Essentials form the line of demarcation between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the cults. Christians must have unity in these essentials. Essential Christian doctrine is the North Star by which the course of Christianity is set. Just as the North Star is an unchanging reference point by which sailors safely guided their ships, so essential Christian doctrine has safely guided the church through doctrinal storms that have tried to sink it.

 

“In Essentials Unity, in Non-essentials Diversity, in All Things Charity” - Saint Augustine (354-430 AD)

 

Acronym: D-O-C-T-R-I-N-E

D – DEITY OF CHRIST

O – ORIGINAL SIN

C – CANON

T – TRINITY

R – RESURRECTION

I – INCARNATION

N – NEW CEATION

E – ESCHATOLOGY

 

D – DEITY OF CHRIST

The biblical witness is clear and convincing that Jesus Christ is the eternal Creator God.

Col 1:15-17

Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus claimed to be God in word and deed.

Mark 14:60-64

John 5:18

John 8:58

John 10:30-33

He vindicated his claims to deity by living a sinless life

Heb 4:15

1 John 3:5

John 8:46

2 Corinthians 5:21

1 Peter 2:22

He has power over nature

Mark 4:39

He has power over fallen angels

Luke 4:35

Matthew 4:23

He has power over death.

Matt 4:23

John 11:43-44

John 4:50

1 Corinthians 15

He prophesied God’s judgment on Jerusalem through the destruction of the Temple that occurred in AD 70.

Matt 24:1-2

Matthew 24:32-35

 

O – ORIGINAL SIN

Sin is not just murder, rape, or robbery. Sin is a word that describes any thought, word, deed, or state of being that fails to meet God’s standard of holiness and perfection. All people fail to meet this standard. People are cursed as a result of Adam’s sin. His rebellion brought death to us all and tainted every aspect of our being.

Romans 3:23

1 Cor 15:22

Eph 2:3

God, however, has provided redemption through the atoning work of the “Second Adam,” Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:12-21

 

C – CANON

The 30 books of the Hebrew Scriptures along with the 27 books of the Greek New testament are divine rather than merely human in origin and constitute the entire Christian canon. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God

2 Timothy 3:16

The divine inspiration and preservation of the bible can be demonstrated by the early dating and consistency of the many available manuscripts, the corroboration of archaeology, and the fulfillment of predictive prophecy.

 

T – TRINITY

Though the word ‘Trinity’ is found nowhere in the Bible, it is a word that was later used to refer to essential biblical truths; one God in three persons. The Father is God, The Son is God and The Holy Spirit is God.

There is only one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4

Isaiah 43:10

1 Corinthians 8:6

Hebrews 1:8

Acts 5:3-4

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are eternally distinct

John 5:20

Matt 28:19

The Holy Spirit is our source of power for service.

John 15:26

Acts 1:8

Phil 4:13

Zech 4:6

John 17:5

1 Cor 8:6

Heb 1:8

Acts 5:3-4

It is important to note that when Trinitarians speak of one God they are referring to the nature or essence of God. When they speak of persons they are referring to the personal self-distinctions within the Godhead.

 

R – RESURRECTION

All 4 canonical gospels record the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The immutable fact of Jesus’ resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, because it not only vindicates Jesus’ claims to deity but also ensures the future bodily resurrection unto eternal life of all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and proclaim him as Lord

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

1 Cor 15:3-8

The historical reality of the resurrection can be demonstrated through the fatal torment of Jesus on the cross; the empty tomb (early Christianity could not have survived an identifiable tomb containing the corpse of Christ); the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus; and the transformation of believers throughout the ages whose lives have been radically altered upon experiencing the resurrected Lord.

 

I – INCARNATION

The doctrine of the Incarnation is aptly summed up in the words of the apostle John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The second person of the Godhead became flesh (Incarnation). Jesus is the Lamb of God who lived a sinless human life and died on the cross for to atone for the sins of humanity. The clear testimony of Scripture is that, in the incarnation, Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man; that is, he existed as the perfect unity on one person of a divine and a human nature.

John 1:1

John 1:14

Colossians 1:15

As Theanthropos (the Godman), the spotless “Lamb of God”, He lived a perfectly sinless human life and died a sinner’s death to sufficiently atone, once for all, for the sins of humanity.

John 1:29

Hebrews 10:11-18

 

N – NEW CREATION

The essential doctrine of New Creation is aptly codified in the words of the apostle Paul: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” You must be born again to receive eternal life.

John 3:16

John 3:3

1 Cor 5:17

Romans 10:9-10

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead inaugurates the renewal of all things. The new creation of faithful believers and the new creation of the natural world will be consummated in the resurrection when Jesus returns bodily to earth as the conquering king.

Romans 8:18-25

 

E – ESCHATOLOGY

Eschatology = The study of end times

While the world may look at Christians as people who are in disagreement with one another, what they need to realize is that there is room for debate on secondary issues, such as the timing of the tribulation or the meaning of the millennium. We are all united in the truth that just as Christ came to the earth once to bear the sins of the world, so too he will return to usher in the resurrection of all things

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Hebrews 9:27-28

John 5:24-30

Revelation 20:1-15

Revelation 21:1-27

Revelation 22:1-

Cited Sources: The Complete Bible Answer Book by Hank Hanegraaff