What is Faith?

What does the Bible say about our belief? In What is Faith, J. Gresham Machen answers one of the most fundamental questions about the Christian Gospel.

Passion and Precision

Taken from the material of a course of lectures delivered at the Grove City Bible School in the summer of 1925, this book is is a brilliant work of passion and precision. Machen is serious about his subject matter, and the book reads as urgent and important.

The book begins by defining faith in God. Machen is thoroughly biblical, and persuades the reader that it is impossible to have faith in a person without knowledge of a person. He lands on the truth that “faith in God is simply theism: the belief, namely, that the universe was created and is now upheld by a personal Being upon whom it is dependent but who is not dependent upon it.”

Know Your Need

I found Machen to be logical throughout. While faith in God is good, it is not enough – for when we come upon a holy God we find our need for a Savior. Christ becomes our object of faith as our Redeemer from sin. Machen stresses the fact that the person who finds faith in Christ must know his need for Christ, and it is here where a relationship can form. It is through the Gospel, the cross of Christ, where he enters and touches our lives.

I was most moved to read that saving faith is acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as he is offered to us in the gospel of his redeeming work. To think deeply about how God did not withhold his son was a wonderful and scary thought all at once for me. I marveled at the unfathomable love of God, while also horrified at God’s hate for sin.

Credible Confessions

I was most challenged to read Machen’s thoughts on “credible confessions” of faith. He writes that it should “be made much harder than it now is to enter the church,” and he mentions both examination and instruction. Machen stresses the importance of creeds throughout the book. He says, however, that the church is not merely an educational institution, but the visible representative in the world of the body of Christ.

The book ends by examining the relationship between faith and salvation as well as faith and works, but ultimately arrives at faith and hope. He reminds that our faith is based upon testimony. And while we think it depends on strong faith to save - Machen makes it clear that it is God who saves even those who are weak in faith.

Our Good and Gracious God

This is a beautiful book, full of wisdom, compelling and clear. It will strengthen, encourage, and embolden your faith in our good and gracious God. Refreshing and invigorating, this tight and truth-filled book is a classic work that all should read and return to.

I received a media copy of What is Faith? and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.