Talk:Essential doctrines

I like the Scripture passages Greg Koukl cites in this article: Stand to Reason › Essential Christian Doctrines. In particular I like his clarification at the very end that sin is what sends you to hell, not unbelief. Believing can result in forgiveness of sin, but unbelief leaves you in your sin.

See also [1].

Original outline

Monotheism

Deity of Christ

Bodily resurrection of Christ

Salvation by grace through faith

Biblical support for “damnatory clauses” in Athanasian Creed?

The main content of this topic originated as a note on Talk:Trinity. Here are the additional notes that came from there.

The Athanasian Creed states:

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. . . . He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.

For real? What biblical basis can we find for saying this?

Todo:

• Study more the Greek word for unbeliever (apistōn). I had looked at occurrences in the ESV that are translated “unbeliever” but not instances that are translated other ways such as “unbelief”.
• Look at idolatry passages. Does misunderstanding God’s nature violate the first commandment?

Unpardonable sin

How does the unpardonable sin in Mt 12:31–32 (cf. Mk 3:28–29; Lk 12:10) relate to essential doctrines (or essential practices)?

The I AM statements

Exodus 3:14 LXX: καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Μωυσῆν Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν, καὶ εἶπεν Οὕτως ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ Ὁ ὢν ἀπέσταλκέν με πρὸς ὑμᾶς.

Dt 32:39 LXX: ἴδετε ἴδετε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν θεὸς πλὴν ἐμοῦ, ἐγὼ ἀποκτενῶ καὶ ζῆν ποιήσω, πατάξω κἀγὼ ἰάσομαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἐξελεῖται ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου.

Isa 41:4 LXX: τίς ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐποίησεν ταῦτα; ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν ὁ καλῶν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ γενεῶν ἀρχῆς, ἐγὼ θεὸς πρῶτος, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἐγώ εἰμι.

Isa 43:10 LXX: γένεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες, κἀγὼ μάρτυς, λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός, καὶ ὁ παῖς, ὃν ἐξελεξάμην, ἵνα γνῶτε καὶ πιστεύσητε καὶ συνῆτε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἔμπροσθέν μου οὐκ ἐγένετο ἄλλος θεὸς καὶ μετʼ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται.

Isa 43:25 LXX: ἐγώ εἰμι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐξαλείφων τὰς ἀνομίας σου καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθήσομαι.

Isa 46:4 LXX: ἕως γήρους ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ ἕως ἂν καταγηράσητε, ἐγώ εἰμι, ἐγὼ ἀνέχομαι ὑμῶν, ἐγὼ ἐποίησα καὶ ἐγὼ ἀνήσω, ἐγὼ ἀναλήμψομαι καὶ σώσω ὑμᾶς.

Isa 48:12 LXX: Ἄκουέ μου, Ιακωβ καὶ Ισραηλ ὃν ἐγὼ καλῶ, ἐγώ εἰμι πρῶτος, καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

Mt 14:27 (cf. Mk 6:50; Jn 6:20): εὐθὺς δὲ ἐλάλησεν [ὁ Ἰησοῦς] αὐτοῖς λέγων, Θαρσεῖτε, ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε.

Mk 14:62 (cf. Lk 22:70): ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ ὄψεσθε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ δεξιῶν καθήμενον τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ἐρχόμενον μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.

John 8:24: εἶπον οὖν ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν.

John 8:28: εἶπεν οὖν [αὐτοῖς] ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ὅταν ὑψώσητε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τότε γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ ἀπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ ποιῶ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ καθὼς ἐδίδαξέν με ὁ πατὴρ ταῦτα λαλῶ.

John 8:58: εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί.

John 13:19: ἀπʼ ἄρτι λέγω ὑμῖν πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι, ἵνα πιστεύσητε ὅταν γένηται ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι.

John 18:5–8: ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐτῷ, Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον. λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἐγώ εἰμι. εἱστήκει δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν μετʼ αὐτῶν. ὡς οὖν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ἐγώ εἰμι, ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ ἔπεσαν χαμαί. πάλιν οὖν ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτούς, Τίνα ζητεῖτε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν, Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον. ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς, Εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι. εἰ οὖν ἐμὲ ζητεῖτε, ἄφετε τούτους ὑπάγειν.

Do other people ever say this? Search for ἐγώ εἰμι in other places.

Other passages that belong here

I think these belong here, just not sure where:

• Ro 3:21–26 (under Jesus non-specific or under Gospel?)
• Ro 4:22–25

Great article in TableTalk

In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity by Mark Ross

I especially appreciate how he balances between emphasizing the essentials but also stressing the need to go beyond the essentials. We are called to form a more fully-orbed theology than just these essentials, but when it comes to judging who is in Christ’s body or not we can’t insist on our favorite distinctives.

Scripture?

John MacArthur argues here that on the basis of 2Pe 3:16, “both a lofty view of Scripture and a sound method of Bible interpretation (hermeneutics) are fundamental tenets of true Christianity”. Not sure how to articulate this on my topic page, or if he’s even right. 🤔 (He’s probably right, right?)

Worth noting in this connection: the writers of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy apparently did not think inerrancy is an essential doctrine. They wrote, in the very last denial in the document, “We deny that [a confession of the full authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture] is necessary for salvation.”

Oh! But look at 1Co 14:37–38. Is Paul saying here that someone who doesn't recognize his writings as authoritative Scripture is not recognized by God at all?

Ooh, and also see 1Jn 4:6. Whoever is from God listens to the apostles. Or is John saying whoever is from God listens to all other Christians who are also from God? Probably the latter?

More verses about salvation by faith

Got these from a Facebook comment

Ge 15:5–6; Hab 2:4; Mk 16:15-16; Jn 1:12; 3:16–18, 36; 5:24; 10:27-28; 17:3; Ac 2:38; 16:30–31; Ro 1:16–17; 3:27–28; 4:5, 6–8, 13, 16, 24; 5:1-2, 19; 6:23; 10:9; 11:5–6; Gal 2:16; 3:2-3, 8; Eph 2:8–9; Php 3:9; 1Ti 1:16; Tit 3:5; Heb 7:25; 11:1–2, 39–40; 1Pe 1:5; 1Jn 5:13

More references

• Kevin DeYoung
• Greg Koukl