Essential Elements And Important Faith Truths
- Recognize that beliefs not classified as essential are still important and deserve study, time, and devotion.
- Learn from Jesus, Apollos, and humble instruction how to pursue deeper spiritual truth with gentleness and conviction.
- Embrace the prayer “I believe; help my unbelief” as a model for growing in faith, understanding, and humility.
Here, we’ll talk about how we deal with the important elements of our faith. One of the first mistakes we need to avoid is assuming that if something isn’t essential, it therefore isn’t important—that it doesn’t deserve our time, attention, or study. That simply isn’t true. These important elements of our faith are actually very important as we seek to follow Jesus faithfully and respond well to God’s Word.
These important elements demand our study, our time, and our devotion. I think there are three stories in the New Testament that help me better understand how we should approach these aspects of our faith—elements that may not be essential for salvation but still deserve careful attention. Each of these stories provides a valuable lesson for how we pursue truth with both conviction and humility. 
The first story is Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. In the middle of their conversation, the Samaritan woman asks Jesus what seems to us like a peculiar question: Where is the proper place to worship? At the time, however, it was a hotly debated issue, especially in that region. Jesus responds gently, but He also redirects her thinking.
“Jesus responds gently, but He also redirects her thinking.”
He tells her that a time is coming—and has now come—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Rather than simply answering her surface-level question, Jesus leads her to a deeper spiritual reality. I think that’s one of the lessons we need to learn when dealing with important elements of our faith. Often we need to look beyond the question we’re asking and seek the deeper spiritual truth that may lie underneath it.
I also think of the story of Apollos in the book of Acts. Apollos was a respected, articulate, and well-educated man, but we’re told that his understanding of Jesus was incomplete, particularly regarding baptism. In Acts 18, Priscilla and Aquila take Apollos aside. They don’t rebuke or embarrass him, but they lovingly provide further instruction and help correct areas where his understanding was lacking.
I love the example of both Priscilla and Aquila and Apollos in this story. Priscilla and Aquila saw it as their opportunity—and even their responsibility—to disciple this gifted preacher so that he would know Jesus and the gospel more accurately. Apollos, for his part, demonstrated remarkable humility by willingly receiving correction. He genuinely wanted to get it right and to teach the truth more faithfully.
Together, they provide a beautiful picture of Christian conviction joined with Christian humility. Their goal wasn’t to win an argument but to arrive at a more faithful understanding of important scriptural and spiritual truths. That should be our goal as well whenever we study the important elements of our faith.
“Together, they provide a beautiful picture of Christian conviction joined with Christian humility.”
The third example comes from Mark 9, where Jesus meets a father whose son needs healing. Jesus asks the father whether he believes that He can heal his son. The father responds with one of the most honest statements in Scripture: “I do believe; help me in my unbelief.” I love the tension contained in those words.
The father’s response displays both self-awareness and humility. He truly believes, yet he also recognizes that his faith is imperfect. He acknowledges that he still has doubts, questions, and areas where he needs to grow. Rather than pretending his faith is complete, he asks Jesus to strengthen what is still weak.
I think this is a wonderful example for us to follow. We can say, “God, I do believe. I have embraced these essential elements of the faith. But I also recognize that my belief isn’t perfect. There are still things I need to learn, areas where I need to grow, and questions that still need answers.”
I love that humble, prayerful attitude, especially when we’re dealing with the important elements of our faith. Our prayer should be, “God, help me know Your Word more accurately and understand You more fully.” As we continue to study and grow, may we always pursue truth with both conviction and humility.
