FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
The Hills Worth Dying On
Every doctrine in Scripture matters.
But not every doctrine serves the same purpose.
Some truths are so central to the Christian faith that, if we lose them, we lose the gospel itself.
Those are the hills worth dying on.
In my previous post, we looked at Paul’s call in Ephesians 4 to preserve the unity of the church. But biblical unity is never built on minimizing truth. In fact, genuine unity depends on believers standing firmly together on the truths that define the gospel.
The apostle Paul understood this well. In Galatians 1, he writes with remarkable urgency: “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:9) Those are not the words of someone who believes every doctrine is open to debate.
Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul reminds the church of the message “of first importance” – that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to many witnesses. This wasn’t merely one doctrine among many. It was the very foundation of the Christian faith.
Throughout church history, believers have called these the essential doctrines of Christianity because they answer the question: What must be true for the gospel to be the gospel?
Well…
There is one true God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.
Jesus lived a sinless life.
Jesus died as the substitute for sinners.
Jesus rose bodily from the grave.
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
The Bible is God’s inspired and authoritative Word.
Jesus Christ will return to judge the living and the dead and establish His eternal kingdom.
These are not denominational preferences.
They are the pillars upon which Christianity stands. Without them, we don’t simply have a different church, we have a different gospel.
Jude urged believers to “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 3). That doesn’t mean being argumentative or combative. It means lovingly, courageously, and faithfully holding fast to the truth God has revealed.
Our culture often tells us that conviction creates division.
Scripture teaches something different….that truth unites God’s people around Jesus Christ while exposing teachings that lead people away from Him.
As Christians…
We should be known for our humility, but never at the expense of biblical truth.
We should be gracious but never willing to redefine the gospel.
We should love people deeply enough to stand firmly on what God has clearly spoken.
These are the hills worth dying on, not because we enjoy conflict, but because they proclaim the only message that can save.
Next week, we’ll look at another category of doctrine. These aren’t the hills worth dying on, but they are absolutely worth studying.
They shape how we worship, how we lead our churches, and how we faithfully follow Christ together.
Joe Bouch
