CHRISTIAN BELIEFS 20 basics every Christian should know

by Wayne Grudem

Christian Essentials Made Plain and SimpleGod doesn’t call every Christian to go off to seminary, but there are certain matters of doctrine—that is, the church’s teaching—that every Christian simply must know. Theology is important because what we believe affects how we live. If you’re a relatively new believer in Jesus, or if you’re a more mature Christian looking for a quick brush-up on basics of the faith, Christian Beliefs is for you.This readable guide to twenty basic Christian beliefs is a condensation of Wayne Grudem’s award-winning book on systematic theology, prized by pastors and teachers everywhere. He and his son, Elliot, have boiled down the essentials of Christian theology for the average layperson and made them both clear and applicable to life. You will learn about the Bible, the characteristics of God, what it means that we are created in the image of God, what God has done for us in Christ, the purpose of the church, and much more. Each chapter includes questions for personal review or group discussion.These truly are twenty basic beliefs that every Christian should know. Wayne Grudem is a master teacher with the ability to explain profound truths in simple language. He is a man of deep conviction and theological passion—and those who read this book will be both educated and encouraged in the faith.R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KentuckyBased on Systematic Theology, this summary will certainly help beginners with Christ to get the hang of their faith.J. I. Packer, Regent College, Vancouver, British ColumbiaAs Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology contracts into a compact book, I do not lose my enthusiasm for the truth he loves and the clarity of his words.John Piper, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Religion, Faith, Christian Living

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2005

About the author

Wayne Grudem (PhD, University of Cambridge; DD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is research professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary, having previously taught for 20 years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Grudem earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard University, as well as an MDiv from Westminster Seminary. He is the former president of the Evangelical Theological Society, a cofounder and past president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible, the general editor of the ESV Study Bible, and has published over 20 books, including Systematic Theology, Evangelical Feminism, Politics—According to the Bible, and Business for the Glory of God.

Reviews

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine for a moment that you once received a 1000+ page book called Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. And then imagine that you read that entire book, realizing that you couldn't possibly understand and soak in all that was in that book. So now imagine that the author of that book then decided to make a distilled version of Systematic Theology called Bible Doctrine, that was half the size, of the same substance. He cut a few of the longer points, left the main ones, still got the points across. You read that book too, but were still left trying to wrap your head around the information. Now imagine that he decided that it just wasn't concise enough, and wrote a 156 page book that cut out all the fluff, and left you with the bottom lines from each chapter.

That is this book. It is readable, jam-packed with right doctrine, and concise enough to be read on a short flight. This is a great introduction and fly-over understanding to systematic doctrine. There are no "stories" to let it sink in, although there are some application questions if you want to bring the content to your heart.

I really enjoyed this book, having read all 3 versions of it, and plan to use it to "refresh" my thoughts on certain doctrines. I'm not sure there is anything to dislike about this book.

Disclaimer: for those of you who REALLY like to read, and enjoy lengthy books, you may want to pick up the other versions of this, for they certainly have more information, and make more detailed arguments and points. That being said, this will help you in your precision as to what the actual "doctrine" is.

[Trevor Winsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple yet very rich in Biblical foundations. I used this as a resource for a series teaching through Christian foundations. This was an excellent resource and was not a difficult read. Grudem is amazing and his ability to be concise and straight forward about what the Bible says is life-changing for me. Highly recommend that everyone reads this simple, small, dynamic work from Grudem!

[Amber Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this during small groups with our Youth at my local church. It was such a joy to dive into so many important topics and discuss them with the high school girls. One thing that especially impacted me was how much scripture was referenced throughout it all, which really goes to show that God’s word is efficient for all things and should be prioritized as our first resource. Thankful for all the work of Wayne Grudem!

[Madeline Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an incredible resource for new followers of Jesus, or for those looking to learn more about the core beliefs of Christianity, the way of Jesus. Grudem's writing is concise, easy to understand, and FULL of references to Scripture! The friend that I walked through this book and I loved reading and learning together!

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people today would call themselves Christian but if they were asked what that meant exactly, their answer might be vague. If someone were to ask them specific questions such as what is their belief on heaven and hell and can someone still sin and be saved or what is election, they might be at a loss. This book explains many of these topics.

Christian Beliefs provides a great concise overview on the basic tenets of Christianity. Each chapter (there are twenty of them) answers questions like, What is the Bible? What is the Trinity? What is Creation, Prayer, angels Satan and demons, man? (Those are each separate chapters.) Who is Christ?

Some of the best chapters explain Election, Sanctification and Atonement.

Two appendices contain historic confessions of faith like the Nicene and Apostolic Creeds and also a list of further resources.

[Colter Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid and concise resource for essential Christian doctrine. What it lacks in entertainment value it makes up for with brevity and clarity.

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with this book isn't that it's that basic, but that it presents ideas that are peculiar to one theology of Euro-American, mainstream, upper middle class, academic-focused "church" as if they are general Christian doctrine. If you want to memorize human academics as if they better represented Jesus Christ and His church then the simple message Jesus gave us in the Gospel, then this is the book for you. Otherwise, I wouldn't even recommend getting it free at the library.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who grew up in a church with Arminian theology, this book both challenged and frustrated me. Some points I will never agree with Reformed (Calvinistic) theology about, election for example. However, I also felt challenged to test my beliefs against scripture, and let that be my guide. Very good to read, no matter what your religious background is.

