Essential doctrines are vital, non-negotiable principles or beliefs. Do you know what the essential doctrines of a Christian family are? Are you aware of the Christian principles which call for unified conviction or unified understanding?”
Highlights:
- People often end up in a debate because of non-essential doctrines.
- Respect is the keyword for the non-essential doctrines while unity for essential doctrines.
- Essential doctrines include Propitiation, Imputation, Reconciliation, and Incarnation.
Apostle Paul gave an apparent command to Timothy about the essential doctrines.
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:16
Paul challenged his hearers to pay attention to both their life and doctrine. Both are important. He is asking us to persevere on them. We need to give extra effort, or in other words, we need to hold on to them. Why? Because it tends to save both yourself and your hearers.
Essential vs the Non-essential
Some people would say, “paying so much attention to the doctrine only leads to debate.” This statement is true if you become very particular with non-essential doctrines. These are important, but different Christians hold a variety of positions over them. While the healthy discussion is being encouraged with these topics, but it should not lead to a debate. Respect is the keyword for the non-essential doctrines.
On the contrary, with regards to essential doctrine, there should be a common viewpoint. These are non-debatable doctrines. Unity is the keyword for the essential doctrines. Now going back to our question earlier, do you know the critical beliefs in a Christian family? Did you know that there is a verse that will summarize this? Apostle Peter has written this in one of his letters.
The Essentials
The apostle Peter summarized all the essential doctrines in a single verse. This verse contains all the necessary and non-negotiable principles that every believer should have. Jesus Christ died for sins once and for all. There is no need for any repetition of his sacrifice. What He has done is already sufficient for everyone for all time. Jesus’ sacrifice gives way for the forgiveness of sins, but God did not stop with forgiveness. Peter mentioned the beautiful exchange that follows after the pardon, and that is the righteousness of Jesus in exchange for our unrighteousness.
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18
Jesus died on the cross, but on the third day, he rose again. The resurrection guarantees that sin was finally defeated. All of this doctrine is both essential and non-negotiable. In technical or theological terms, these are Propitiation, Imputation, Reconciliation, and Incarnation.
Propitiation
Propitiation is an action meant to regain someone’s favor or make up for something you did wrong. It is the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing. Propitiation is very critical & non-negotiable. Christ died for sins because death is the requirement of God for the penalty of sin. It is only the way to appease the anger of God.
One of the things that we need to understand about ourselves is that we are a sinner. No matter how much good work we do, it will always fall short on God’s standard. In the Old Testament time, to cover the sin of a person, the blood of an animal is required. And that is temporary because the blood of an animal cannot take away the sin. The limitation of animal blood sacrifice is the reason Jesus had to come down and died on the cross. What Jesus did was not just to cover the sin of humanity but to take away the sin. And he did it once for all. Christ’s suffering was conclusive in God’s eyes. Unlike the Old Testament sacrifice, where an offering is required over and over again.
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins.
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. He eliminated any further sacrifice for sin, and He paid the price entirely.
The Doctrine of Propitiation is both non-debatable and non-negotiable. This doctrine answers whether we need to do good works or even sacrifice to gain the favor of God. Only the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is a good thing in the eyes of God concerning the forgiveness of our sins. Trusting the finished work of Christ on the cross is the only requirement for a person to benefit from this sacrifice. Our Heavenly Father is satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
Imputation
Imputation is to designate any action or word or thing as counted to a person. In doctrinal language, it means that anyone who will believe in Jesus receives ascribed righteousness from Him. As our sin is imputed to Christ when He was on the cross, His righteousness is imputed to us when we believe in Him.
Because of imputation, we become a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come. Imputation describes the legal means by which our perfect representative’s actions can benefit us through our faith. Apart from the perfect obedience of Christ imputed to us, we cannot meet the demands of a holy, just, and perfect God.
The imputed righteousness of Christ comes along with a lot of benefits. We have initially been enemies of God. Because of the principle of imputation, we can finally experience reconciliation with God because of the propitiation of our sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation is a change from enmity to friendship. Because of reconciliation, we became his friend. More than that, we became His children. It is a change in the entire state of our lives. Reconciliation is an essential doctrine that every believer should know. Because of reconciliation, we can experience forever love. We can pour out our problems and our heartaches with an assurance that Jesus will be listening. That Jesus will be able to relate to us because, at one point in time, he became one of us.
Incarnation
Incarnation is the act of grace, whereby Christ took our human nature into union with his Divine Person, became man. It is one of the essential doctrines, which means that God became flesh. God assumed a human nature and became a man in the form of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the second person of the Trinity. Incarnation will guarantee that Jesus will understand whatever challenges, difficulties, or even happiness you will share with him.
Jesus died as a 100% man and a 100% God. He was made alive by the Spirit. “Made alive” means to restore physical life. God restored Jesus’ physical presence at the resurrection.
Resurrection
Resurrection is the rising of Christ from the dead. Our faith rests on the basic fact of Jesus’ empty tomb. Jesus’ resurrection is not just a metaphor. It is a historical fact that displays God’s plan, power, and promise of our salvation. God’s deliberate plan was to save us by sending His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Everything that happened to Jesus was planned out by God. Christ died for our sins. His followers buried him. He was raised on the third day following the Scriptures so that God could redeem the world. The resurrection itself distinguishes Jesus apart from all other religious teachers in the world. He is more than just a good teacher; He is our Lord and Savior.
The resurrection displayed God’s high power. Jesus’ resurrection showed His victory over death and validated His divine identity. Even death itself could not hold Him down!
The resurrection of Jesus showed not only God’s power but also the depth of His faithfulness. It sealed God’s promise of forgiveness, redemption, and glorification in Christ. It guarantees our hope of life after death and is the basis of our eternal life now.
The Promise of RESURRECTION
With that comes every good thing from God. Shalom. Peace. Relational prosperity. Financial prosperity. Protection for your home. Favor everywhere you go. Even if enemies come to you in one direction, they will flee from you in seven. Blessings will accompany you.
There will be blessings for you in the country. You will be blessed when you come in, and you will be blessed when you go out. The fruit of your womb will be blessed. The grain of your crop and your livestock will be blessed. You will always be the head and not the tail. Nations will borrow from you, and you will lend to many.
Conclusion
These are just some of the essential doctrines that we have a Christian. And the Bible speaks volumes of passages to support this. All we need to do is read it and live it. As Apostle Paul has mentioned: Watch your life and doctrine closely. Let your life showcase these doctrines. Leave a forgiven life. Approach God like a child is approaching his father. Put your trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, and with that, there is reconciliation. Lift your concerns to Jesus, He will understand, He experienced humanity.
Whether you are in a difficult situation now, be assured that there is always victory. Our God is victorious. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. As a disciple of Jesus, it is always God’s intention that people will find salvation through our testimonies, through our life.
CREDITS/NOTES:
- Taken from the preaching of Forward – Essential Doctrine.
- propitiation – Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com
- Bible Commentaries – StudyLight.org
- Incarnation | Jesus Christ | Britannica
- All verses are based on the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise stated.
