So what are the essentials of your faith? With so many denominations and non-denominational churches to attend, is doctrine an important part of your choice or not?
If having a Biblically based church is high on your priority list, what doctrines would be essential for you to have fellowship with a church family?
For some the list might be short and for others it might be long. If you say a doctrine is essential for you, please say why.
Let the blogging begin!
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When Quoting Scripture Inflicts Harm
6 years ago
4 comments:
The main one for me is that the church agrees that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on a cross and rose from the grave (tomb) so that all those that believe may have everlasting life. There are some other beliefs I stand firm on (stand against sin; Homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, ect). But there are some that I am not willing to go to battle over.
I recommend starting with this……
1. Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1,14; 8:24; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4).
2. Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:14).
3. Salvation is by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 3:1-2; 5:1-4).
4. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus according to the scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Gal. 1:8-9).
5. There is only one God (Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8)
6. God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (See Trinity)
7. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary (nature of incarnation
8. Inerrancy of the Bible
9. Baptism is not necessary for salvation (Acts 10:44-48)
Thanks for asking….
Bob said....
Wow! I am perplexed...such a topic as this that wouldn't even get so much as a talking than this...
Folks, this is crucial stuff and I would be so inclined to say the most basic of things...
I do hope more would join in the topic. This is our Lord and our God...a lot of folks who might not otherwise know the basics of Christianity could be filled though this..
May God bless and thanks for reading.
I'm not so sure anymore about the validity of doctrine, when compared to other aspects of a faith. Historically, doctrines have been misinterpreted as a means of categorizing people of similar viewpoints. In other words, if you agree with me on this and that and the other, then you can be part of my club, if you don't agree, then go find another club. The result is a collection of people united in a belief, though not necessarily united in relationship.
With all the hissy-fits that get pitched over who believes in what points, Jesus's words seem to get sidelined: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Sadly, doctrines seem to provide more opportunity to alienate people than to love them.
A hot button (as was mentioned by another poster) is homosexuality. I may not agree with homosexuality, and I may have 20 Bible verses to back it up, and I may have a doctrine that stands against homosexuality. If I'm true to my doctrine, than I'll not want to have anything to do with people who are homosexuals, because it offends my belief structure. However, if I'm true to Jesus's command to love my neighbor as myself, I have to reach out to people who may otherwise go against my belief structure, requiring me to love the sinner but hate the sin.
According to the Bible, we are all supposed to stand before God one day and give account for how we lived our lives. I don't think that we will also be asked to give account for how others lived theirs, but it seems that the outworking of a rigid doctrine is that those who adhere to it take on the role of "moral watchdog", villifying and condemning others who don't embrace the same doctrine.
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