TEST What are the essentials and nonessentials of Christian Doctrine?
FRAME JOHN: The question is ... a little ambiguous, so I’ll give you three answers:
If it means “what doctrines must one believe to be saved?” the answer is, None. I hold the Reformed view that children in infancy, even before birth, can be regenerated and saved, presumably before they have any conscious doctrinal beliefs.
If it means “what doctrines are essential to a Christian profession?” or “what beliefs should be required of people joining a church?” I would keep it fairly simple. To join a church, a person should be able to make a credible profession of Christ: “I am a sinner; Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross as a sacrifice to absolve me of sin. I hope only in his grace, not in my own works.” And there should be no evident contradiction between his profession and his life.
If it means, “what doctrines must be held by official teachers of the church?” the question is more complicated. I think a teacher of the church should be abreast of the church’s growing understanding of the Scriptures. So in 200 AD, I think it would not have been right to expect teachers to hold a doctrine of justification like Luther’s, but in 1600 I think that should have been a requirement. Today, I think that teachers in the church should affirm the Nicene Creed, the Chalcedon Declaration, the “doctrines of grace,” the doctrine of justification by faith alone apart from works, and biblical inerrancy. They should also be free from heresies like liberalism, universalism, extreme feminism, open theism, etc.
test for elders:
Decisions to be brought to you...
1.) Hamilton's young son has professed faith to them. They would like us to consider baptism, and by immersion.
Whether it should be or not, my conscience is clear on the immersion issue if the boy gives a credible profession of faith.
First stab at a policy:
"What is real faith? This is the issue that drives the dilemma behind when a "baptist" child should be baptized and when a "presbyterian" child should be admitted to the Lord's Table.
Based on :
(#1.) 1 Cor 11 I think that the
not discerning the body of Christ is something that adults in a congregation do (offending the children) more than a child does in not understanding very deeply the mysterious nature of our communion with Christ during the eucharist. The idea of leaving a service full while our brothers leave empty seems to be the situation that I have done to many children--who are my brother & sister in Christ!-- every time i leave a Lord's Supper service.
