Central Beliefs

There are some beliefs that true christians must hold to, regardless of their denomination. If you reject even one of those core beliefs then you are not a "true" christian even though you (and others) may see yourself as one.

The Nicene Creed² (which is very similar to the passage in 1st Corinthians 15) is one of the more important of the early church creeds as the three major branchs of Christendom - Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox all fully accept it.

For example, if you believe that Jesus was not resurrected in physical bodily form but instead was resurrected as some kind of intangible  'spirit', then you simply cannot be a 'christian' in the biblical sense. That's because the entire christian faith rests completely on the bedrock of the physical resurrection of Christ. If you don't have a physical resurrection of Christ, you don't have any basis at all for the orthodox "christian" religion.

Note: you can find some of the scriptural references to the physical resurrection of Christ here.

Rejecting a core doctrine (such as the virgin birth) through deliberate personal choice is quite different from 'not knowing much about' or 'not fully understanding' that same doctrine. Christians can be mature or immature in their detailed knowledge of doctrine and in their personal relationship with Christ, but they are still 'true' christians nonetheless.

Can legitimate debate exist?

Christians do hold differing views on some issues. Where scripture is silent or obscure on a specific issue, there can be - with varying degrees of legitimacy - reasons for holding a view on that issue different from that held by other christians.

An example would be the "Rapture" - a somewhat 'church jargon' reference to Verse 17 from 1 Thessalonians 4:17 which reads "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord" ( Note: In context, this verse forms part of a passage describing some aspects of the Second Coming which, according to some views, occurs at the time of a "Great Tribulation"). 

Some segments of the Christian church (both Catholic and Protestant) don't believe in any literal 'rapture' at all. They say the whole idea is completely unscriptural. Some believe there is a rapture which occurs at the beginning of a future Great Tribulation period lasting 7 years, (the Pre-Tribulation view). Others argue that it occurs in the middle (Mid-Tribulation view), and still others who maintain it occurs at the end of the 7 year period. (the Post-Tribulation view). 

Naturally, there are still others who don't believe there is any 'future' "Great Tribulation". They maintain the Great Tribulation has already happened. So to them, any debate at all about a related "rapture" event is pointless.

I don't intend to go through the arguments for and against each viewpoint. The point is that Christians can at times hold opposing views on minor theological issues. 

But bad theology is not always a heresy that attacks a fundamental salvation truth. The fact that some christians hold some 'wrong' views on some secondary issues, doesn't always mean they are therefore no longer 'true' disciples.

There are lots of other doctrinal debates around. These include topics such as:

	Do New Testament christians still need to obey the Old Testament 10 Commandments?
	Are the charismatic gifts referred to in 1st Corinthians 12 still granted to todays believers? or have these been done away with?
	Should baptism always be by full immersion? Is a 'baptism' invalid if the person isn't immersed (or sprinkled with water) three times during the ritual? (See discussion here)
	Is the millenial reign of Christ a literal thousand year reign which is yet to come?
	Were the earth and heavens created in a literal seven solar days or could this have occurred over a longer period of time?
	Is the individuals experience of salvation a 'once saved, always saved' event? Or is it possible to 'fall away' ie. lose your salvation?

The more extreme advocates of a particular interpretation of these debated areas sometimes also imply that you are not 'saved' , and therefore not a 'true' christian if you don't agree with their viewpoint.

Sometimes, when you look more closely at a disputed issue, you can see the dead hand of a joyless legalism at work. 'Pharisees' are still around unfortunately, and "rules end up replacing relationship" so far as individuals and their personal interaction with Christ is concerned. As the passage in Matthew 15 puts it:

Matthew 15:8 - 9: 'These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!' (Good News Bible).

This doesn't mean there are no rules at all. The New Testament actually sets a much higher bar than mere compliance with the 10 Commandments, (or any other set of ethical rules for that matter). The passage in Matthew 5: Verses 20 - 48, makes it quite clear that the yardstick now is 'perfection', not 'rule compliance'.

The deepest intentions of your heart are considered by God when He looks upon your actions. Hypocrisy can't hide behind a facade of righteous deeds. No longer can you 'prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet' as the poet T S Eliot so aptly puts it, and expect a ticket to heaven in return.

To express this another way, true christians 'keep the rules' because they are already "christian" to start with, (through God's grace and kindness). God even helps them to do the 'rule keeping' more successfully over time through the power of the Holy Spirit. Because of that help, they find, just as Matthew 11:30 says, that "their yoke is easy and their burden is light."

They don't try to "keep the rules" solely through their own efforts and strength; hoping to somehow make themselves "christian" enough to pass a future divine exam set by a stern and judgemental God whose main aim is to give 'fail' marks to as many people as possible.

Many people fail to fully grasp the idea that God is not in the business of self-improvement, He's in the business of life and death. Yours.

Renovation of the old house by existing resident is out. Complete demolition then building of new house by the Master Carpenter is in. You'll just have to have faith, and trust that He knows exactly what He is doing.

As Mark Chapter 2 describes it:
Mark 2:21: "No one uses a piece of new cloth to patch up an old coat, because the new patch will shrink and tear off some of the old cloth, making an even bigger hole.
Mark 2:22 Nor does anyone pour new wine into used wineskins, because the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins."

Get ready to duck the flying debris as your own self-centred ambitions and works get thrown onto the rubbish heap. You can be quite confident these will get replaced with far more interesting and exciting things to do. As Phillipians Chapter 1 verse 6 says:

"And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus."

The replacement of grace with legalism can be a hidden element in many pseudo-christian cult groups. It can also be found to a lesser extent in some otherwise quite fully orthodox church congregations. Sometimes this is due to the influence of a few seemingly knowledgeable individuals within a congregation, who know the letter of the law but not its spirit.

It can cause people to become christianised, observing the outward forms and appearances of christianity, but who are still not truly spiritually reborn at the deepest level of their being.

A relatively simple aid such as Strongs Concordance can be of great help in finding passages of scripture used to justify a particular point of view. Reading a passage or a verse in its full context often helps you better assess the validity of a doctrinal position.

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2 Click on this link to see translations of the early creeds of the church