patrick jane forums

That's exactly where my "essentials" list began and ended PJ.

With the actual words of Jesus.  If he said it, I believe it... and as a Christ follower, I consider those things he taught-essential to the faith.

Everything else?  Not so much.  And everything that people teach about those things he taught that differ from what he actually taught?  Not at all.

Interesting thoughts.....I truly believe the essentials of "Christian faith" are sometimes misunderstood by many.  I believe faith is important, but the faith has to be placed in Christ completely.  Many people seem to turn against Him when tragedy strikes, or they believe they haven't been heard by Him.  The faith that He has a plan for everything people go through, and that things will work out the way He intends, is absolutely essential in us learning the life lessons He's needing us to learn.

“Faith” in my understanding is believing, or trusting someone or something. 

I agree, but believing in something is not the whole picture of faith.
Israel "believed" in the god of Israel (they witnessed YHWH's power and supremacy), but they did not remain faithful (even though they still believed that YHWH existed).

For me, I "believe" there are many gods but only one in which I should remain faithful.
Which mean excluding all other gods with my faithfulness.
Just as I remain faithful to only one man as husband, excluding all others that I am united with.
Because my God is a jealous god.

Good topic!

Yes— I was specific with him. If we are talking about Christ-ianity, it’s essential to follow the teachings of Christ. If an Israelite, then the God of Israel, Moabites believe in, and follow the ways and the God of Moab and so forth.

Pilots believe in airplanes and aerodynamics or otherwise they wouldn’t be pilots- their faith, and trust is placed in something they know. If they ceased believing they would quit flying altogether, whereas if they simply quit trusting (as with your Israelite example) they might keep flying because it pays the bills, but they’d pack a parachute along with their lunchbox.

With your husband your faithfulness to him is a choice you make daily to remain faithful.


So you are saying there’s a chance...

Not sure what you are asking about a chance of???
A chance of having two or more gods?
If so, then yes there is that chance.
We see many in scripture that did.
And they were deemed unfaithful because you cannot have another that your reliance is upon.
You can "believe" (as in acknowledging their existence, and even that they have powers) in others but you can only be united to one that you place your entire reliance upon.
You can't remain faithful to the one if you split your reliance on more than one.

Here is my brother’s list which he created prior to reading my note and sent to me after I responded. Now, as brothers might- we are looking for common ground and points of agreement from which to build a foundation for a discussion.

Incidentally his list is pretty much exactly what I expected as it is typical, traditional teaching from the evangelical church we both grew up in, though essentially a generation apart. He strayed away for many years for a time into the Catholic traditions, doctrines and dogmas and for a few decades he was faithless, forgetful, agnostic, antagonistic— almost atheistic. But perhaps ten years ago he had blood pressure and liver problems that challenged his health and gave him pause. He quit drinking entirely and after finding a new love they started attending church again and involved in something called an Alpha program. He now leads one of these groups and this has lead to good conversations with him though he wonders how and why I’ve come to view things so differently.

His list of “essentials.”

Fundamentals of Christianity:
1. The diety of Jesus!  He is God, one person of the Trinity, distinct from the Father and the Spirit, but one God with them. 
2. We are all sinners  Adam’s sin in Genesis 3, brought sin into the world but every person who has ever lived (except for Jesus) is broken and has committed sin, thus separating himself from God.
3. The wages of sin is death! The consequence of our sinful nature and our sinful acts is eternal separation from God.  This separation is “hell.”
4. Jesus is the only way for us to be reconciled to God!  Jesus died in our place and accepted the consequences of our sins. His resurrection from the dead and his return to His Father in heaven is evidence that we can find eternal life through Him.  Since He is the only one who has done this, there is no other way to life.
5. We receive this reconciliation (are saved) through grace alone, not by works or our own merit!  No matter how “good” we are or how much we do, we cannot earn our own salvation.  It can never be enough. 
6. The inerrancy of Scripture!  The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to us.  In as much as God cannot lie, the Bible then contains only truth.  That is not to say that every translation of the Bible is also inerrant or that the scribes who copied the manuscripts for 1000 years or more never miscopied something or made a spelling mistake, but the Bible is God’s word.