Common Faith
Elvis Iverson
http://www.elvisiverson.com
Among all Christians no matter what group you may be from we all have same common faith and upon this common faith is our common ground for fellowship and reconciliation between Christian groups under our Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God.
We all have interpretations and deductions of the Holy Scriptures. However, every true Christian agrees with the core of Christian faith, the absolutes of Holy Scriptures---which the absolutes are necessity and the essential for salvation and Christian unity.
We can find the core of the Christian in the Nicene Creed and the Apostle's Creed. They believe in the Christ and that our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of His father before all worlds---Born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit and when suffered and was buried; and that on the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures.
We as Christians must come to the knowledge of truth that theology has absolute norms. The basic and essential doctrinal beliefs are the same or similar enough. My observation is that there are three generally agree theological absolutes. Moreover, if I were to select three of moral nonnegotiables they would be the following:
Three Absolutes of Scriptures:
1. The Bible is true and normative. It is the absolute authority for faith and practice.
2. Jesus Christ is God and Lord.
3. An individual's personal relationship with Jesus Christ makes the difference between heaven and hell.
Three Moral Nonnegotiables:
1. Human life begins at conception.
2. Homosexuality is sin against God.
3. Extramarital heterosexual relationships are also sin.
Furthermore, all true Christians agree that their group is not the only group. Beside, this all true Christians agree that every one who is Born of the Spirit is born into the Body of Christ and we as Christians are to love one another in order to show Christ's love toward the World.
Today I have laid a common ground, which I call this the common faith of the Christian faith and upon this ground we can have reconciliation and unity in Christ Jesus our Lord, the Head of the Church.
Copyright © 2003 S.I.M. All Rights Reserved
