[1] Conclusion: Summary and Proper Attitudes

[26] Conclusion: Summary and Proper Attitudes

83. What are the essential doctrines that we must hold in unity?

a. We need unity on only a short list of essential doctrines:

(1) God the Father: infinite and holy; a triune God (trinity); a personal God; creator (past) and provider (present) of the universe

(2) God the Son, Jesus Christ: true God became true man; born of a virgin; death on the cross in behalf of all men for their sins; bodily resurrection; physical second coming

(3) God the Holy Spirit: effecting the rebirth of believers; inspired the writing of the Bible; the Bible is infallible, and is the sole standard of Christian faith and practice

(4) Salvation: everyone is a sinner; salvation by God’s grace and through personal faith alone (repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Saviour and Lord)

b. The lack of unity among evangelical churches today is originated from unnecessary arguments on non-essential matters of faith, such as:

predestination or free will
tongues and healing
modes of baptism
timing of creation and age of the Earth
millennialism, timing of tribulation and rapture
interpretation of world events in end time

c. Proper attitudes on non-essential doctrines:

We have to trust that God would keep the essential doctrines of His church true. For example, even with the mistranslation of the term "only begotten Son" by the Church Fathers, the Church did not fall into the heresy of Arianism.
On the other hand, with diverse opinion on many non-essential doctrines, particularly those involving eschatology, we have to learn to agree to disagree. For those non-essential doctrines, we can hold a certain position tentatively but also allow other positions as possible truths.
Different denominations should put aside differences in non-essential matters and cooperate for the greater good of extending the Kingdom of God.

84. What are the proper attitudes towards the Roman Catholic Church? a. It is of course preferable to have one universal church because the body of Christ is one. Many attempts have been made to unify the Roman Catholic Church and some Prostestant denominations.

b. Protestants claim to be the orthodox heirs of the ancient church (as illustrated by Chinese names for Protestants as "back-to-orthodoxy church" or "recovering-the-original church") because our doctrines rely solely on the Bible. In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church adopted some unbiblical doctrines originated from church tradition.

c. Such unbiblical doctrines include:

Papal infallibility: pronouncements ex cathedra (from the chair) by the pope are infallible.
The Magisterium (the pope and the bishops) have the sole authority of interpreting the Word of God.
Fullness of salvation is possible only through the Roman Catholic Church.
Existence of a purgatory: a place with purifying fire for the final purification of the elect before entering heaven.
Confession of sins to a priest is necessary before they are forgiven.
Indulgences can be purchased for the remission of punishments due for sins.
Prayer to God can be submitted through the saints, and can be done for the benefit of the dead.
Mary, mother of Jesus, is without original sin or personal sin; is perpetual virgin; ascended to heaven like Christ; is mediator between man and Christ; and co-redemptress with Christ.
There are 7 sacraments: baptism, eucharist, confirmation, penance, anointing, marriage, orders.

d. It is proper to have a dialogue between Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church but it is unlikely to have unity in the foreseeable future.

e. We need to accept that true believers in the Roman Catholic Church are brothers and sisters in Christ. We should avoid unnecessary confrontations with them in non-essential matters of faith.

85. What are the proper attitudes towards the Eastern Orthodox Church?

a. The Eastern Orthodox Church has most of its adherents in eastern Europe. The patriarch of Constantinople is its official leader.

b. They claim a living continuity with the church of the past and a strict adherence to its traditions. They depend on 3 sources for its traditions: the Bible, the 7 ecumenical councils (held between AD 325 and 787), and the creeds.

c. They believe the traditions of the church are expressed not only in words, but in actions, gestures, and art used in worship. As a result, liturgy and sacrments are vital elements in their church life. Even the smallest points of ritual are extremely important. All services are sung or chanted without instruments. They encourage veneration of icons by the worshippers because they believe that these are one of the ways whereby God is revealed to man.

d. With respect to Christian life, they emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification. They value mystical experiences in seeking God as the true aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, particularly through the church and the sacraments.

e. They adopted some unbiblical doctrines like the Roman Catholic Church, such as prayers to the saints, prayers for the dead, and 7 sacraments, but not papal infallibility.

f. We need to accept that true believers in the Eastern Orthodox Church are brothers and sisters in Christ.

86. What are the proper attitudes in studying theology? a. an attitude of wonderment: appreciating God’s amazing plan for the world and trying our best to understand it and accept to by faith

b. an attitude of humility: understanding that some divine truths are beyond the capability of human understanding, such as:

trinity
Christ as perfect God and perfect man
predestination and free will
inspiration of the Biblical writers

Our inability to explain or understand a doctrine should never be a reason for rejecting it if it is clearly taught in the Bible.

87. Why do we need to attend group Bible studies such as the Sunday School?

Eph 4:12-13 "...so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

a. Group Bible studies can achieve many purposes. Some of these are: (1) to be built up, (2) to become mature, and (3) to reach unity in the faith.

b. Each of us can be built up and can become mature by studying the Word of God alone but unity in the faith can only be reached by studying the Bible together and arriving at the same understanding. If there is Sunday School in our church, we should try our best to attend, either as a teacher or as a student. Studying God’s Word on the Lord’s Day is a wise and blessed activity.