Essential Truths of the Christian Faith

Next to the Bible and R.C. Sproul's book "The Holiness of God" I have given away more copies of this book than anything else for a few reasons:1) Everyone is a theologian - but most people are weak theologians (In other words everyone - even atheists have an opinion about God and truth). This book helps you to become a better theologian. It covers all the major doctrines of the Bible in a succinct, logical, and clear manner.2) It's organization - Each chapter is brief, yet packed with a practical discussion of the doctrine; evidence for it's importance from the Scriptures; an itemized summary listing the major points made in the chapter (usually 5-6 key points); and a list of 5-6 Biblical references for further reflection and study.3) It's breadth and depth of coverage - It is divided up into Major Doctrinal sections with sub topics for each doctrine - therefore it can be used as q quick reference tool on 102 different topics of the Scripture. For example, under the first section on Revelation of the Scriptures, you can look up chapter 7 on "The Canon of Scripture" to see how the Bible came to be formed and accepted as the authoritative Word of God, or chapter 8 on some basic principles of "How to Interpret the Bible."Here are the Contents of the Book (Each Chapter is Approximately 2-4 pages long:Section I. Revelation (1. Divine Revelation; 2. Paradox, Mystery, and Contradiction; 3. Immediate, and Mediate General Revelation; 4. Special Revelation and the Bible; 5. The Law of God; 6. The Prophets of God; 7. The Canon of the Bile; 8. Interpreting the Bible; 9. Private Interpretation)Section II The Nature and Attributes of God (10. The Incomprehensibility of God; 11. The Tri-unity of God; 12. The Self-Existence of God; 13: The Omnipotence of God; 14. The Omnipresence of God; 15. The Omniscience of God; 16. The Holiness of God; 17. The Goodness of God; 18. The Justice of God)Section III The Works and Decrees of God (19. Creation; 20. Providence; 21. Miracles; 22. The Will of God; 23. Covenant; 24. Covenant of Works)Section IV. Jesus Christ (25. The Deity of Christ; 26. The Subordination of Christ; 27. The Humanity of Christ; 28. The Sinlessness of Christ; 29. The Virgin Birth; 30. Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten; 31. The Baptism of Christ; 32. The Glory of Christ; 33. The Ascension of Christ; 34. Jesus Christ as Mediator; 35. The Threefold Office of Christ; 36. The Titles of Jesus)Section V. The Holy Spirit (37. The Deity of the Holy Spirit; 38. The Personality of the Holy Spirit; 39. The Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit; 40. The Illumination of the Holy Spirit; 41. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit; 42. The Holy Spirit as Comforter; 43. The Holy Spirit as Sanctifier)Section VI. Human Beings and the Fall (44. Knowledge of Self and Knowledge of God; 45. Human Beings Created in the Image of God; 46. Human Beings as Body and Soul; 47. Human Beings as Flesh and Spirit; 48. Satan; 49. Demons; 50. Sin; 51. Original Sin; 52. Human Depavity; 53. Human Conscience; 54. The Unfrogiveable Sin; 55. Syncretism)Section VII. Salvation (56. Salvation; 57. Predestination; 58. Predestination and Reprobation; 59. Effectual Calling; 60. Rebirth; 61. Atonement; 62. Definite Atonement; 63. Free Will; 64. Faith; 65. Saving Faith; 66. Justification by Faith; 67. Faith and Works; 68. Repentance; 69. Merit and Grace; 70. Perseverance of the Saints; 71. The Assurance of Salvation; 72. The Intermediate State; 73. The Last Resurrection; 74. Glorification)Section VIII. The Church and Sacraments (75. The Apostles; 76. The Church; 77. The Marks of a True Church; 78. Excommunication; 79. The Sacraments; 80. Baptism; 81. Infant Baptism; 82. The Lord's Supper; 83. Transubstantiation; 84. The Sabbath; 85. Oaths and Vows)Section IX. Spirituality and Living in This Age (86. The Fruit of the Spirit; 87. Love; 88. Hope; 89. Prayer; 90. Antinomianism; 91. Legalism; 92. The Threefold Use of the Law; 93. Perfectionism; 94. Civil Government; 95. Marriage; 96. Divorce)Section X. End Times (97. The Antichrist; 98. The Return of Christ; 99. The Kingdom of God; 100. Heaven; 101. The Beatific Vision. 102. Hell)End NotesSuggested Reading: He lists two-five helpful books for each of the ten sections.I don't agree with everything Sproul says in this book (He is a Covenant Theologian - I am coming from more of a "Reformed Baptist" perspective), however, I always learn something, or I'm reminded of something important whenever I read him. He is a master communicator - He is a deep and practical thinker, and easy to understand. I think he is the finest theologian of our generation. I believe anyone reading or using this book as a quick reference and introduction to all the major doctrines of the Bible will benefit immensely from its contents. I have given this book to many High School and College Graduates over the years, as well as to new followers of Jesus Christ. Many of those recipients have gone on to become outstanding students and teachers of God's Word.

