In 1909, two California businessman [Lyman and Milton Stewart] provided funding for an important project. Their idea was to publish a series essays defending the Christian faith. Eventually, sixty-four authors agreed to provide ninety essays affirming the basic teachings of the Bible and attacking threats to Christianity. These essays were published in 1917 in a set of twelve volumes and sent out free of charge to ministers, missionaries, professors, and other Protestant religious workers in the US and in other English-speaking countries. Over 3 million volumes—250,000 sets—were sent out. This set of booklets was titled, “The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth.”

Last week, I started a series of messages on biblical convictions, and one of the things that we ought to have strong convictions about is the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

Convictions are, by definition, strongly-held beliefs. The most strongly-held of our beliefs should be those beliefs that define Christianity. It’s no good to claim to be a Christian while at the same time denying the foundational, fundamental beliefs of the faith.

Sadly, many people who call themselves Christians at the same time deny the basic biblical teachings that define Christianity. They claim to be Christians, yet reject the beliefs that make Christianity what it is. They claim that you can be a Christian while denying the fundamentals of the faith.

For example, a famous British theologian, NT Wright, said recently that belief in the resurrection of Jesus was not necessary for being a Christian. Wright cites the example of a friend of his (Marcus Borg) who denies the resurrection and deity of Christ yet, supposedly, loves Jesus and, Wright claims, is no doubt a Christian.

We would disagree with the esteemed British scholar. If you deny the fundamentals of the faith, you are simply not a Christian—even if you claim to love Jesus. The fundamentals of the faith are essential to Christianity; the fundamentals make Christianity what it is.

We are a fundamental church. That means, among other things, that we believe in the fundamental, essential, primary teachings of Christianity. We do not compromise on the Bible’s teachings on these doctrines. We hold these beliefs strongly.

Our highest commitment ought to be to those beliefs that make Christianity what it is. We must strongly affirm these doctrines. Those who deny these doctrines have no right to think of themselves as Christians; denying them means that you are not a Christian. We don’t deny them; we strongly affirm these doctrinal convictions.

And it’s good to review these doctrines occasionally and reaffirm our belief in them. These foundational teachings form the basis of our faith. We unify around these beliefs; we hold them in common with all other genuine Xns around the world and across the centuries. These doctrines comprise the faith once delivered to the saints.

What are these fundamentals of the faith? What are the fundamental doctrinal convictions of biblical Christianity?