Essential

TRUTHS

OF THE

CHRISTIAN

FAITH

R.C. SPROUL

TYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHERS, INC. WHEATON ILLINOIS

PREFACE

Orlando July, 1992

Every Christian is a theologian. We are always engaged in the activity of learning about the things of God. We are not all theologians in the professional or academic sense, but theologians we are, for better or for worse. The “for worse” is no small matter. Second Peter warns that heresies are destructive to the people of God and are blasphemies committed against God. They are destructive because theology touches every dimension of our lives.

The Bible declares that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. This declaration sounds strange. It is almost as if the biblical writer blunders. He seems to confuse the mind and the heart. We normally associate thought with the brain and feelings with the heart. So what does it mean to say a man thinks in his heart? The phrase to think in the heart refers to thoughtful reflection. Many ideas are briefly entertained by the mind without ever penetrating the heart. Those ideas that do grasp us in our innermost parts, however, are the ideas that shape our lives. We are what we think. When our thoughts are corrupted, our lives follow suit.

We all know that people can recite the creeds flawlessly and make A’s in theology courses while living godless lives. We can affirm a sound theology and live an unsound life. Sound theology is not enough to live a godly life. But it is still a requisite for godly living. How can we do the truth without first understanding what the truth is?

No Christian can avoid theology. Every Christian has a theology. The issue, then, is not, do we want to have a theology? That’s a given. The real issue is, do we have a sound theology? Do we embrace true or false doctrine?

This is not a textbook of formal theology. It is a layperson’s introduction to the essential doctrines of Christianity. To understand the Bible’s message we must first understand the concepts by which the message is set forth. Hence, the purpose of this book is to introduce the reader to the key concepts that together make up the biblical message.

Each concept is set forth in brief, bite-size portions. Suggested biblical references are added to flesh out the skeletal treatment of each concept. The book is both basic and elementary. It is designed to be simple, though not simplistic. I have tried to crystallize into a few pages the essence of theological concepts that are each worthy of a full volume to plumb their depths.

Those who read and study this book will not become experts in theology. But they will become familiar with the key concepts that are the framework for a full-orbed theology. It is my hope that those who read this book will be provoked into a deeper study of theology, which is a lifelong enterprise.

My thanks to Wendell Hawley of Tyndale House for suggesting this work, to Donna Mack for preparing the manuscript, to David Freeland for helping with the graphics, and to my son, ...