Do I Have to Believe Everything You Do to Go to Heaven?

 by Tim Chaffey

     You might be surprised how many times I have been asked this question.  Others don't ask, they complain - "You're just saying I have to believe everything you do to be a Christian."  My response to this is "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" 

     There are certain points on which we must agree to go to heaven (see How Can I Be Saved?).  The Gospel message is non-negotiable.  Paul summarized the Gospel message in 1 Corinthians 15: 1 - 4, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures..."  Belief in Christ's divinity, atoning sacrifice on the cross, and bodily resurrection from the dead are non-negotiables.

     Most Christians have heard the saying: "In essentials, unity.  In non-essentials, liberty.  In all things, charity."  I believe this is accurate but who decides what is essential?  The common answer is that salvation-related issues are essential and everything else is a non-essential.  Again, I agree but must also ask "who decides what is salvation-related?" 

     This is where it gets tricky.  For example, the doctrine of eternal security is definitely salvation-related (see Eternal Security).  Does this mean that all who deny eternal security are lost?  After all, in a sense, they are relying on their works to keep themselves saved so they aren't really trusting in Christ.  I agree that this is the logical outcome of denying eternal security but many who deny eternal security are not necessarily logically consistent.  I know several solid Bible-believing Christians who deny or doubt the doctrine of eternal security.  While I believe they are wrong on this point they still are trusting in Jesus Christ's work on the cross for their sins.  Thankfully, God is gracious and does not require 100% understanding of every Christian doctrine to be saved.  If He did, wouldn't this be salvation by works?

     Another example...My favorite pastor to listen to is John MacArthur from Grace Community Church in Southern California.  I disagree with his stance on Calvinism but I do not believe he will go to hell because we disagree.  He faithfully preaches the Gospel on a weekly basis and has been a contributing factor in the salvation of thousands, if not millions of people.   I also believe he is far more intelligent and learned than I am.  Maybe in ten or fifteen years I'll come to understand this issue the way he does and agree with him.  Maybe I'll become even more convinced that he is wrong. 

     The point is that we can disagree on certain doctrines and still get along.  One of the most frustrating things to me is to see Christians who develop a "my way or the highway" mentality on non-salvation issues.  Some Christians have done this with the Bible's description of the end times.  "If you're not an amillennialist (or postmillennialist or premillennialist) then you just aren't saved."  A good friend of mine is a pastor at an Evangelical Free church and we disagree on this issue.  However, we do not let that affect our relationship.  We can joke about it because we understand that one should not be dogmatic on this particular issue (even though I'm right).      This is especially true when dealing with the end times because they have not happened yet!  Christians can engage in serious discussions and still respect those who disagree.  This concept has been nearly forgotten in the Church.  Just because someone disagrees with you, you don't have to stop talking to them, or worse yet, consider them an apostate (I have seen more than enough of this, too). 

     I doubt that any Christian alive today has a perfect understanding of every single doctrine.  One of the first things we may do when we get to heaven is say "Oh, now I get it!  That's how that works!"  It would be extremely arrogant for any finite person to claim perfect understanding of the Word of the infinite God.  This does not mean that we should give up trying to lean as much as we can.  We are commanded to "study to show [ourselves] approved unto God" (2 Tim. 2: 15).  

     You may have noticed that we take a strong stand on the days of creation.  We believe it is inconsistent to believe anything but what the Bible plainly teaches, namely, that God created everything about 6,000 years ago in a period of six days of approximately twenty-four hours each.  To deny this ultimately undermines the message of the Gospel because it places death before sin.  However, we do NOT believe that all who hold to a "compromise view" (i.e. Day-Age Theory, Progressive Creation, Gap Theory, etc.) are lost.  We have consistently made this point clear on this site - especially in the footnotes sections.

     So the answer to the question is yes and no.  One must have a basic understanding of the Gospel but he/she need not agree with or have a full understanding of every single non-salvific doctrine to go to heaven.  Allow me to repeat Philipp Melanchthon's famous statement, "In essentials, unity.  In non-essentials, liberty.  In all things, charity."

 

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