For those interested... I have copied my response to a brother who wrote me asking for my thoughts on dealing with issues that arise in the fellowship over doctrine. I would love to hear your experience(s) and what you've learned from them.

Question: A brother denies the Trinity? How do you respond?

That's a great question and one to work slowly through in prayer.

There have been situations that we have known in experience and through the stories of others who are further along in the journey. It is so very important to wait upon the Lord and seek his patient heart. Every situation is different and I don't believe there are uniform answers for the problems that may arise in a local ekklesia.

If any brother or sister comes into the fellowship and is teaching anything that the group feels is off center... I think everyone should feel free to express their concern to this person. In a gentle and respectful manner with the Lord's heart... there should be an open discussion in an atmosphere of freedom. 

This might be something that the entire fellowship discusses together. Depending on the person and the situation... it might be something best left in discussion with the brothers only... or even the eldest among you. However the fellowship decides to handle their own unique situation... the church should always move forward in love toward each other.

There is an elder brother I know who told me of a situation in their fellowship a few years ago. Another brother came in with a doctrinal/missional agenda and was very adamant about it. Eventually the brothers agreed that they would set a time aside for him to share his views that he felt so passionate about. It would then be left to the whole church to decide if they agreed with him and wanted to move in the direction he was proposing. 

No matter what their decision, they agreed to hear him out and drop it after he shared. So he shared... they listened... and the church expressed that they did not desire to accept his views. They lovingly rejected his beliefs which they felt moved them away from Christ and the man never came back. The Lord has a way with pruning his church. And at no time was frustration or anger expressed to this person. They reached a consensus and agreed with one another in the Lord.

It's unfortunate that we often don't trust the Lord to express himself in the Body this way. In organized Christianity it is usually left to a few men to guide and "protect" the flock by meeting in secret with those who are perceived to be a threat to the spiritual life of the church. I certainly agree that there are shepherds/elders and teachers. And the actions of these members will be a tremendous help to the Body during this time. 

But we must believe that the Lord's people are able to discern the Lord's heart. I believe it is the example of those shepherds that help the flock to discern the Lord's heart if there be any confusion. Like the example I have shared above. I believe some of the members knew the Lord well enough to discern truth... and those who were unsure... leaned upon the discernment of the elders.

Yes, a person is certainly free to believe whatever they like. I do think there are some beliefs that are clearly peripheral and the church should spend little to no time discussing them. There are other beliefs that we would consider essential to our faith in Christ. 

Still a person is free to believe whatever they like. Unless they bring up their difference of opinion or begin pressing it strongly... you might not even know what they think about anything... since it is Christ, not doctrines, that we meet around. However, if their ideas surface and begin to replace Christ among you... it may be necessary to take the actions mentioned above.

We have made some mistakes in dealing with people. But I do believe that as long as you move forward in the love of Christ... the Lord will honor the efforts of the church.

Question: Would you consider the doctrine of the Trinity essential?

I would say all matters of faith that are directly connected to the person and work of Christ are essential. This may seem a bit fuzzy at times. But I do believe that is the standard by which we judge what is essential. What we say about WHO Jesus is matters most. We can be misguided about many things, but this one thing we must land firmly on both feet. 

Every confession or creedal statement in the New Testament reflects a basic recognition of Jesus of Nazareth as the unique Son of God who was crucified, buried, and raised.

What is necessary for belief in Jesus (salvation)? I remember a professor asking this once. I remember him asking something like, "Is it necessary to believe in the virgin birth?" Likewise, we could ask if it is necessary to believe that God is Triune in nature: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? I really dislike these scenarios, but I know we do on occasion actually encounter this with people. ;-) 

I understand that a person may genuinely come to Christ without a full theological and biblical knowledge of God in Christ. However, regardless of what they may or may not be aware of at their receiving of Jesus... they are indeed receiving the God that became a human being and was born of a virgin Mary. They are embracing Jesus (the Son) that is the second person in what was dubbed the "Trinity" in the third century. 

Even if they are unaware of it... they are accepting this God that has been made plain to us in the Scriptures. 

What's really crazy is how little knowledge we do have at our first confession, but the Lord saves us still. That's the key... it's the Lord that saves. He sees into a man's heart. He sees what a man is truly doing with Jesus.

Again, I don't think a denial of the Trinity is necessarily a denial of Christ. It could be the case... but only the Lord knows the reasons why. I know you would agree that many things unravel at the decimation of the doctrine on the Trinity. It is troubling for sure. 

My inclination would be to go to the root and see if this person is confessing the same spirit (1 Jn 4:1-6). What do they believe about Christ? It may just be that their ideas about the Triune God are only muddled because of misunderstanding the God who is three in one.

I hope that helps.