By Louie Marsh

The problem with making statements of essential beliefs is the word, essential. For purposes of this statement I’m defining essential beliefs as beliefs that are necessary for salvation and for the establishing of a firm foundation for further spiritual growth and obedience to God.

I can start in no better place than Paul’s list of essentials to the Corinthian believers…

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 1 Cor. 15:1-5

Paul believed that the core of the Gospel was the physical death for our sins, burial and literal resurrection from among the corpses of Jesus. Our faith in these events are the core of Christianity and absolutely essential to salvation.

Beyond this the entire New Testament makes clear that our trusting in His grace for salvation and for the power to live for Christ in this life is also essential (Eph. 2:8-9)

A belief in the Trinity is also necessary – otherwise you almost always end up demoting Christ from His exalted place as the Son of God and Lord of all. I define the Trinity thusly, "Within the nature of the One eternal God there are three eternal Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

A belief in the Second Coming (in one form or another) is also essential if we are to avoid distorting our high view of Christ.

A belief in the Bible as God’s Word, without error (inerrant) is also essential – not to salvation – but certainly to possessing a firm foundation for spiritual growth and pleasing our Father - as current events among mainline churches are sadly proving.

Now to baptism and where it falls on this issue. I would place baptism in the same category I place repentance, faith and hearing - all necessary to becoming a Christian - but none necessary to have a perfect understanding of how to be saved.

After over 20 years of ministry and studying this issue I’ve come to the conclusion that in the New Testament being baptized (by immersion of course – no one really argues that anymore) was a regular part of what you did when you became a Christian.

But how many people have a perfect understanding of Christ, or how many of us repent perfectly? Very few to be sure. Therefore if we allow, as we do, for imperfections in our understanding of these things we must also allow for imperfections in people's understanding of baptism.

Perhaps Alexander Campbell put it best in what has become known as the Lunenburg Letter when he wrote…."I observe that if there are no Christians in the Protestant sects, there are certainly none among the Romanists…Therefore, for many centuries there has been no church of Christ, no Christians in the world; and the promise concerning the everlasting kingdom of the Messiah have failed, and the gates of hell have prevailed against his church! This cannot be, and therefore there are Christians among the sects."

"…I can not, therefore, make any one duty the standard of Christian state or character, not even immersion into the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….There is no occasion, then, for making immersion on a profession of faith, absolutely essential to a Christian – though it might be greatly essential for his sanctification and comfort…" (The Millennial Harbinger, Abridged, Vol. 2, pages 379-382, emphasis Campbell’s.)

I agree and believe that everyone should be baptized by immersion, and have baptized many in my time – including many who were previously sprinkled. But I refuse to stand in judgement over those who have not been immersed and leave their judgement up to God. Jesus told us we’d know by their fruits and as long as they hold to Christ as discussed above and show forth His fruit I accept them as my brothers and sisters in Christ.

To believe otherwise puts you in a difficult position as Campbell recognized. If immersion is essential with no qualifiers then Jesus was a liar and we are in the same position of most major cults who claim to be the only one’s since Christ and the Apostles to have the truth. That is not a position I wish to hold.

The above list, while not exhaustive, contains what to me are the essential, bedrock beliefs we must have to be and grow as Christians.