[John Martindale · Rating 1 out of 5]

WOW, oh wow. Full-fledged, unadulterated hyper-Calvinism is presented as the clear and plain biblical truth that every Christian should believe as if no interpretation is involved. In several of these chapters, we have all the classic and overused apologetic bandaids that try (and fail) to cover the gapping and gory nasty bits, everything is spun as if Calvinism is actually a wonderful doctrine.

Reading Grudem's chapter on Election, was analogous to reading a true, drunk-the-kool-aid believer in communism, who honestly and sincerely believes Joseph Stalin was the best leader EVER, and writes a gushing apologetic for all he did. In response to those "strawmen" attacks and enemies to the Truth, who spew their propaganda against Stalin, condemning him for murdering like 60,000,000 of his own people, the Stalin-apologist points out it was all done in love, and in the name of justice and there was a reason for all he did, and yes some things are mysterious and hard for mere mortals to understand, but Stalin is good and we should NEVER question his choices, which were all done for the higher good.
The excuses and positive spin could only satisfy other communists and true believers, for everyone else who is not a Stalin fan, the morally repugnant mental gymnastics will NOT work.

Now, if the evil of Stalin is like a candle, the evil of the god that Grudem proclaims in this chapter is like the sun. Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Antiochus Epiphanes, and every other tyrant combined would still pale in comparison, honestly, they would come out looking like a Mother Tresa compared to the deity Grudem presents in this chapter. As John Wesley points out, Calvinism makes God out to be infinitely worse than the devil.

Grudem thinks his god created mankind so they could ONLY do what they want and thus they are "free" because they can do what they want (though they couldn't have done otherwise). But Grudem's god has predetermined and ordained everything they want, to be in complete control. So, all for his good pleasure, this god ordained every evil desire and designed humans so they could only do the evil he made them want to do. But then, for Grudem, because the people do the evil they wanted to do, they alone are guilty of the sin, and his god is off the hook! yes! you heard this right! This god is now wholly just and right to have them sadistically tortured for all of eternality for "choosing" to do what he determined they would do! like heck NO! The depth of ludicrous absurdity Grudem must engage in is unfathomable. He had me yelling at the book! Only for the true believer in Calvinism does it get Gruden's god off the hook, for everyone else who has not drunk the Kool-aid, it blasphemously entails logically that God is the source and the cause of every evil that has ever occurred in history and he unjustly tortures people forever.

Grudem then goes into the two wills of god: his god is Dr. Jackle and Mr. Hyde. The revealed will, you know things like "God wants all to be saved" This simply doesn't occur, Why? because the dark side of god, his "secretive will" which cannot be thwarted, predetermined 99.9% of all humanity to burn alive for all of eternity, all for his good pleasure. So what the bible says God wants, Nope! but ALL the evil that happens in the world: the holocaust, every rape, every abduction, every sexually abused child, every genocide, every act of cruelty, and almost everyone being eternally tortured for doing what god determined them to do, YEP! This is ALL part of his absolute unthwartable sovereign will predetermine before time, all determined for Grudem's god's selfish and twisted pleasure since evil must bring god so much more glory than good. As John Piper would insist, his god is the most selfish being in the entire universe and does all for his glory. The Calvinist god is simply absolute power and will, arbitrary and monstrous, Augustine and Calvin and their followers imagined the most evil earthly sovereign and blew him up to divine proportions.
Grudem tries to spin this all positive and drape his paper-thin rationalizations over this hideousness, but in the book of Isaiah, the prophet said "Woe to him who calls evil good, darkness light, bittersweet" and this is what Grudem is doing. It is tragic to the depths of his delusion and tragic he convinces so many others to affirm heresies.

Fortunately, the proof texts Grudem used are taken out of context, and often the Greek grammar is ignored. There are excellent interpretations from imminent scholars that show literally not a single proof-text that he used clearly presents the heinous doctrines Augustine and Calvin read into the text and Grudem perpetuates.

Okay, now with that rant out of the way. Election and predestination are typically IN Christ. A simple analogy can help us get a sense of what may be expressed. A plane might be predetermined to go from Dallas to New York, now everyone who gets IN that plane takes part in that predestination, and whoever does not get on the plane is not. So everyone who responds to God's loving pursuit of them and is reconciled is then IN Christ and partakes of this election, they are like a branch grafted into the Olive Tree.

Next, Paul says all those whom God foreknew, he predetermined to be conformed to the image of his Son. If a word study is done on the Greek word foreknow, it is learned it simply means "previous knowledge of" For example in Acts Paul said the Pharisees foreknew him from the beginning. All Paul is saying in Romans 8 is that those God already knows (those with whom he is already in a relationship) he has a plan to conform to the image of his son. Great news! Now despite this plan, some of us are not quite living in our destiny.

