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Concluding Summary
Quiz
Unchangeable Doctrine
Essential Doctrine
Original Documents
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EXAMPLES OF DOCTRINE THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED
AS ESSENTIAL AND NOT CHANGED, COMPROMISED
OR REJECTED
1. GOD'S STATED PROVISION FOR THE WORLD'S SALVATION (1).
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life."
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves
"
2. STATED INITIAL REQUIREMENTS TO RECEIVE SALVATION (4).
Mark 16:15,16 "Go into all the world
preach the
gospel to every creature; He who believes
and is baptized will be saved."
Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the re-
mission (forgiveness) of sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Baptize means to immerse, to dip).
3. STATED CONDUCT FOR THE SAVED TO REMAIN SAVED (21).
Romans 10:10 "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Hebrews 12 :14 "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."
4. STATED COMMANDS, CHARGES AND/OR ORDERS (55).
Commands, charges and orders are directives
from a superior.
John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you."
Acts 17:30 "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent."
"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life
" (Rev. 22:14).
5. STATED MANDATORY DOCTRINE (35).
Mandates are from the Grk. word "dei"
which means "it is expected" and
usually translated "must."
John 3:7 "Do not marvel that I said unto you,
You must be born again."
1 Timothy 3:2 "A bishop (overseer/elder) then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior,
hos- pitable, able to teach."
Jesus became the author of eternal salvation
to all who obey Him (Heb. 5:9).
6. STATED EXCLUSIONARY BEHAVIOR (76).
Behavior that defiles, condemns, excludes,
is accursed, etc.
1 Corinthians 6:9,10 "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."
Galatians 1:8 "If we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel to you, than what we have preached to you,
let him be accursed."
EXAMPLES OF DOCTRINE THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE
SAME FORCE (WEIGHT) AS THE ABOVE DOCTRINE,
BUT IS IMPORTANT DOCTRINE AND NOT TO BE NEGLECTED.
IT IS NOT GENERALLY EQUATED WITH SALVATION
OR A REASON FOR DIVISION.
7. STATED OBLIGATIONS (23).
From the Grk. word "opheilo" which means "to owe, a debtor" usually translated "ought" and sometimes debt, due, duty, owe,
etc.; a moral responsibility due to the nature
of the matter under consideration.
Romans 15:1 "We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves."
Ephesians 5:25,28 Christ gave Himself for the church. "So
husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies."
8. STATED EXHORTATIONS (26).
To urge one to pursue some course of conduct,
always looking to the future.
Phil. 4:2 "I implore (beseech, KJ) Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
Jude 3 "I found it necessary
exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which
was once for all delivered to the saints."
9. STATED SHAMEFUL COMPORTMENT (24).
Behavior that could be shameful but not exclusionary.
It is shameful, but not exclusionary, to
engage in behavior or activity that is offensive
to others because of their belief, culture
or custom.
1 Cor. 11:14 "If a man has long hair, it is a
shame (KJ);"
1 Cor. 14:34 "It is shameful for a woman to speak in the church."
EXAMPLES OF DOCTRINE THAT ONE MAY BE CONVINCED
OF BUT NOT A REASON TO CREATE DIVISIONS AMONG
BELIEVERS.
10. STATED DIFFERENCES OF FIRM CONVICTION BUT NOT REASONS
FOR DIVISION (9).
Romans 14:2,3 "For one believes he may eat all things; but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him."
Romans 14:5 "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."
Romans 15:7 "Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the
glory of God."
11. UNCLASSIFIED DOCTRINES (53).
Doctrine that may be based on a Scriptural
statement or example but is not equated with
(equal to) salvation, or stated as a command,
charge, order, mandate, exclusion, obligation,
exhortation or shame-ful. If God, did not
did not equate an act or behavior with salvation
or state it as a command, charge, mandate,
etc., how can we?
Matthew 26:27 "Then He (Jesus) took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it all of you."
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."
Romans 16:16 "Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you."
We should have the freedom to believe, practice, support and teach
what we believe about unclassified doctrines,
but we should not make our convictions about
unclassified doctrines, reasons to reject others, who do not share our conviction, and create
divisions.
12. STATED DOCTRINE TO BEWARE, AVOID, REJECT, WITHDRAW,
LEAVE BABYLON (30).
Titus 3:10 "Reject (avoid) a divisive man (heretic, KJ) after the first and second
admonition (warning)."
Revelation 18:4,5 "I heard a voice from heaven saying,
"Come out of her, (Babylon [Rev. 17:5; 18:2]; organized apostasy from Christ) my people,
lest you share in her sins, and receive of her plagues. Her sins have reached to heaven
God has
remembered her iniquities."
If we want to be true to the word of God,
we cannot compromise or reject doctrine that is equated with salvation or stated as a command, charge, order, mandate or
exclusionary and should eventually withdraw
fellowship from organized believers who will not accept essential
doctrine. In being true to the word of God we should
also reject (avoid) those who create divisions among believers
in Christ (Titus 3:10) over doctrine that is not equated with salvation, nor stated as a command, charge, order, mandate or
exclusion.
Arranged by Eugene Lockling
P.O. Box 49
Yale, IA
50277
Tel. 641.439.2443
E-Mail: glocklin@netins.net or
crosslifter@yahoo.com
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