Three Categories

One thing that has helped me in maturing as a Christian and avoiding unnecessary doctrinal battles is to divide what I believe into three categories. The first group I refer to as salvation doctrines which are truly necessary for genuine Christians to believe. I don't think there are very many of these. Most center around Jesus Christ. Examples include Jesus is God, He rose from the dead, and He is the only way of salvation. The second category I call group distinctives or beliefs. Every fellowship, local congregation or denomination has these and they differ from group to group. For example there are many perspectives on end times events. A person will usually need to be in substantial agreement with the beliefs of whatever group they are in. I call this "flow or go." The third category is personal convictions which are beliefs a person holds, ideally supported by Scripture, which it is not necessary for others to hold. One personal conviction which I hold regards the use of titles in the Church. I seldom discuss my personal convictions.