B.A.S.I.C.S.

In essentials, unity - in non-essentials, liberty - in all things charity.

This statement has been attributed to several people over the centuries, but regardless of who said it, it is good advice.

Robert Bowman Jr. in his book Orthodoxy and Heresy tells us that the church often polarizes in two very different directions in regard to doctrine. On the one hand, some believe that anybody and everybody but their particular group is a cult. On the other hand, some believe that basically anybody who claims to follow Jesus and carries a Bible is a card-carrying fundamentalist. Unfortunately, as is the case so often in life, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

So, where do we find that middle ground? We find it in the essential doctrines of the Christian church. What is an essential doctrine? An essential doctrine is any doctrine in which a person who rejects the truth and believes a lie results in being separated from God for all. What causes a doctrine to be essential? I think we can focus on two primary areas: salvation and the nature of God. If one redefines how we get to Heaven differently than how the Bible says we are to arrive there, then that would necessarily constitute a doctrine that would send someone to Hell. (For purposes of this article, we are going with the conclusion that the Bible is authoritative in all that says.) Thus, the doctrine of salvation is essential. Also, if one redefines who God is, then the person who believes in that definition is, practically speaking, worshipping an idol, not the Biblical God.

Any other issue is a non-essential. We can vigorously debate when the rapture will take place, if the gift of tongues is for today, predestination versus the free-will of man, how old the earth is, the view of the millennium, church government, the mode of baptism, how Jesus is present when celebrating the Last Supper, and many others. None of these issues will cause a person to be lost forever. We should be able to discuss these things, but still enjoy a hamburger with our fellow brother/sister after the debate. We should also be careful to never debate these issues in a heated manner in front of those who are not believers. Keep it behind closed doors.

To help you remember the essential Christian doctrines I would like to use an acronym: B-A-S-I-C-S.

B - Bodily resurrection

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (vv. 14-15). If Christ has not been raised our faith is uselss. Two verses later Paul tells us that if Christ is not raised we are still "dead in our sins." So, the resurrection is essential. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. If Jesus never rose, it would indicate that he had received a just wage of death. His resurrection proves that he didn¹t belong in that grave. Why is a bodily resurrection important? Quite simply because if Jesus experienced only a spiritual resurrection how could we ever prove it? If Jesus was only "raised in our hearts" or some other such idea, we would have no proof that anything truly significant happened that Easter morning.

A - Atonement by substitution

This is a most truly unique belief that Christians hold. Many religions imitate Christian doctrine with resurrection stories, or God-men coming to earth, or virgin births (although these imitations are usually similar with some significant variation), but no religion that I have ever encountered has ever said "you are lost and there is nothing you can do about it. You deserve Hell and unless God saves you, you¹re doomed." All other religions tell us to "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps." They give us penance, or magazines, or tell us to go for miles on our knees in order that God may receive us. All other religions picture God, or the gods, as being angry, and looking for reasons to smite the miserable humans. You as an individual need to do the right things to butter them up so that he cannot justly "smite" you.

Christianity teaches that it is by grace that we have been saved, through faith, and not of works, i.e. our good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9). Indeed, the Bible teaches us that "if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing" (Galatians 2:21). The Bible tells us of a loving, gracious, and merciful God who came down and took our penalty upon himself in order that we could be with him forever. I can¹t think of news that could be any better than that.

S - Second Timothy 3:16

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that "all Scripture is inspired" or as the NIV has it "God-breathed." The Bible is God's Word. It is inerrant, i.e., it does not err or make mistakes. Now, I will grant that there are people who I think are saved, yet reject the idea that the Bible is without error. They properly define God and have a proper understanding about salvation. The reason I include this in the essentials is that if one rejects this doctrine, pray tell, how can he be sure of his/her doctrine of God or salvation? If the Bible is not without error, how do we know what is true and what is not true about God and salvation? One cannot look at nature and discover the doctrine of the incarnation, the trinity, or salvation by grace through faith alone.

So, while a person can reject inerrancy and still be saved, by doing so they are like the person who is sitting on a branch that they are sawing off. They are undermining their own position.

Keep in mind that we are only touching these doctrines extremely lightly. It is my hope that you will be encouraged to study these doctrines and the support we have to believe them in your own study. We will leave the remaining doctrines for next month.
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