Non-Essentials You Say?

Some will say, “You make too much of non-essentials.” That is a thing I frequently hear—non-essentials! There are certain things in Scripture, they tell us, that are non-essentials, and therefore they are not to be taken any notice of. Doctrinal views, and the Baptism of Believers, for instance—these are non-essential to salvation, and therefore, is the inference which follows according to the theory of some—we may be very careless about them!

Do you know, Believer in Christ, that you are a servant? And what would you think if a servant should first wittingly neglect her duty, and then come to you and tell you that it is non-essential? If she should not light the fire tomorrow morning, and when you came down, she were to say, “Well, Sir, it is non-essential; you won’t die though the fire is not lit”—or if, when she spread the breakfast, there was no provision there but a crust of bread, and nothing for you to drink; what if she should say, “Well, Sir, it is non-essential, you know? There is a glass of water for you and a piece of bread—the rest is non-essential.” If you came home and found that the rooms had never been swept, and the dust was upon them, or that the bed had not been made, and that you could not take an easy night’s rest, and the servant should say, “Oh, it is non-essential, Sir; it is quite nonessential.”

I think you would find it to be non-essential for you to keep her any longer, but extremely essential that you should discharge her! And what shall we say of those men who put aside the words of Christ, and say, “His precepts are quite non-essential”? Why, I think because they are non-essential, they therefore become the test of your obedience! If you could be saved by them, and if they were necessary to your salvation, your selfishness would lead you to observe them; but inasmuch as they are not necessary to your salvation, they become tests of your willingness to obey Christ!

~ Charles Spurgeon, sermon #359: 



There is no such thing as a non-essential biblical doctrine. All biblical doctrine is essential, else why would the King make dictates? Does God indeed say things that are not to be taken seriously? Does He waste His breath? Did He not say that even a jot and title will not be removed until the Law is accomplished? And did the Author of Scripture pick each word down to its particular verb tense to make His sovereign point?

Biblical Christians will not question nor have the audacity to change what the King has demanded. When HE states who is to be baptized and how its to be done, for example, this is not an option to be ignored or for us to change. We obey HIM as He has already spoken. Spurgeon is right: the test of faith is to see if one will indeed submit to the Lordship of the Lord...else why bother calling Him "Lord, lord" and not do what He says? Do we know better than the King of kings and Lord of lords? No we do not.

Luk 6:46  "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?

Luk 6:49  But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

Mat 5:18  "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 
Mat 5:19  "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:20  "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Rom 16:26  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith

Mat 4:4  But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Joh 8:31  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Jas 1:19  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

***Updated***

Eric Powers of The Biblical Christ Institute wrote something more about this false dichatomy between essential and non-essential truth, called "Doctrinal Triage".