Throughout the history of the Church, people have tried to work out what doctrines we must believe. What must we believe in order to be a Christian, and what can be left up to personal conscience? Another way of saying this is, what doctrines must we die for, and what can we ignore? This is a very important question, if a particular doctrine is only a matter of opinion then by insisting that someone believes what I believe then I could be hassling a true Christian. On the other hand, if I fail to teach the doctrines that are essential to salvation, then I am a false teacher and a poor pastor. Some people would put such things as inerrancy of Scripture or the belief in the Trinity, or the Virgin Birth as essentials in order for us to get to heaven. However it is my firm belief that there is only one essential doctrine. That doctrine is trusting that Jesus Alone Saves You from your sins.

I imagine that my reply could be a bit surprising to some people. But before you accuse me of trying to lead others astray, let me explain. The doctrine that Jesus Alone Saves You, is like a massive single span bridge, with no support cables or struts. The bridge is strong enough and good enough to carry us across but without the supports, it doesn't LOOK good enough. It raises doubt in our minds about whether we should even embark on it. We wonder if we can or even should trust it. This is where the other doctrines, such as the Trinity, The inerrancy of the Bible, the Two natures of Jesus etc. come in. They are are like the cables and struts of the bridge. They add support to the fact that the central doctrine, Jesus Alone Saves You, can be believed and trusted.

The fact is that there is much to be gained by studying theology. All Christian doctrine is interrelated, so there is a sense that none of it can be overlooked or downplayed. 

With that in mind, we shouldn’t be concerning ourselves with how little doctrine we can get away with, but should embrace the wealth of teaching the Holy Spirit has given us. We should rejoice in all the doctrines that lead us to Jesus Christ.