For Us, Against Us

 Mark 9:40
 For he that is not against us is on our part.

All doctrine is not critical to having eternal life. The Doctrine of the Church concerning Jesus Christ, who He is, and why He came to earth is essential to salvation. There are other teachings that are important and hinge on the person of Christ, but it is important to know that knowing Jesus to be God and coming to save sinners through His death and resurrection is crucial and essential to our beliefs and eternal salvation. “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9). A church that does not hold to this sound doctrine, is not part of the universal church of Jesus Christ that encompasses all who believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior of the heart. They are against sound doctrine and people should be warned of their false teachings. God has a plan for each believer to fulfill the mission of the gospel of Christ. The world is filled with churches that seek to fulfill that mission. As believers, we desire to fellowship with those who are like-minded and share the same core values. Therefore, we may choose to attend and be a part of a particular church. If you don’t agree with those core values, then it is probably best to find a place where you can be effective in ministry to do what God has called you to do. We are too close to the end days and Jesus will soon be returning. We have kingdom work that needs to be done. We don’t have time to be fussing over non-essential doctrine. He that is not against us is on our side.