Notes + Questions: Open & Closed Hand Issues: Theological Triage

Definitions
• Closed hand: non-negotiable doctrine that must be believed or agreed upon for you to be a Christian
• Open hand issue: secondary doctrines that are important but, Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christians who have prayed and studied fervently disagree over.
- Romans 14:5

The Framework
1. First Rank – fundamental or essential to the gospel
2. Second Rank – Urgent for the health and practice of the church
3. Third Rank – Important to Christian theology
4. Fourth Rank – Unimportant to our gospel witness and ministry relationships

Criteria
1. Biblical clarity - How clear is the Bible on this doctrine?
2. Gospel importance – What is the doctrine’s importance for the gospel?
3. Church history – What is the testimony of the historical church concerning this doctrine?
4. Effect – What is this doctrine’s effect upon the church today?

First Rank – Fundamental to the gospel
• Crucial in our gospel witness
• Define whether you are a Christian or not
• Our 5 fundamentals
1. The Trinity
2. Deity of Christ
3. Salvation by grace
4. Inerrancy and authority of scripture
5. Return of Christ to rule, reign and judge
• Attitude – courage and conviction

Second Rank – Urgent for the Church
• Denominations and churches occur at this level
• Our doctrinal distinctives
• Considerations for why second rank matters:
1. Significant to scripture
2. Significant to church history
3. Significant to the Christian life
4. Significant to fundamental doctrines
• Examples of doctrine in this rank:
- Baptism
- Roles within the church and household
- Spiritual gifts
• Attitude – wisdom and balance

Third Rank – Important to Christian theology
• We should not divide of these topics
• Examples of doctrine in this rank:
- End times positions
- Age of the earth
- Interpretation of Romans 13
• Attitude – patience and restraint

Fourth Rank – Unimportant to our gospel witness
• We should not divide of these topics
• Attitude – fun and charity

Application
• Assess your current prioritization of doctrine
• Use wisdom – know when to fight and when not to
- Doctrinal divisiveness
- Doctrinal minimalism
• Don’t be apathetic
• The priority of the fundamentals

CG Questions
1. Can you identify any doctrines in your own life that might need to be moved up or down in rank?
2. Do you find yourself more willing to engage in retreat from a theological disagreement? Why do you think that is?
3. What doctrines do you feel are very important for us as 21st-century Christians that might not have been discussed during the sermon?
4. What was a new takeaway that you had from this topic? How will you apply that to your Christian life?