“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty, and in all things love.”

What then are the “essentials?”

First and foremost, the chief truth of the Christian faith the firm conviction that Jesus Christ “is the propitiation for our sins; not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (See context of 1 John 2:2). The person of Jesus Christ and his redeeming love is the central point of our preaching of salvation. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No man goes to the Father except by me” (See context of John 14:6)

The source of this, and all truth, is the Bible. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (See context of 2 Timothy 3:16). We regard the whole Bible as inerrant, its teaching and authority are absolute, supreme and final. The Bible is God’s Word, and it contains all that is necessary for us to know concerning the will of God for our salvation. “The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are and shall remain the only rule of our faith and life.”

We interpret Scripture using Scripture, seeking to understand context of the inspired writings instead of isolating individual verses or using literal words to advance personal agendas. This "hermeneutic" assumes a loving desire to study God's Word, and be led by the Holy Spirit in application to personal life rather than socially driven trends that rise out of human cultures and traditions.

The central truth of redemption through Christ is supported Scripturally through eight main subjects that we hold essential to our knowledge of salvation:

1. The Biblical truth of the universal depravity of human nature; that, since the fall, there is no health in man, and that he has no power to save himself (See contexts of John 3:6; Romans 1:18-23; 3:9-18, 3:23, 7:18; Ephesians 2:8-13).

2. The Biblical truth of the love of God that Father to fallen humanity; that He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, and “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (See contexts of Ephesians 1:3,4; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9).

3. The Biblical truth of the real godhead and the real humanity of Jesus Christ; that the only-begotten Son of God, through glory which he had with the Father before the world was, took on him our flesh and blood, that he might be made like unto his brethren in all things, yet without sin (See contexts of John 1:1-3; 1:14; 17:5; Philippians 2:6,7; Hebrews 2:14,17; 4:15; Colossians 1:17-19; 1 John 5:20).

4. The Biblical truth of our reconciliation with God and our justification before him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; that Christ was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification, and that alone by faith in him we have through his blood forgiveness of sin, peace with God, and freedom from the service of sin (See contexts of Romans 3:24,25; 5:1;
1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 2:17; 9-12; 1 Pet. 1:18,19; I John 1:9;
2 Corinthians 5:18,19).

5. The Biblical truth of the Holy Spirit and the working of his grace; that without him we are unable to know truth; that it is he who leads us to Christ, by working in us the knowledge of sin, and faith in Jesus, and that he gives us
the witness that we are children of God (See contexts of John 16:8-11;
1 Corinthians 12:3; Romans 8:16).

6. The Biblical truth of good works as the fruit of the Holy Spirit; that in them faith manifests itself as a living, acting power, which impels us to follow willingly the commands of God, in love and gratitude to him who died for us (See contexts of John 14:15; Rom. 6:11-14; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Galatians 5:6,22-24; 1 John 5:3-5; Ephesians 2:8-10; James 2:17).

7. The Biblical truth of the fellowship of believers with one another; that they are all one in Christ Jesus, the head of his body, and are all members one of another (See contexts of John 17:21; Matthew 23:8; Ephesians 4:4).

8. The Biblical truth of the second coming of the Lord in glory, and of the resurrection of the dead unto life, or unto judgment (See contexts of Acts 1:11; John 6:40; 11:25,26; 3:36; 5:25-29; I Thessalonians 4:14-17).

These are the Biblical truths that we hold to be the "essentials." Acceptance and practice of these basic teachings of the Christian faith is an integral ingredient in our personal lives and the relationship we have with others. With special emphasis on the relationship we hold to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the church expects a spirit of unity on the part of all its members in regard to these essentials.

What are the “non-essentials?”

On other matters, especially where the Scriptures are not explicit on particular points, we allow for variation in our individual point of view, providing we keep a spirit of brotherly love and tolerance toward one another
even when we are unable to agree on some of these "non-essentials," or secondary matters.

Examples of these secondary matters, or non-essentials, would be our understanding of the order of events connected with the second coming of our Lord or our particular view of the relationship of the elements of the Holy Communion to the body and blood of Christ. In both instances the we hold that the Scriptures do not clearly support one interpretation as opposed to another (and this is why various branches of the church take varying views). We recognizes, therefore, that on such points each member must be guided by his own understanding of the Scripture, remembering always that our unity on the essentials is more important than our various explanations of these secondary matters and that the love of Christ in our hearts binds us together even though we may not agree on every detail of interpretation.

This emphasis on unity in essentials while allowing liberty in secondary matters is the principal reason the we never developed a formal creed. We recognize, further, that a church as well as an individual can grow spiritually
and be led into deeper understanding of Biblical truth. A creed tends to be static thus discouraging or limiting new insights.

We practice the sacraments of baptism and communion. There is no sacramental grace or salvation associated with these ordinances. Communion is open to all persons that have received Christ Jesus as their personal Savior. The communion service is a memorial of the death of Christ. It is a spiritual communion of the believer with Christ and his or her fellow Christians.

How does “in all things love” make unity and liberty possible?

Jesus’ humble request is to “love one another, just as I love you” (See context of John 15:12). Consider how Jesus loves us – he submitted to God, gave his life, and is alive to make God’s love real to every human that has ever lived.

Our relations with God through Personally knowing Jesus results in freedom from sin and liberates us to realize by faith how abundant life can be obtained. When we exercise faith, hope emboldens our hearts to live out our destiny, but the greatest treasure is love put into practice:

“Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person
who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony” (See context of Colossians 3:12-14).

Love-filled relationships in Christians are a sign that Jesus lives inside. Scriptures put it this way, “…he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit” (See context of 1 Corinthians 6:17). Therefore, being “in Christ” makes possible the most valuable relationships in life.

So, “in all things love,” admonishes every individual to desert personal agendas, to cease disputes, to always forgive, and to focus on what is important: "faith expressing itself through love" (See context of Galatians 5:6). When faith is alive, our hearts are filled with such abundant love that we desire to share with others the God of Love.


Adapted from the Moravian Church