This is a great book - you should read it right after you finish Sproul's The Holiness of God. It gives a short, understandable explanation of 102 topics, organized into ten sections: Revelation, The Nature and Attributes of God, The Works and Decrees of God, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, Human Beings and the Fall, Salvation, The Church and Sacraments, Spirituality and Living in This Age, and End Times. Each chapter includes "Biblical passages for reflection" which lists a few verses that are relevant to the topic, and a Summary which is a numbered list of points from the chapter. Each section is self-contained - there is no need to read them in the order presented. So if you have a current need to know more about one of the ten major topics, you could go straight to that section. Within a section, it would be helpful to read the chapters in order, but this is not necessary. There is a Suggest Reading appendix that is organized first by Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced. Within each of these levels, it is organized according to which of the ten sections it relates to.Some reviewers suggest that this book could be read by someone who does not yet have faith, or by a recent convert. I don't disagree with that, but I think The Holiness of God would be a better starting point, and there are probably others that are better for absolute beginners. I think the best target audience for this book are those who have been Christians for a while but have not been exposed to good concise teaching of the basic beliefs of Christians. Sadly, that kind of teaching is hard to find in many churches today.Dr. Sproul is a Reformed pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. "Reformed" refers to theology that was re-discovered during the Protestant Reformation, most famously by Luther and Calvin. One of its well-known tenets is the undiminished sovereignty of God, including His sovereignty over salvation. If you believe that Man is somewhat sovereign over his own salvation, you will find yourself disagreeing with some parts of this book. In some chapters, Sproul very briefly mentions beliefs that are not reformed. He does this respectfully but so briefly that some will say that it is inadequate. Most people do not want a more lengthy treatment of alternative views because it would make the book much longer. There are other books that do that.My copy is copyrighted 1992, not 1998.

RC Srouls has once again summarized in a clear and precise meaning of historical Christianity richly informed by the Reformation the organization of the book fallows Calvins Institute's reaching bank to Augustine and most important the scriptures Sola scriptura

I read this book after having finished Everyone's a Theologian. The two books are very similar, but I feel that this one is easier to understand. There are 102 short chapters of about 5 pages or less that can be read as a supplement to Bible study, in a book group, or (as was my case) on a lonnnnng airplane ride.Most of the chapters are excellent. The author gives Scripture-based explanations for Christian doctrines such as the Holy Trinity, baptism, communion, etc. Most of his explanations are easy to understand -- though I'd still highly recommend "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis to new or young believers as that is even easier to grasp.However, I feel that this book is poorly titled. It really should be something along the lines of "Essential Truths of Calvinist Christianity" or something like that, as the author is pretty clearly a Calvinist and obviously believes that is the only Scripturally sound way to view salvation. That being said, I took issue with several of the chapters. There are strong, Scripture-based arguments both for and against Calvinism, and I repeatedly find myself in the "against" camp.I would recommend this book to those who aren't entirely new to the Christian faith but aren't considered "mature" believers yet either. I guess figure out where you are on your journey and decide if this book is right for you. :)

This book is a real gem. R.C. Sproul was a great writer apart from being a great teacher and theologian. I'm so glad I purchased it one day. I have bought several other copies to give to friends. Everybody is really happy to have it too and to learn much more that is really not basic but essential to followers of Christ who need equipping and are in the marketplace bringing the gospel. The subjects are presented in short passages with summary and Bible passages to be checked. The are some diagrams which are very useful too. It's worth its weight in gold.

