I like how you put that: “saving faith accepts in a latent fashion the essential doctrines.”

Yes, I agree that the individual can be born again without an awareness of all doctrines, but I think that saving faith accepts in a latent fashion the essential doctrines. For example, if you read 1 Jn 4.2, you might confess it to be true, and in the Spirit fully affirm it, without understanding or comprehending all that it means. In fact, it is likely that we don’t understand all that it means even after years of study and contemplation.

Anyway, your caution is certainly well taken and should be included in any description of essentials. This particular one was sort of ‘off the cuff’, but I thought it worth putting out there for other input.

Thanks.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

I think there are two questions here. First, what do you have to know and believe to get saved. I don’t think you would put the hypostatic union in that list, for example. Second, what truths would no true Christian deny? A believer might not know anyting about the hypostatic union, but if taught from the Scripture the truth of Christ’s full deity and full humanity, I don’t think any true beleiver would deny it. They might not be able to express it properly, but that is another issue.