Episode 345 – Essentials of the Christian Faith Part 2

What are essentials or basic doctrine of the Christian faith? And are there really non-essentials? Among the many denominations and divisions of the Christian faith, debates often arise. There are disagreements about church policy, six-day creationism, mode of baptism, and eschatology. Some of these issues are more important than others, and it is good to prevent unnecessary clashes and fallouts to distinguish between what is worth debating, and what is not. The Bible is clear that some things are worth fighting for. Truth by definition is separate from falsehood. So in our consideration of this topic, we must rule out the name-calling and slander that sadly typifies some Christian debate. Colossians 4.6 gives clear instruction about how we should conduct ourselves in debates. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. We can agree to disagree on issues that do not involve salvation or godly living. Our ultimate goal should not be to prove our point, but to model the kind of love and acceptance that Jesus showed his disciples taken from John 13 verses 34 through 35. No human being has all the answers on every subject. Our goal should be to immerse ourselves in God's Word so that we recognize error when we hear it. Your tune to evidence and answers, radio broadcasts, with your host, Pat Zucran, Pat is a popular teacher, speaker, and author in the area of Christian apologetics. The defense of the Christian faith. Here at Evidence and Answers, Pat has provided a wide assortment of different resources for you and your personal study. From audio messages, to books, and even articles, many are from noted Christian scholars from here in the United States. Head on over to our website, that's evidenceenanswers.org. Without delay, here's Pat with part two of a three-part message, as he continues in his study regarding the essentials of the Christian faith. In my line of work, I get to attend and work with many churches and denominations. Unfortunately, too often, I see pastors and Christians denouncing as heretics. Other churches and Christians who do not agree with their theology, causing much division. Unfortunately, many of the issues are not on the essentials of the Christian faith, but on secondary issues, such as styles of worship. There are Bible translations, the time of Christ return, the role of women in the church, the age of the earth, spiritual gifts, and so on. Now don't misunderstand me. These are important issues, but these are not essentials of the Christian faith. These are secondary issues which we can and should certainly discuss, but we should not divide over them or denounce others as heretics, because they disagree with our view on these particular points. Since we stated last week, Christians must be united and not compromised on the essentials of the Christian faith. One of the guidelines that has guided Christians for centuries is this, on essentials unity, on non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity. However, what are the essentials of the Christian faith? The essentials upon which we must stand and not compromise, the essentials that unite us as brothers and sisters in Christ. Well we went over them last time, and basically there are about sixteen essentials. How do we determine the essentials? Well, the essentials are connected with the salvation message or the gospel, and doctrines that uphold the gospel message. Mostly they focus on the nature of God, the salvation message, and the Word of God. Now here are the sixteen essentials that I stated last time, God's unity, the Trinity, God's deity, Christ's deity, Christ's humanity, human depravity, or human sinfulness, Christ's virgin birth, Christ's sinlessness, Christ's atoning death, Christ's bodily physical resurrection, the necessity of grace, the necessity of faith, Christ's bodily ascension into heaven, Christ's priestly intercession for us now, Christ's bodily second coming, and then two doctrines that uphold the salvation message, the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible and the literal or proper interpretation of the Bible. Those are the sixteen essentials that we have found in the early creeds of the church, and are found throughout the New Testament. Those are the essentials upon which all Christians should stand and not compromise, and upon which we should be united upon. Now on the non-essential issues, those are important issues, and unfortunately they often cause a lot of division amongst the brothers and sisters in the Lord. In fact, as I stated last time, the greatest division in the history of the church occurred over a non-essential issue. Now denying one of the essentials can lead to the danger of liberalism, or false teaching, however making non-essentials and essential can lead to rigid fundamentalism or legalism. And so many people get discouraged when they see churches dividing over non-essential issues. And so with the challenges we face today, in a post-Christian culture that we find ourselves in today, it's more important than ever that Christians we understand what are the essentials upon which we are to stand and unite, and what are the non-essential issues that we can discuss and debate but not divide and break fellowship over. Now we went through the first five essentials, the other time we were together, so let me finish the rest of the list today. Last time we covered God's unity or monotheism. God's triunity or the Trinity. Third, we covered the deity of Christ, fourth, we covered the humanity of Christ. And fifth, we covered the virgin birth of Christ. And so we're going to pick up with number six of the sixteen essentials, and we begin with the sinlessness of Christ. That was taught throughout the New Testament, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 