“How can you support that person/group?” This question is heard often in Christian circles. So many churches and groups have sprung up with such wide-ranging views that it’s often difficult to determine just what makes one “a Christian.” Do you have to believe in baptism by immersion? Do you have to keep the Sabbath? Is it okay to drink wine? Is it necessary to believe that Jesus really rose from the dead? That and many more questions are out there.

In this series, we will try to determine what might be called the “fundamental” truths of the Gospel. At the core, what are those tenets that are essential to the faith? While not claiming to be the final authority on the matter, I would like to suggest these seven truths are at the center.

1. God:  There is one God, existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are equally divine, only their functions are different. When referring to “God” it is possible to refer to the Father singly or all three jointly. God is merciful, gracious, perfect, and holy. 
2. Jesus: Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity. He is fully God, and having been born of the Virgin Mary, also fully man. He was born in the flesh, lived a perfect life before the Father and people, died on a cross, and rose from the dead. His death and resurrection secured salvation for those who turn to Him in faith. Jesus will return in bodily form in the future to fulfill the Davidic Covenant and rule the nations.
3. The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. The Spirit is to be referred to as “He” or “Him,” not “it,” since He, like the Father and Jesus, is a personal being. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, assures of salvation, speaks the words of Christ, regenerates the sinner, and dwells in the believer, empowering him for service by giving spiritual gifts.
4. Sin:  Sin exists in the world because of the fall of Adam and Eve. Sin is more than outward behavior or disobedience to God’s commandments. At its core, sin is the desire of humanity to live independently of God. At the core of the unregenerate person lies the Sinful Heart, a heart turned from God and turned toward self.
5. Humanity: God created humanity in His image. Adam and Eve were literal people who fell from their position of innocence into sin because of disobedience. Because of that, the whole creation has been contaminated by sin, and every human born since then has inherited a sinful nature, desiring to live independently of God and being hostile to the ways of God. Without Christ, humans are dead in sin, without hope, and in danger of spending eternity apart from God. However, anyone who places faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved, regenerated and changed.
6. Salvation: Salvation is secured by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. No other act (including baptism or keeping the law) can save a man, and failure to perform any other act (including baptism) will not condemn a man. Salvation includes forgiveness of sin, the reception of a new heart and spirit, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee or deposit of final salvation.
7. The Church:  The Church (also known as the Bride and Body of Christ) consists of all true believers who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. While local congregations may vary in size, makeup, and style, the worldwide church is one in spirit and is to strive for unity in the truth of the Gospel.

You’ll notice that there is a lot of room for discussion beyond those seven items. Several previous posts have addressed, at least to an extent, many of these topics (and if you haven’t read previous posts, this would be a good time to do so). If you disagrees with these seven items, then I would encourage you to examine your thinking behind the disagreement. If you think something else should be included, why should it? If you think that something that has been listed is not all that essential, then let’s do some more thinking about that.

This list doesn’t suggest that other topics aren’t important. How a believer lives his life is vitally important. The New Testament gives a great deal of practical instruction on what a follower of Christ should “look like.” But, behavior springs from beliefs, identity, attitudes and goals, not the other way around. Jesus never bars the door to those who believed otherwise. He was not afraid of engagement, and neither should we be. Though we do not know the whole of the truth as He does, we can, with honest conversation and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, discern what is the truth. (If you need an example, read Acts 15.) Beyond that, we must also realize that there really are areas of conviction and conscience that are better addressed by the guidelines of Romans 14–but to be clear, these are never universal moral issues, nor are they issues concerning the fundamentals of the Gospel.

In the end, we must give and receive grace, while clinging to the Gospel, if we are to see the lost come to Christ. For they will remember either the grace and love we show, or the division, bitterness and anger. Personally, I prefer they remember the former.

Stay tuned….