Reply to "Essential And Non-Essential Biblical/Scriptural Beliefs"

From the unctuous and dogmatic utterances of Bill Gray, self-appointed decider of which "Biblical beliefs'" are essential and which are non-essential:

"I believe that Jesus Christ left two ordinances for all Christian believers to do in remembrance of Him until He returns:  Baptism and Communion.  Our salvation is, in no way, based upon us doing these ordinances; but, in doing these we grow spiritually in our daily Christian walk and in our daily Christian lives.  These, combined with daily prayer and daily Scripture study, give us spiritual strength to overcome the world -- one day at a time."

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Let's just look at communion for now, Bill.  It would seem that the Bible recognizes a far more significant role for that ordinance than you do.

I Corinthians 11:

^"23For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

 ²⁴And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

 ²⁵After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

 ²⁶For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

 ²⁷Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

 ²⁸But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

 ²⁹For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh ****ation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

But Bill sees no relationship between the Lord's supper and salvation. How about the matter  of eating and drinking the Lord's supper "unworthily", Bill?  The result of that can be the  ****ATION of the one who so offends!  That is what the Bible says. That is the importance placed on this ordinance by an inspired apostle of Jesus Christ.  If eating and drinking unworthily can condemn one to h ell, what do you think would be the fate of those who disobey the Lord's commandment ("This do in remembrance of me.") by not observing the Lord's supper at all?? That same Jesus also said, " If ye love me, keep my commandments.I(John 14:15).  One who would excuse himself from communion on the argument that it is not essential is wilfully disobeying a commandment of Jesus Christ.

Consider also, in this vein, I John 2:4:  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
 

As to baptism, we have repeatedly seen how you denigrate that ordinance by ignoring the plain teaching of Romans 6:1-11, I Peter 3:21, Acts 2:37 & 38, and Acts 22:16. Your stratagem of artificially and incorrectly classifying baptism as a "work" just doesn't cut it, Bill.  Baptism is the place and event ordained by God where the penitent sinner gets into the death and redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, as clearly taught in Romans 6. It is God's work that is performed in baptism, not some meritorious work of man. Those who gin up their own cutesy catch phrases like "an outward sign of an inward grace," as though that were some kind of  proof that baptism is not essential for salvation, are leaning on a broken reed of bogus hermeneutics.