Then there are certain things were Scripture is not totally clear. In those non essential areas Christians can differ in practice and yet not risk eternal salvation (IE. Women in ministry, the rapture, free will vs predestination). These are areas where the scripture is not 100% clear, and therefore we can differ in practice and still be saved. These are not areas of practice that degrade the sufficiency of Jesus' atonement or would prevent a believer from entering heaven.
But as the quote above states, In omnibus caritas- in all things love!! Even when we disagree with our Christian brothers and sisters we should still love and respect one another. There is not place for brothers and sisters in Christ to not treat each other with anything less than love in any circumstance.
That said, I wanted to list a few items that I feel through study in the Word that all Christians should believe:
- The Word of God is verbally inspired: Paul, an apostle of Christ, wrote: “Every scripture is inspired of God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible asserts its own inspiration—of this there is no doubt.
- The Bible is equal in authority through from Genesis to Revelation: All books of the Bible, including the Old Testament, are the word of God. Who can say that one part of God's word is not as important as another? Certainly some are better written than others; some are easier to understand than others. But all are equally true. Revelation 22:18-19 says- 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
- The Word of God is infallible: Here I say WWJD!! Jesus never belittled Scripture (as some modern critics do), or set it aside (as the Jewish leaders of His day had done with their Oral Traditions), or criticized it (although He criticized those who misused it), or contradicted it (although He rejected many interpretations of it), or opposed it (although He sometimes was free or interpretive with it), nor spoke in any way as “higher” critics do of the Old Testament (Tanakh).
- Jesus knew the scriptures thoroughly and used them- John 7:15
- He believed the scriptures and claimed he was the fulfillment- Luke 4
- Multiple instances where he quoted the Old Testament as historical fact: Creation, Noah, Abraham, etc.
- The Word of God progressively reveals the person and plan of God- The Bible is a grand story. The entirety of Scripture, from the fall of man to the redemption of man is the drama of God working out the promise of Genesis 3:15. It is consummated in Jesus Christ said "It is Finished" in John 19.
- All scripture must me interpreted literally- This must take into account the types of literature in the Bible. Poetry is poetry, apocolyptic literature is rich in imagery. But the Bible is to be understood literally. There are several reasons to interpret the Bible literally, not the least of which is that the Lord Jesus Christ took it literally. Whenever the Lord Jesus quoted from the Old Testament, it was always clear that He believed in its literal interpretation. As an example, when Jesus was tempted by Satan in Luke 4, He answered by quoting the Old Testament. If God’s commands in Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:13, and 6:16 were not literal, Jesus would not have used them and they would have been powerless to stop Satan’s mouth, which they certainly did.
