What does the Bible say about primary vs. secondary issues?

from the old testament

• The Israelites were to be united over the truth that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 4:35; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 45:5). Israel was repeatedly warned not to worship false gods or distort God’s commands because these sins struck at the heart of their relationship with Him. The Ten Commandments begin with exclusive worship of the Lord alone (Exodus 20:1–5), and Israel’s idolatry with the golden calf brought severe judgment because it corrupted true worship (Exodus 32). Likewise, false prophets who led people away from God were to be rejected because they undermined covenant truth (Deuteronomy 13:1–5).

from the new testament

• Primary Issues: The primary issues (also known as first-level importance) are those doctrines that cannot be changed or rejected without attacking the gospel and saving faith. They include any attack on the gospel, such as requiring works for salvation (Galatians 2:16) or denying who Jesus is or what He did (1 John 4:2–3). In effect, these are fundamental changes to the understanding of salvation as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8–9). Paul warned believers in his day that those who taught such things were accursed (Galatians 1:8–9) and that they should avoid Christian fellowship with anyone who held such errors (Romans 16:17).
• Secondary Issues: These are second-level issues, which are often serious differences of opinion, but none of which directly challenge the gospel. Most denominations today exist so believers of like mind can fellowship together. Examples include baptism, eschatology (end times), and views on how to understand God’s unfolding plan (such as Covenantalism vs. Dispensationalism). None of the differences directly affects the gospel, but they do fundamentally affect how one reads and understands Scripture. Note that biblically, there is no need to separate, and historically, believers with different convictions in these areas have both fellowshipped and gathered for the primary mission: the gospel. See the tertiary section next, as the biblical principles listed there also apply here.
• Tertiary Issues: These third-level issues are beliefs that may be strongly held ones, but are relatively minor and never serious enough to warrant dividing into different congregations. Examples include convictions on alcohol, celebrating Halloween, working on Sundays, and so forth. These are issues for which believers should never separate, as they don’t fundamentally affect how Scripture is understood. Paul spoke about such issues in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8. In each case, some believers rightly felt that all foods and drinks were acceptable, but others were bound by their consciences because of past experience or a weak understanding of Scripture, and believed that believers should avoid certain types of food and drink. Jesus said that the world will know them by their love for each other (John 13:35). Paul, therefore, taught that believers with better-informed consciences must be willing to refrain from something they are free to do when it means helping another believer not to sin (e.g., Romans 14:15).
• For both secondary and tertiary issues, Paul said: “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Believers are to lovingly “agree to disagree,” not trying to win a point, but showing deference to the other believer.
• For primary ones, Paul said, “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). Christians must be unified when it comes to primary issues. That both means being in full agreement with one another and not allowing those whose beliefs contradict the gospel to join in fellowship.

implications for today

There is a major difference between primary and secondary issues: primary issues are about salvation and everything that affects it, including who Jesus is, who man is, and who God is. Any differing view of a primary issue cannot be a matter of “agree to disagree.” Rather, it’s grounds for separation, with true believers distancing themselves from false ones.

Areas where this danger exists are often in outreaches against common evils such as abortion or poverty. There is a dangerous tendency for the intermixing of faiths as people work together for these shared causes. Believers must be highly selective about the groups they join and careful about the situations in which they participate to ensure the true gospel is not mixed with or replaced by a false gospel.

Secondary issues also tend to cause separation but not between believers and unbelievers. Rather, it’s between two groups of believers who hold views that seriously conflict with each other while not conflicting with the gospel. These separations, known as denominations, provide space for differing views and alleviate excessive tensions among believers. However, believers are united in Christ. This means those in one theological camp are never to disparage their brothers and sisters in another. Rather, we are to work together for the gospel, either lovingly overlooking our differences or charitably discussing them.