ His only Son conceive by Holy Spirit

Virgin birth

Suffered for our sin

Died and was buried descended to the dead

Rose the 3rd day

Sits on the right hand of the Father in heaven

Will come to judge the living and the dead

The Holy Spirit

Communion of Saint

Forgiveness of sins

Resurrection of our bodies

Basically ...the Apostles Creed says it all. ONE JESUS the Son of the LIVING GOD, son of David who will sit on David's throne forever.

NON NEGOTIABLE.

Nonessential:

Anything else. Although deviation from the inerrancy of the Bible would call into question the veracity of the entire Bible.

Nonessential?? Without that we are not Christians. That is the bedrock of our faith. Christ is the sure foundation without Him and His work we are like those most miserable. We have learned to love because of God who is pure love otherwise we have no love or Jesus in us.

[gamnot]

Non-negotiable: Jesus is the unique; only begotten son of God who came to occupy the predicted office of Messiah. .................... No one goes to the Father except by being lead by the Son; no one comes to the Son except by being drawn to him by the Father.

[Wildstar]

I have a few of them my self. 

 

A Christian is a saint not a sinner.

A Christian is sinless because:

1) they have repented of their sin

2) they believe in Jesus work

A Christian believes in the water, blood, Spirit

Then you have the typical stuff

 

Jesus is God

Resurrected

etc

[jdxp]

Essential:

...

Nonessential:

Anything else. Although deviation from the inerrancy of the Bible would call into question the veracity of the entire Bible.

 

That's not the way it works.

 

I know that there are mistakes in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, especially in the last three volumes, but that doesn't make me doubt the whole work. If someone rejects inerrancy, they can still have faith in most of the Bible. And really, does that matter? I would consider someone a Christian who believes in the gospel Paul repeats in 1 Corinthians 15 but who, at the same time, doesn't believe Onan was killed because he spilled his seed.

 

I'm afraid that if your view is correct, then someone who is seeking the truth but has doubts about the absolute truth of parts of the Bible ought reject the whole Bible.

[Guest shiloh357]

 

Essential:

...

Nonessential:

Anything else. Although deviation from the inerrancy of the Bible would call into question the veracity of the entire Bible.

 

That's not the way it works.

 

I know that there are mistakes in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, especially in the last three volumes, but that doesn't make me doubt the whole work. If someone rejects inerrancy, they can still have faith in most of the Bible. And really, does that matter? I would consider someone a Christian who believes in the gospel Paul repeats in 1 Corinthians 15 but who, at the same time, doesn't believe Onan was killed because he spilled his seed.

 

I'm afraid that if your view is correct, then someone who is seeking the truth but has doubts about the absolute truth of parts of the Bible ought reject the whole Bible.

 

If the Bible is wrong on one point, then what faith can you have in other areas??   If the Bible can't really be trusted on minor things, why would you put your ultimate faith in it for more important things???  

 

Sorry but your comment makes no sense.   I would not drive a car if the brakes only work 9 out of 10 times.   I would not trust a person who is known to lie from time to time.    I mean the Bible is talking about your eternal salvation and if I can find historical errors in the Bible, it naturally calls into question the Bible's infallibility and inherent trustworthiness in spiritual matters.

 

Sorry, but the Bible doesn't give you the option of believing only part of it.  We don't get the option of sitting in judgment on the Bible and deciding which parts are or not.  The Bible is not a buffet where you get to pick and choose according to your taste.  It's all or nothing.

 

Inerrancy of Scripture is essential to the Christian faith, period.

[Salty]

So there's no mistakes in Bible translations??? Try the KJV with Acts 12:4 with the translation to "Easter", which in the Greek NT is actually the word for 'passover'.

 

There's errors in all... Bible translations, more in some translations than in others, and even in many manuscripts. Yet God's Word in its original form is inerrant. God gave us enough repeat examples of the same events throughout all His Word to make up for that though, which is one of the reasons we are to establish every word by two or more witnesses, which applies to study of His Word also.