What are essentials of the faith? Agree or disagree?

[Omegaman 3.0]

I am a big fan of the saying:

In essentials, unity.
In non-essentials, liberty.
In all things, charity.

The shortcoming of that, is that we tend to disagree on what things belong in the essentials category. I of course, do not have the answer, I just have an opinion. To me, things about salvation are essentials, but some of the details of that (like the Arminianism VS. Calvinism debate) fall into the category of non-essentials. Why? Because some thing are essential to salvation while something people believe about it, are non-essentials. In other words, people in different camps, believing different things, can be saved, regardless of what they think about it. I would suggest that Satan himself likely knows about how salvation works, but he lacks the relationship and submission to God, that is required.

Similarly, people believe many different things about the topic of eschatology. I think these things are important. It is difficult for me to imagine that God would have provided so many details about the last things if they were not important. However, they are not essentials, so there we practice liberty.

While I cannot say with any authority what constitutes essentials, I shall offer what a group of evangelical Christians have done, to try to come to a consensus on that. Below are the 18 items they came up with: 

Below is featured an attempt at drafting the essentials of the faith, with which all Christians would agree. These 18 articles are from an Evangelical Christian perspective and likely even then, not all who call themselves Evangelicals, would agree. Certainly, not everyone who thinks themself a Christian would agree, but it is God who will separate the wheat from the tares, not us.
I present this more as a summary of things which I believe to be accurate doctrine in alignment with scripture.

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A Call to Evangelical Unity
Article	Affirm	Deny
1	We affirm that the Gospel entrusted to the Church is, in the first instance, God’s Gospel (Mark 1:14; Rom. 1:1). God is its author and he reveals it to us in and by his Word. Its authority and truth rest on him alone.	We deny that the truth or authority of the Gospel derives from any human insight or invention (Gal. 1:1-11). We also deny that the truth or authority of the Gospel rests on the authority of any particular church or human institution.
2	We affirm that the Gospel is the saving power of God in that the Gospel effects salvation to everyone who believes, without distinction (Rom. 1:16). This efficacy of the Gospel is by the power of God himself (1 Cor. 1:18).	We deny that the power of the Gospel rests in the eloquence of the preacher, the technique of the evangelist, or the persuasion of rational argument (1 Cor. 1:21; 2:1-5).
3	We affirm that the Gospel diagnoses the universal human condition as one of sinful rebellion against God, which if unchanged will lead each person to eternal loss under God’s condemnation.	We deny any rejection of the fallenness of human nature or any assertion of the natural goodness, or divinity, of the human race.
4	We affirm that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, the only mediator between God and humanity (John 14:6; 1 Tim. 2:5).	We deny that anyone is saved in any other way than by Jesus Christ and his Gospel. The Bible offers no hope that sincere worshippers of other religions will be saved without personal faith in Jesus Christ.
5	We affirm that the Church is commanded by God and is therefore under divine obligation to preach the Gospel to every living person (Luke 24:47; Mt. 28:18-19).	We deny that any particular class or group of persons, whatever their ethnic or cultural identity, may be ignored or passed over in the preaching of the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:19-22). God purposes a global Church made up from people of every tribe, language and nation (Rev. 7:9).
6	We affirm that faith in Jesus Christ as the divine Word (or Logos, John 1:1), the second Person of the Trinity, co-eternal and co-essential with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Heb. 1:3), is foundational to faith in the Gospel.	We deny that any view of Jesus Christ which reduces or rejects his full deity is Gospel faith or will avail to salvation.
7	We affirm that Jesus Christ is God incarnate (John 1:14). The virgin-born descendant of David (Rom. 1:3), he had a true human nature, was subject to the Law of God (Gal. 4:5), and was like us at all points, except without sin (Heb. 2:17, 7:26-28). We affirm that faith in the true humanity of Christ is essential to faith in the Gospel.	We deny that anyone who rejects the humanity of Christ, his incarnation, or his sinlessness, or who maintains that these truths are not essential to the Gospel, will be saved (1 John 4:2-3).
8	We affirm that the atonement of Christ by which, in his obedience, he offered a perfect sacrifice, propitiating the Father by paying for our sins and satisfying divine justice on our behalf according to God’s eternal plan, is an essential element of the Gospel.	We deny that any view of the atonement that rejects the substitutionary satisfaction of divine justice, accomplished vicariously for believers, is compatible with the teaching of the Gospel.
9	We affirm that Christ’s saving work included both his life and his death on our behalf (Gal. 3:13). We declare that faith in the perfect obedience of Christ by which he fulfilled all the demands of the Law of God in our behalf is essential to the Gospel.	We affirm that Christ’s saving work included both his life and his death on our behalf (Gal. 3:13). We declare that faith in the perfect obedience of Christ by which he fulfilled all the demands of the Law of God in our behalf is essential to the Gospel.
10	We affirm that the bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead is essential to the biblical Gospel (1 Cor. 15:14).	We deny the validity of any so-called gospel that denies the historical reality of the bodily resurrection of Christ.
11	We affirm that the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone is essential to the Gospel (Rom. 3:28; 4:5; Gal. 2:16).	We deny that any person can believe the biblical Gospel and at the same time reject the apostolic teaching of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. We also deny that there is more than one true Gospel (Gal. 1:6-9).
12	We affirm that the doctrine of the imputation (reckoning or counting) both of our sins to Christ and of his righteousness to us, whereby our sins are fully forgiven and we are fully accepted, is essential to the biblical Gospel (2 Cor. 5:19-21).	We deny that we are justified by the righteousness of Christ infused into us or by any righteousness that is thought to inhere within us.
13	We affirm that the righteousness of Christ by which we are justified is properly his own, which he achieved apart from us, in and by his perfect obedience. This righteousness is counted, reckoned, or imputed to us by the forensic (that is, legal) declaration of God, as the sole ground of our justification.	We deny that any works we perform at any stage of our existence add to the merit of Christ or earn for us any merit that contributes in any way to the ground of our justification (Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5).
14	We affirm that while all believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are in the process of being made holy and conformed to the image of Christ, those consequences of justification are not its ground. God declares us just, remits our sins, and adopts us as his children, by his grace alone, and through faith alone, because of Christ alone, while we are still sinners (Rom. 4:5).	We deny that believers must be inherently righteous by virtue of their cooperation with God’s life-transforming grace before God will declare them justified in Christ. We are justified while we are still sinners.
15	We affirm that saving faith results in sanctification, the transformation of life in growing conformity to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification means ongoing repentance, a life of turning from sin to serve Jesus Christ in grateful reliance on him as one’s Lord and Master (Gal. 5:22-25; Rom. 8:4, 13-14).	We reject any view of justification which divorces it from our sanctifying union with Christ and our increasing conformity to his image through prayer, repentance, cross-bearing, and life in the Spirit.
16	We affirm that saving faith includes mental assent to the content of the Gospel, acknowledgment of our own sin and need, and personal trust and reliance upon Christ and his work.	We deny that saving faith includes only mental acceptance of the Gospel, and that justification is secured by a mere outward profession of faith. We further deny that any element of saving faith is a meritorious work or earns salvation for us.
17	We affirm that although true doctrine is vital for spiritual health and well-being, we are not saved by doctrine. Doctrine is necessary to inform us how we may be saved by Christ, but it is Christ who saves.	We deny that the doctrines of the Gospel can be rejected without harm. Denial of the Gospel brings spiritual ruin and exposes us to God’s judgment.
18	We affirm that Jesus Christ commands his followers to proclaim the Gospel to all living persons, evangelizing everyone everywhere, and discipling believers within the fellowship of the Church. A full and faithful witness to Christ includes the witness of personal testimony, godly living, and acts of mercy and charity to our neighbor, without which the preaching of the Gospel appears barren.	We deny that the witness of personal testimony, godly living, and acts of mercy and charity to our neighbors constitute evangelism apart from the proclamation of the Gospel.
More details can be found in the Bible 365 Club here at Worthy.

