There's been an incident on a private Christian message I'm part of recently, concerning denominational doctrinal differences. Well, not specifically concerning that, but it's where my mind ended up wandering to.
It reminded me a little bit (in a very random sort of way) to the most recent time the JW's knocked on my front door. They started off by showing some articles in their latest magazine about Jesus coming back, and shared an obscure Scripture out of Psalms to bolster their point. I replied by saying, there are plenty of other Scriptures that you could use rather than that one - such as Isaiah 65, Revelation 21 etc. Which led onto a discussion culminating in them saying Jesus was not God but the archangel Michael.
I was labouring this point, and the older woman (she had taken over quite early in the piece, a comforting sign that they were a bit rattled) said something along the lines of 'We'll just have to agree to disagree about that.'
I replied, 'No, that's not possible - if you've got the wrong Jesus, then nothing else matters.' At which point she quicked thanked me for my time and literally almost ran down the driveway.
Coming back to the Christian message board conversation. The notion of Jesus being God, come to earth as a man, dying on the cross for our sins, a price that completely satisfied God's justice, and bodily rising from the dead - is central to Christianity. It is the definition of Christianity and the Gospel.
But branching out from there one encounters all the other doctrines: the Trinity, literal 6-day Creation, the Second Coming, once-saved-always-saved, the gifts of the Spirit, water baptism, etc. Each of these is determined by our hermeneutics (the way we interpret the Bible, from literal to allegorical). And our stance on the core doctrine of 'what is the Gospel' is likewise affected, although this is not always evident.
I don't know what the answer is to the question, 'How much doctrine do you have to have correct, to be a Christian'. Because in reality, none of us can truly grasp the notion of the Trinity, or the means of justification.
So what are the bare bones of Christian belief? Here are my thoughts:
- Jesus Christ is God (but this by itself is not enough, because demons believe this)
- His death on the cross and resurrection paid for my sins (but this by itself is not enough, because if we do not apply this truth to our lives, it means nothing)
- Jesus Christ is Lord of my life (now it's personal)
The implications of the last one are far-reaching... encompassing repentance, turning from sin, pursuing righteousness. If He is Lord, it will greatly impact how we live. Ultimately it will affect how we read the Scriptures (that He wrote), and the other doctrines mentioned above will fall into their rightful places.
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5 comments:
We were having an interesting discussion about this in Historical Theology. Not everyone had everything right on issues we think they should have. For instance, while the orthodox belief has always been "Jesus is God," how that looks and how they defined the Trinity varied quite a bit.
I've heard arguments for each you list as being essential, and arguments against. I'd have to agree with you on your assessment, though I would be less willing to disagree with people on some more than others (I think OSAS is vital [when properly defined], as it ratchets in who does the saving, but I guess its not essential to being saved).
Definitely a touchy topic, at times!!
God bless,
Shaun
http://gospelliving.blogspot.com
Hi Shaun,
Thanks for your comments. I threw in a few controversial doctrines (in the sense that they create controversy) as examples deliberately...
As you say, 'when properly defined' is always key to any discussion.
Bridget, interesting stuff. I am friends with a Mormon now and it is really hard because we have a lot in common.
IMHO, it's no so much what makes you a Christian, but rather, what makes you a mature Christian. There is a paramount difference between the two. Perhaps one resolution is like this: If you hold the wrong doctrine, but have faith in Christ, then you get into the Kingdom, but you don't possess the Kingdom--like the Levites in the land of Israel. If you get it all right, then you not only get into the Kingdom, you also possess the Kingdom....
Don't know, just one possible solution among many. There must be some downside to getting doctrine wrong, or of letting sin run free inour lives, but the downside can't be loss of salvation, or we are all lost, in some way, because none of us can consistently get it right.
Russ
http://www.pondrings.org/blog/
Hi Russ,
"There must be some downside to getting doctrine wrong, or of letting sin run free inour lives, but the downside can't be loss of salvation, or we are all lost, in some way, because none of us can consistently get it right."
My understanding is that the simple saving faith is our ticket into heaven, our works and especially the motives behind them will determine our rewards and our roles when we get there. I guess the amount of doctrine we have incorrect determines the amount of time we spend in 'graduate school' getting it right...
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