You said… “I think we can all agree that salvation is the work of God, not man, though man is responsible.”

I often hear this comment, or something similar, and while this statement is true I have found that when dealing with the doctrine of salvation a statement like this can often muddy the water for those on both sides of the debate and lead to confusion about just what it is we are saying.

Now, before I get into hot water with you over posting this let me just say that I am not looking for a theological squabble, I am pretty sure you can best me in just about any debate, and besides you and I from the same theological camp. No, want I want to do is pick your sharp theological mind just a little bit by asking the question; “What exactly is it that the Scriptures teach concerning man’s responsibility?”

How one answers this question sheds a great deal of light upon their understanding of salvation and what they hear when someone says “Salvation is the work of God, not man, though man is responsible.”

Grace Always,
Greg

Thanks for your comment. I would not disagree with anything you said. Having a God-centered vision and trajectory to your philosophy of ministry and practice is crucial. I think both Calvinist and “non-Calvinist” can agree on that. I think we can all agree that salvation is the work of God, not man, though man is responsible.

I have said it several times in the past, but I believe the greatest need in the SBC is the recovery of the gospel, and by that I am not talking about the five points of Calvinism. We need the gospel to animate our churches, define our ministries, and drive our lives on mission. I hope that in my generation the gospel-centered passion for life and ministry in the local church would be something that could bring a consensus and renewal for greater cooperation and kingdom impact for years to come.

To answer your question, I would say that matters related to the nature/essence of the gospel and what it means to be a Christian are first-level, primary doctrines. If you were to give them up or not have them, you would not be a Christian.

Second-tier or secondary issues are not non-essential doctrines as some have attempted to argue but rather matters where Christians can disagree on, usually on an ecclesiological level (such as mode of baptism). In other words, Christians can disagree and still be Christian but not Baptist.

Tertiary issues or those on the third-tier are doctrines that are within a confessional framework or denominational identity that people can disagree on. Those in your Sunday School class may disagree on certain eschatological issues such as the pre, a, or post regarding the millennial, or infra, subla, or supra lapsarianism.

That’s how I would breakdown the theological triage. It is a helpful, though not perfect, theological tool to differentiate matters “of first importance” as Paul would explain in 1 Cor. 15 versus eating meat.