Jan 5, 2010

Essential Christian Doctrines pt2 - Pre-amble

Good day everyone and welcome.

Before I begin commenting on why this essential truth is so essential, I just want to make a comment that I briefly stated but should have made more clear in Essential Christian Doctrines pt 1.

I had said that "I believe 8 essential Christian doctrines that should be held by all believers and that for anyone who does not hold these doctrines to be true, they may be outside the faith and therefore do not share in the unity of Christ at all, or they are young immature believers and need yet to be taught from the word of God."

Now does this mean that in order for a man or women to be saved that they must believe that the Holy Spirit is God or that Jesus Christ is God incarnate? I don't think so. Not at the moment of salvation. There are a couple of things that a person should believe and do in order to be saved and that is;

1. Seek the Lord with all you heart, (seek the true God, for it profits you not to seek a god of your imagination, you must seek God in truth)
2. Repent of all sin, and deny yourself as worthy before a holy God.
3. Believe in Jesus Christ as come from God and taking our punishment for our sins by dying on a cross and three days later that He physically rose from the dead.
4. Die to yourself and submit your life to Christ by putting all your faith and trust in Him as your Lord and King.
5. Be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (It is important to note that being baptized will not save you, nor does being baptized insure your salvation (baby baptism), but rather it is an outward showing of your obedience and submission to Jesus Christ, as Jesus says to repent and be baptized. To refuse shows a lack of sincerity in heart about your repentance and faith.)

These are the requirements for salvation, and they can be summed up as "repentance and faith", and from that comes obedience.

With that said, yes, someone may come to faith without believing in the triune nature of God, or that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, but I think a more accurate word for this would be someone may come to faith without knowing these important truths. Also, I do believe that someone can be a Christian and for a time, however long God knows, be unaware of these truths, or confused by them, or perhaps even doubtful. I don't think this would be for long though, because all believers are given the Holy Spirit of God, sent from Jesus, who is the Spirit of truth who guides us into all the truth (John 16:13)

I think where the essential nature of these doctrines come in play is that, as God grows you in faith and by the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, you will not deny that these doctrines are true. If you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ and deny Him as He is in truth, then beware, and hear the warning of Jesus, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, ` I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS." Matthew 7:21-23

And of Paul, "For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully." 2 Corinthians 11:4

And of John, "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:23) ... "And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:20-21

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