[Marathoner]

Ah, yet another topic to draw me out of lurking. This happens once in a while. 

An ambitious project! Your candor is refreshing, but then that's an attribute I find endearing in a brother and fellow servant of the Lord. Here's something I wish to contribute for consideration, then:

19.) We affirm that, as men toiling upon the earth in this corruptible body of flesh and blood, we see darkly and know only in part; we do not yet know as we ought to know. As the apostle informs us, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12 NASB)

We deny that any man sees clearly and knows all things, for this is related to the denial stipulated in 1.) and affirms that the Lord God Himself, and His Word as revealed to us in scripture, is preeminent in all matters. 

(This is a rejection of earthy/fleshly ecclesiastical authority which seeks to usurp the throne and majesty of the Lord)

As a point of discussion, the fact that we all see dimly (darkly) and know only in part underscores our pressing need to be taught by the Spirit of Christ, which is one of many promises God has spoken to us. The Son of God calls us to Him so we might be taught by Him.

This also has the entirely desirable effect of calling attention to the many-membered Body of Christ, expressing the necessity of our unity upon the earth by the power and grace of God, for it is through this unity that collectively, we are the temple of the living God raised without human hands (for God does not dwell in structures built by human hands). Christ in us... Christ in the Father... and the scriptural truth that, just as the Father and Son are One, we are one! Refer to the Lord's prayer in John 17. 

By ourselves we see darkly and know only in part, but together? That's a different matter entirely. I have witnessed this before which is why you'll find me dismissing most disagreements which arise among brethren. Because I'm inclined to remain silent, I hear a great deal; and what I hear constitutes parts of the whole. I know that I'm not the only one (and not the only one on this forum) who has been blessed to witness the Spirit of God speaking through the hearts of brothers and sisters in Christ. 

I have heard and seen many wondrous works of God during my time, but none quite so lovely and magnificent as the Body of Christ. Do I disagree with any of the points you shared above, @Omegaman 3.0? Nope, but I would do my part by offering the following.

