- Nov 27, 2007
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Just just wanted to make a loving and friendly and reminder, as Christians we must understand that there are essential doctrine and there are nonessential doctrine.
What do I mean by that?
essential doctrine is doctrine and theology that are central, or foundational to the core of Christianity, examples would be:
the incarnation of Christ
the doctrine of Christ
the deity of Christ
the exclusivity of Christ
the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ
the need for repentance
the need for genuine faith
the return of Jesus Christ
the final punishment of the wicked on Judgment Day...
Such doctrines Like these are the foundation of where we build our faith, and I would think every person who calls himself a Christian on these forms would say to the above that they believe every single one of these.
Then there are nonessential doctrines.
non essential doctrines are beliefs that many Christians hold to, yet do not outrightly affect our salvation. Some examples would be:
how old the Earth is
the seed of Cain
whether the Earth is flat or not
Who the two witnesses are in the Book of Revelation
whether or not there's going to be a literal 1000 year reign of Christ on the Earth
Whether a pretribulation rapture is true or not
the varying beliefs of what the final punishment will be (eternal torment, annihilation, universal reconciliation)
whether Easter should be celebrated on Easter Sunday or on Nisan 14
Whether or not Christmas should be celebrated
Whether or not pork is OK for us to eat
Whether or not the Sabbath is on Saturday or Sunday
These doctrines, and other doctrines that have not mentioned here, still hold to and affirm all the essential beliefs, but the intricacies may differ between people. These are only some examples that Christians may differ on with one another, but can have a loving discussion with someone who may or may not disagree with them.
As we study the Word, and as we grow closer to Jesus, we must understand the differences between essential doctrines and nonessential doctrines. If we fail to do this, we have the tendency of making a mountain of a molehill, and conversation would degrade into shouting matches, trolling, and throwing out insults and ad hominems until a mod decides to close the thread altogether.
We can agree to disagree when it concerns nonessential doctrines, because it is not in those essential doctrines that make us a Christian...
It is the essential doctrines that make us a Christian.
Justin Martyr, who was a 2nd century Christian apologist, he affirmed the belief of premillennialism, or the belief that Jesus would return before the 1000 year reign, and that it would be a literal 1000 year reign, however, even in his writing, he admitted that there were those who disagreed with him, but he called them pious and devout in the faith. In his days, Justin Martyr was a contemporary of Irenaeus. Irenaeus was the student of Polycarp, who in turn was the student of the Apostle John...
I bring this up because we see how close to the Apostles these individuals were, and even though there were Christians at that point who disagreed with them, Justin Martyr understood the difference between essential doctrines and nonessential doctrines, and was still willing to call those who disagreed with him on the non-essential doctrines, Christians.
It is my hope that we as Christians today, our hearts can reflect that of the earliest Christians, and find common ground with those who believe the essentials like we do, but may not believe as we do when it concerns the nonessentials
What do I mean by that?
essential doctrine is doctrine and theology that are central, or foundational to the core of Christianity, examples would be:
the incarnation of Christ
the doctrine of Christ
the deity of Christ
the exclusivity of Christ
the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ
the need for repentance
the need for genuine faith
the return of Jesus Christ
the final punishment of the wicked on Judgment Day...
Such doctrines Like these are the foundation of where we build our faith, and I would think every person who calls himself a Christian on these forms would say to the above that they believe every single one of these.
Then there are nonessential doctrines.
non essential doctrines are beliefs that many Christians hold to, yet do not outrightly affect our salvation. Some examples would be:
how old the Earth is
the seed of Cain
whether the Earth is flat or not
Who the two witnesses are in the Book of Revelation
whether or not there's going to be a literal 1000 year reign of Christ on the Earth
Whether a pretribulation rapture is true or not
the varying beliefs of what the final punishment will be (eternal torment, annihilation, universal reconciliation)
whether Easter should be celebrated on Easter Sunday or on Nisan 14
Whether or not Christmas should be celebrated
Whether or not pork is OK for us to eat
Whether or not the Sabbath is on Saturday or Sunday
These doctrines, and other doctrines that have not mentioned here, still hold to and affirm all the essential beliefs, but the intricacies may differ between people. These are only some examples that Christians may differ on with one another, but can have a loving discussion with someone who may or may not disagree with them.
As we study the Word, and as we grow closer to Jesus, we must understand the differences between essential doctrines and nonessential doctrines. If we fail to do this, we have the tendency of making a mountain of a molehill, and conversation would degrade into shouting matches, trolling, and throwing out insults and ad hominems until a mod decides to close the thread altogether.
We can agree to disagree when it concerns nonessential doctrines, because it is not in those essential doctrines that make us a Christian...
It is the essential doctrines that make us a Christian.
Justin Martyr, who was a 2nd century Christian apologist, he affirmed the belief of premillennialism, or the belief that Jesus would return before the 1000 year reign, and that it would be a literal 1000 year reign, however, even in his writing, he admitted that there were those who disagreed with him, but he called them pious and devout in the faith. In his days, Justin Martyr was a contemporary of Irenaeus. Irenaeus was the student of Polycarp, who in turn was the student of the Apostle John...
I bring this up because we see how close to the Apostles these individuals were, and even though there were Christians at that point who disagreed with them, Justin Martyr understood the difference between essential doctrines and nonessential doctrines, and was still willing to call those who disagreed with him on the non-essential doctrines, Christians.
It is my hope that we as Christians today, our hearts can reflect that of the earliest Christians, and find common ground with those who believe the essentials like we do, but may not believe as we do when it concerns the nonessentials