521, "God made him who had no sin to be sin on our behalf that we may become the righteousness of God." First, Peter 2, verse 22 states that he committed no sin and no deceit was found in him. You know, even in the Gospels, John, chapter 8, Matthew 27, even the enemies of Christ could not find him guilty of any sin. And this doctrine is important because the sacrifice for sin had to be a perfect sacrifice, in Corinthians 521, and Jesus Christ, being human, could be our sacrifice, but also being 100% God, he could be the perfect sacrifice. And this sets Christ apart from all human beings. Buddha could not claim to be sinlessly perfect. Muhammad is commanded several times in the Quran to confess his sins. Holy Christ is the perfect sacrifice because he is the perfectly sinless man who is also divine who could pay the perfect price for our sin. 7th, we have Christ atoning death. Now the Bible teaches Hebrews 9.22 that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. In chapter 1, verse 29, God's perfect justice required a perfect sacrifice for sin. He could not simply overlook sin and human sinfulness required a perfect sacrifice for our sin. And that is what Christ provided and Christ's death provides the fullness of the sacrifice for our sin that makes salvation possible. In verse 321, verse 26, tells us the importance of the atonement. It lies at the heart of our salvation. God is perfect and holy and cannot overlook sin. There needed to be payment for sin and in Christ the just and the righteous died for the unjust and the unrighteous and the justice of God was satisfied, allowing God to be both just and the one who justifies. Now there are perversions of this doctrine in many of the kingdom of the cults. Christ's death atones for Adam's original sin but does not accomplish individual salvation. So now you have the potential to be saved in order to attain full exaltation to Godhood as in Mormonism or the fullness of salvation or to enter into heaven or paradise. The kingdom of the cults teach well, Christ paid for Adam's sin but now to earn that, you have got to do good works. Jesus' death is the beginning of the process but now the individual through their good works tied in with the organization must complete the process. That would be a faith and works kind of salvation. Christ's death atones for all are sin. Christ we have, the bodily resurrection of Christ, the Old Testament, or prophesied that the Messiah would die for our sins and rise physically from the dead. Psalm 16 states that God would not allow his holy one to see decay. Isaiah 53 verse 8 says that the suffering servant, the coming Messiah, would be cut off out of the land of the living he would die. Yet it also states in verse 10, when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days. There shall be a physical resurrection of the Messiah. So the Old Testament prophesies of the bodily resurrection, the physical bodily resurrection of Christ, Christ prophesied that in John chapter 2. After overturning the temple, the Pharisees ask for a sign by which he does these things and Jesus says, "Destroy this temple and in three days I shall raise it." He was speaking of his physical bodily resurrection and that was accomplished in his resurrection as recorded in the final chapters of the Gospels and most clearly in first Corinthians 15. In other words, the body that was on the cross is the one that rose from the dead. In John chapter 20 he had the scars to demonstrate that. Now the importance of this doctrine, the bodily resurrection of Christ is at the heart of the Gospel which Paul preached in first Corinthians 15. And he writes that if Christ did not rise bodily from the grave, that our faith is vain and useless. Now there are several perversions of this view. Jehovah witnesses believe that Christ's body was disintegrated and he arose as a spirit and returned to heaven as Michael, the archangel. And there are other several theologians in recent times who also hold to a spiritual resurrection. That would be a denial of this key essential doctrine of the Christian faith. Now the next essential is Christ's bodily ascension into heaven. First John chapter 2 teaches that Christ bodily physically ascended into heaven. Acts chapter 1 and other passages in the New Testament affirmed that. And in heaven the resurrected Christ is our attorney who pleads our case with our father. First John chapter 2 verse 1. Jesus prophesied his physical ascension. He says in John 14, "In my father's house are many rooms I go there to repair a place for you." And John 16 verse 7 without the ascension of Christ we could not have the holy spirit in dwelling in each one of us. The next essential is Christ's priestly intercession on our behalf. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 states, "The son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word after he provided purification for sins. He sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven." Jesus sits at the right hand of God signifying he has accomplished the work of redemption. Now this doctrine is important for Revelation 12 10 states that Satan is the accuser of the brethren who accuses the Christian day and night. So without Christ as our advocate we would not be able to enter heaven. For God is perfectly holy and cannot tolerate sin. And Christ is the one as our advocate. Christ makes sure no sin keeps us from heaven. The next essential is Christ's physical return. Now there are many different views regarding the book of Revelation but there are teachings we all agree upon or should agree upon as Christians that Christ will return physically to end the dominion of sin and establish a rule of peace and righteousness here upon the earth. There will be a final judgment of mankind some