Quote:
Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa
Building looks nice.
I don't believe this thread's topic is about any preacher forcing his congregants to believe anything. But you made two interesting statements, you said, you don't force them to believe everything you believe, as long as they don't have a problem with essentials. What are the essentials to you?
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In no particular order:
1)The Bible is the Word of God. (I prefer they believe it to be inspired, inerrant, and authoritative but won't tell anyone to leave if they don't, however week after week that's how it is going to be preached). I guess technically this isn't an "essential" but I included it anyway as a core belief.
2)That there is One God. If someone believes in the Trinity I don't kick them out, but I don't teach the trinity. I teach there is one God revealed in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, the full revelation of the Father. He is one and the same the Creator of all things and the Almighty. Does someone have to affirm and understand all of those things, no I don't give a test, but I would say belief in the full humanity and deity of Jesus is essential.
3)Salvation is by grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ (including his atoning death and bodily resurrection). Repentance is absolutely essential and is stressed often in my preaching. There is no place for easy believism. I believe in what the Evangelical world terms "Lordship Salvation".
4) By extension baptism is essential. If someone has not been baptized I ask them not to partake of communion. Their baptism could have happened in another church, I leave that between them and the
Lord but if I know someone hasn't been baptized then I don't believe they should partake of the Lord's Supper.
5)The absolute exclusivity of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. We reject that others can be saved without repentance and faith in Christ.
That's a good start. Of course there are tons of very important secondary issues, the Virgin Birth, Creation , etc.
But when it comes down to it all the "essentials" have to do with Theology, Christology, and Soteriology. Beside that everything is secondary in one sense or another. I believe our doctrinal statement is written in a way that allows freedom of conscious while still affirming the essentials of the Christian faith.
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