Therefore, I would add my contribution to "flesh out" 6.). It is entirely possible to be called in ignorance by the Lord, in whom we believe which is the gift of God, only to learn the nature and divinity of Christ afterward. This was, after all, precisely what happened to me. The Lord called me, claimed me, and then sent me to a teacher (whom He approved of) to learn about Him. The apostle Paul was ignorant of Christ Jesus when the Lord struck him blind on the road, so this is not without scriptural precedent.

Just my thoughts.  
 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Marathoner

[Omegaman 3.0]

I cannot disagree with anything you said above @Marathoner . Thanks for your contribution. I too, as a matter of personal experience, reacted to God's call on my life, in faith, not really knowing what I was signing up for. I had to be broken, before God would fix be. It was a simple faith, more of a trust and a submission than any detailed, doctrinal understanding. After all, God gladly brings unsophisticated people with childlike faith in preference to people full of themselves with how clever they are.

A bit of an addendum. I tend to think that there are some essentials that pertain the the person of Jesus, the Christ:

• Virgin conception and birth
• Virtuous and sin free life
• Vicarious, substitutionary death on the cross for sinners
• Victorious, bodily resurrection
• Vertical ascension back to heaven to be with the Father
• Visible return at His second coming
• Very God - the one and only true God and Creator

[GandalfTheWise]

In what for me is rare short post, to some degree I'd lean toward including having a personal testimony of what God has done and is doing in one's life as an essential.  Ultimately, God does real stuff in our lives and that is what really counts rather than how correctly we can explain what He did after the fact.  I'm not sure how to add that into a list of doctrinal points.

[Omegaman 3.0]

1 hour ago, GandalfTheWise said:

In what for me is rare short post, to some degree I'd lean toward including having a personal testimony of what God has done and is doing in one's life as an essential.  Ultimately, God does real stuff in our lives and that is what really counts rather than how correctly we can explain what He did after the fact.  I'm not sure how to add that into a list of doctrinal points.

Hi Gandalf, thanks for your comments.

I'm not sure either, mostly because those things are personal, while I think the things on the list are specifics we can find in scripture. Changed lives are expected from what the Bible says God does in us, and we can look for fruit in believers. However, I have known some unbelievers who live lives which outwardly appear not only exemplary, but sometimes exceeds what we observe from professing believers. 

We do not have the ability to look into the hearts of others, to see what is at work, only God does that, so I think while it is real, it is in a different category. Having said that, I would say that articles 15 and 18, confirm what you have just said.

[Marathoner]

I understand where both of you are coming from. 

What is the practical value of our testimony in Christ, then? Edification of the Body. Encouraging each other in the faith delivered once for all. Magnifying these bonds of love in Jesus Christ for we are the work of His hand. If the Lord sees fit to purpose our testimony to minister to the stranger who is our neighbor, then His Holy Spirit will see to this work. 

Again, this serves to direct our gaze back upon the many-membered Body of Christ for some of us are evangelists, equipped by the Lord to walk in those works He ordained for us. Ah, but then we are ALL evangelists, for our personal testimony isn't required nor called for in all circumstances. In this, I'm in agreement with @Omegaman 3.0. 

We remember the passage from Ecclesiastes which tells us, "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NASB)

If I were to launch into those things I have seen, heard, and endured during my time on earth every time I found myself in a situation which calls for evangelism, I'd find myself in a constant state of exhaustion! I know the same applies to us all. 

Therefore, when I do share some of the wonderous works of the Lord I have witnessed, it invariably serves the purpose of edifying --- and in some cases, informing --- beloved brethren. I have shared my experience of how the Lord planted me into the life of a militant atheist, but this is not something which is understood by unbelievers, my friends. The unbeliever couldn't possibly care less.

But to a brother or sister who is wrestling with the challenge of approaching and interacting with atheists, this testimony is of value. What do I say to my brother? "Just because the Lord did this doesn't make me an 'expert' at witnessing to atheists." I kid no one, especially myself. That was a work of Jesus Christ and had nothing to do with me; it had everything to do with His love for them. 

So, to my brother I say, "Take care, my friend. Remember that the atheist is engaged in a futile denial of the Lord God, so they will do whatever it takes to rebuff you, insult you, and sometimes even blaspheme for effect (a favorite past-time of the militant anti-theist). What is the effect they desire? Our chagrin, of course."

We must accordingly steel ourselves for such things. The Lord taught me through this experience that patience and longsuffering is our place and due. We must be entirely forgiving of the atheist and their ridiculous antics. Many atheists are accustomed to making sport of earnest brothers and sisters...

Refusing to take their bait and sticking around is not part of the game they are used to playing.  

Edification of the Body; building us up and encouraging one another to never weary of doing good. That's the practical value of our testimony unless the Lord deems otherwise.   
 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Marathoner

[kwikphilly]

I have something to say Mega-Brother!