Bite size definitions and explanations of the essential Christian doctrines. I recommend it for any new Christian who is learning the wonderful truths about his/her faith or for those who have been a Christian for a long time and may have lost some of the wonder of our great God.

great book. as a christian, this thoughtful and philosophic piece of literature is an absolute delight. can not recommend it highly enough. DE

In diesem Buch fasst R.C. die wichtigsten 100 christlichen Lehren zusammen. Einführend spricht Sproul ein paar Dinge an, die dazu führen, dass man auf eine Vielzahl von Problemen im Bibelstudium und im Christsein stößt. Dinge die man teilweise immer schon und andere die man vor allem heutzutage beobachten kann. Im Hauptteil des Buches werden systematisch die Kernkonzepte des Christentums abgearbeitet. Die Texte sind meist 2-3 Seiten lang inkl. einer kurzen Zusammenfassung des Inhalts und Bibelstellen zum Selbststudium. Die Oberthemen gehen von Offenbarung (dem Konzept, nicht dem biblischen Buch), über die drei Personen der Trinität bis hin zur Endzeit. Hier einmal eine Übersicht:1. Revelation2. The nature and attributes of God3. The works and decrees of God4. Jesus Christ5. The Holy Spirit6. Human beings and the fall7. Salvation8. The Church and the sacraments9. Spirituality and living in this age10. End TimesAlles ist in recht "verständlicher" Sprache geschrieben, aber wer Probleme mit Englisch hat, oder beim durchsehen der hier verfügbaren Leseprobe merkt, dass es überhaupt nicht geht, sollte eher zur deutschen Übersetzung greifen (zumindest nehme ich an dass dies die Übersetzung ist):https://www.amazon.de/Glauben-von-biblische-Begriffe-Biblische/dp/3935188544/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499067467&sr=1-6&keywords=R.C.+SproulWer aber von der Genügsamkeit seiner Englischkenntnisse überzeugt und gewillt ist sich in Theologie und theologischem Englisch weiterzubilden, für den dürfte dieses Buch ein guter Fund sein. Natürlich ist dieses Buch mehr dazu da ein breites Spektrum an Themen in ihrer jeweiligen Essenz darzustellen und so kann man einerseits erwarten, dass man das Wichtigste mitbekommt, wer sich aber andererseits für eines der Themen besonders interessiert, der wird eventuell noch dazukaufen müssen oder das Internet nach zusätzlichen passenden Bibelstellen fragen. Wem dieses Werk gefällt, dem dürften die KOSTENLOSEN kindle Bücher von R.C. Sproul sehr gefallen. Ich habe noch nicht alle davon gelesen, aber die die ich schon durch habe waren ziemlich gut. Diese decken nämlich in jeweils +/- 80 Seiten einige dieser Themen, oder daraus resultierende Fragen etc. ab:z.B.:https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0038OML7A/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o08_?ie=UTF8&psc=1https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00AW02OZ2/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o07_?ie=UTF8&psc=1https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00FRF82FI/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o06_?ie=UTF8&psc=1Also wer bereit ist Theologen-Englisch in sein Repertoir aufzunehmen und für zwischendurch ein Nachschlagewerk betreffend einiger christlicher Lehren brauchen könnte, der sollte mit diesem Band zufrieden sein.

Great, great book. So refreshing to be reminded of the fundamentals of our faith. Each "truth" is succinctly written up just in a few pages, so it's a nice book to tackle just a bit at a time. My husband isn't a reader in the least, but is actually enjoying this one because it's incredibly practical in it's application and it easy to get through.