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How many times have you heard someone say that a particular aspect of the gospel was "not essential to salvation"? Lots, I imagine. At least, I've heard this numerous times. Often, it is stated toward the end of a discussion of an issue which the person hasn't spent much time thinking about and really doesn't want to spend much time thinking about. In such cases, it is much simpler to declare the issue "not essential to salvation" and, thereby, dismiss it from the mind. What Christians mean when they say this is that, generally, a particular issue is not essential to one being Christian and, specifically, the issue is not essential to them being a Christian. Such matters are often deemed unimportant and, therefore, not worthy of investigation. Now, I realize that there are many things that aren't necessary to know in order to receive salvation. My question, though, is what if the issue in question is essential to someone else's salvation? What if this non-essential thing is necessary for someone else to come to Christ? Is it, then, not important?
One thing I have found through witnessing to the lost is that, sooner or later, you'll run into many, many things that are keeping people from coming to Christ. People have a lot of different hang-ups about Christianity and the gospel. There are many false beliefs out there that are keeping people away from God. These false beliefs are over issues not essential to salvation yet they are keeping people from salvation, so they are essential, at least, for them. What is a Christian to do when they run into this? Do we dismiss the issue and walk away? Too often, yes.
Maybe its difficult to spend time studying matters of inconsequence to us. If it adds nothing to me or doesn't affect my standing with the Lord, why spend precious time on it? Why bother with something that may cause someone else difficulties but doesn't affect me? I think you know the answer. If our job is to win the lost to Christ and save souls, then it is imperative that we become, at least, somewhat knowledgeable on matters that are keeping people away from their salvation. My experience is that very few things don't matter. I've heard any number of seemingly trivial issues used as valid excuses for not accepting Christianity.
Sometimes, these issues can be very complicated and difficult to discuss. Sometimes, these issues seem trivial. They can be very weighty matters or almost nothing at all. In either case, they are important enough to the person to cause them to not accept the Christian God and His plan for the simplicity of salvation.
To many, the perception that science and the Bible contradict each other is enough to cause them to come down on the side of science and reject the Bible. Usually, this involves the age of the earth. Knowing the age of the earth is not essential to salvation. Agreed? Yet, if this perceived contradiction is causing people to reject the Bible as God's inspired word, is it not good to be able to intelligently discuss it? Healing is considered by many Christians as an inessential. Yet, many people reject God because He didn't deliver a loved one from a deadly disease. They reject God because a loved one was killed in an accident and God should have prevented it. They reject Christianity because they believe the Bible is full of contradictions and errors. They can often point to specific verses in the Bible to illustrate their assertion that scripture does not harmonize and, therefore, cannot be trusted. They may think it was written by a group of men who needed a crutch to get by in a cruel world. They may believe the Bible was written 100 years ago. They may not be able to serve a God who could send someone to a place of everlasting torment. They may hold that all religions are just as valid as Christianity and what one believes is not important as long as one believes it, sincerely. They may ask why the Christian belief is any better than Islamic or Jehovah's Witness or Mormon or Buddhist beliefs. They may state that all truth is relative and that there is no such thing as ultimate truth. They may assert that there is no proof that Jesus rose from the dead. The list is endless.
Now, being able to discuss and explain things like this is not essential to your salvation. Correct? But, what you have to ask yourself is - are you the only one that matters? If it is essential to your son's or spouse's or neighbor's or co-worker's salvation, is it not important for you to do some homework? What about them? Are they worth your time?
It is practically impossible to become experts in all matters that may be hindering someone's journey to salvation. As I've stated before, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of things that keep people away from Christianity. They can be things involving the intellect, the memory, the heart, or the climate of opinion regarding Christianity. My advice to you is to study the issues enough to be able to give an intelligent opinion on each subject. You do not have to be an expert to have an opinion. Just be able to back up that opinion with some sound logic or proof. It is not so difficult to counter wrong-headed beliefs. False beliefs are often illogical to begin with and, of course, you cannot prove something true if it is false. You may appear to prove it, but it is just an illusion full of holes. We have the advantage in that we know the truth. "I am the way, the truth, and the life…" (John 14:6). We are to "...earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 3) and we are to "...be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you…" (1Peter 3:15)
Let's just be ready and able to have an opinion, back it up with a little logic and proof, and be careful about assuming that, if something is not important to us, its not important at all.
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