to life, eternal and some to eternal death, and the bodily resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous. This is taught in Matthew 24, Romans 8, Revelation 1 and 19. You know in 1 Corinthians 13 verses 10 through 12, Paul talks about several things that will happen in the final stage of our salvation with Christ's physical return. Says here, "But when the perfection comes the imperfect disappears." In other words when we attain our heavenly state. When I was a child I talked like a child, thought like a child, reason like a child. When I became a man I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part then I shall know fully even as I am fully known. Paul teaches that our knowledge will be complete at our resurrection. He teaches our sin nature will be abolished. In Revelation 22 verse 4 he says that, "We shall see God face to face." You know John 1 verse 18 says, "No one has seen God and Hebrews teaches that we cannot withstand being in the presence of the holiness of God." You know in Exodus 33 verse 20 when Moses wanted to see God's face, God told Moses, "No one can see my face and live." Well no moral individual in our sinful state can see God face to face but in our glorified immortal state in which our sin nature has been taken care of and is eradicated then we can stand in the presence of God and in the glory of God and see him face to face. That's the great hope of every believer in Christ upon which we all await and have our great hope is the return of Christ and the establishment of his everlasting kingdom. You know this doctrine is important because this is the final and great victory over sin, the completion of our salvation. This is God's defeat over evil where he will separate good and evil once for all, rewarding the righteous, judging the unrighteous. There are some who deny the physical return of Christ. There's a particular theological interpretation of Revelation called full preterism. Now partial preterism, while preterism teaches that the book of Revelation was fulfilled in 70 AD with the fall of Jerusalem. Now partial preterism teaches that chapters 1 through 19 have been fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem but the final three chapters are yet to come. Full preterism teaches that the entire book of Revelation has been fulfilled in 70 AD and that would be a rejection of this essential doctrine. It's a denial of the physical return of Christ because it teaches it all occurred in 70 AD and it denies the physical return of Christ. It allegorizes or spiritualizes away those final chapters and ends up denying the physical return of Christ and the establishment of Christ's eternal kingdom here upon the earth. So full preterism would be a rejection of this essential teaching. Now this ends part two of our series on the essentials of the Christian faith. I'll continue with the final doctrines to complete our list of the 16 essentials of the Christian faith. Remember let me review that list very quickly before I go. The 16 essentials upon which we stand as Christians united upon which we do not compromise other following God's unity or monotheism the belief there's only one God who created all things. The Trinity or the triunity of God the deity of Christ that Christ is 100% God God in the flesh. Number four also the humanity of Christ that goes right along with that that Christ is 100% God but also 100% Man. Fifth the virgin birth of Christ that Christ was supernatural born of a virgin. Sixth the sinlessness of Christ that Christ was without sin. Seventh the atoning death of Christ that Christ that paid for all of our sins. Eighth the bodily resurrection of Christ that Christ rose physically from the grave. The body that was on the cross is the one that rose from the grave. Tenth human depravity the sinfulness of man. Next the necessity of God's grace. Next the necessity of faith. 12th Christ bodily ascension into heaven. 13th Christ priestly intercession. 14th Christ literal physical second coming and the final two uphold the gospel message. The inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible and the literal or proper interpretation of the Bible. These make up the sixteen essentials of the Christian faith upon which we stand and do not compromise. Others are important issues but their secondary issues, let's not allow that to devise. us and break the fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ. Many of the secondary issues are important issues. They ought to be discussed, even debated, but in the end we need to extend the hand of grace to one another and continue to keep that unity of faith. Jesus stated, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." So remember our model through this series on essentials unity. We don't compromise on those. On non-essentials liberty, we extend grace to one another and in all things charity. As a wise pastor once taught me, he said, "Pat, let's keep the main things, the main things." So on the essentials, let's be united and not compromise and know what we are going to go to the mat for. But on non-essentials, let's extend grace to one another and discuss these and in the end continue to keep the fellowship with one another and not let the non-essentials divide us. We'll God bless you. I hope to see you next time here on Evidence and Answers. Thank you for joining us here on Evidence and Answers Radio Broadcast. This study will continue on with a third part. The next time we're together to listen again, head on over to our website at Evidence and Answers.org. Evidence and Answers relies on the generous donations from you our listeners. If you would like to partner with us, please start with prayer and then to donate, log onto our website at Evidence and Answers.org. 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