An example of Grudem's poor hermeneutics is in Acts, if the Greek is consulted, and Grudem's theology is not read into the text, Luke could have simply stated "And all those who committed themselves to eternal life, believed." This would fit the context perfectly. It is an interpretative decision to make it "All those God appointed to eternal life believed."

Having gotten the Calvinism train, Grudem continues on about irresistible grace.

Now very little scripture even hints at the Calvinist doctrine of irresistible grace, as a result very little scripture is presented in favor of this key tenant of Calvinism in this chapter. It is interesting how Calvinists like to use Paul’s blinding light conversion experience, then overgeneralize from it as if this is THE case study of how God’s irresistible grace always overwhelms and forces conversions of those who were the lucky winners of the salvation lotto. However, later in Acts 26:19, Paul makes it clear he had a choice, for to Agrippa he stated he didn’t resist the vision of God—implying he could have.

Interestingly, it logically follows from Grudem’s doctrine of irresistible grace, that God is exceedingly less potent than a human who could pursue, woo, and win another’s love. For Grudem, God cannot do what humans can, but rather he has to use something like a love potion, to make others (who otherwise would never have anything to do with him otherwise) want him—and to have no choice but to accept his love. This deity is also said to send a (very disingenuous) message to ALL, telling ALL to come, telling ALL to be reconciled to God, and declaring (an absolute lie) that God wants ALL to be reconciled to him, but then, in reality, he only sends the love potion to a tiny few to force them to want him. As with the doctrine of Election, this twisted view is, in reality, slanderous of God, and we have a moral and biblical obligation to expose it for what it is.

He then goes on into the Preservation of the Saints and sanctification:

In this chapter, Grudem presents the doctrine of the Preservation of the Saints. Of Course, if it is God who ordained all people to be wholly depraved--making them so they could only do what they want and then determining they only want evil, and it is God who arbitrarily elects a tiny few to be saved, and whose Son's death was limited to the tiny few he elected beforehand, and God who then gives the love potion (I mean irresistible grace), to cause the monster's of iniquity to love him, then clearly, since humanity has no part in anything, then obviously the tiny handful he decided to save cannot be lost.

As Christians though, people can still ONLY do what they want, and the tiny bit of good that Christians do is only because God made them want good. Now of course, as Pelagius recognized with Augustine's teaching, this implies God is ultimately responsible for all the evil of Christians too. Sanctification can only occur to the degree God decides to step in and make one want to change and love. The revealed will of God would suggest this is something God really wants to do, of course, the unthwartable secret, dark, and mysterious will prefers sin and unrighteousness (clearly bringing him so much more glory and good pleasure) and determines most Christians on this side of eternity to NOT be conformed to the image of his Son. Yet, still, because of contradiction (I mean, mystery), Grudem still talks as if Christians should go ahead a try to be better, though they can't do this unless God makes them want to, something God is most of the time quite unwilling to do--thus the Romans 7 life.

What is fascinating, is that John Piper's son Abraham left the faith, which means he was never one of God's elect to begin with (According to Grudem), now if John Piper also left the faith, it would mean he was NEVER a Christian! Just think, it is possible now that John Piper is NOT among the elect; just think about it, every sermon, every book might have been written by a reprobate! Same with Wayne Grudem! This entire book might be written by someone predetermined to be burned alive for all of eternity, we cannot know until Grudem dies. We cannot know until they die. Falling away from the faith could happen to both of them. Even evangelical gate-keeper's faith can crumble; tons of evangelists, missionaries, and pastors eventually lose their faith later in life. So what this means, is despite Grudem saying it is about assurance, logically, there is ABSOLUTELY NO ASSURANCE. Since the most passionate Christian for 60 years who falls away later in life, was NEVER actually a Christian to begin with, this means NO one can be sure they are saved, there is no evidence, absolutely none.

[Elizabeth Andress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially a reader’s digest version of Wayne Grudem’s 800 page Systemic Theology. I highly recommend it to anyone who is new to learning about theology! This book presents the essential cores of Christianity better than most — defining so eloquently who a Christian is and what a Christian believes. It serves as a starting point for anyone who is wrestling with these complex concepts. The author presents each concept in a very concise way, making the book super readable. Afterwards, you may want to look into other resources to get further information on these concepts and to see more detailed arguments and points.

Overall, this book reminds me of how simplistic the Christian faith is and what we believe. We tend to make it more complicated than it should be. Yet these simple truths are so profound when I sit here and soak them all in. While reading I found myself numerous times completely blown away by the God we serve and the Gospel we believe in. It has both grounded me and humbled me. This is a great book for any individual who is new to the faith to understand Christianity deeper; but it is also a great book for the seasoned Christian to remind himself/herself of the essential yet beautiful realities of the Christian faith. Highly recommend!

[Lydia Eklund · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok uuuuuhhhhhh Sam this will be awkward if you ever read this 😀

I don’t think this is worth the read. I think he did a great job of laying out the important aspects of our faith, especially the more “advanced” parts if you will. I know this sounds arrogant, but I feel like I knew a lot of this stuff already, so it was hard to want to pick it up. I would recommend this to someone who is new in their faith or confused about certain parts. I will say, I did learn some stuff, just not enough to be worth it. I just didn’t think this was right for me at this time in my life

[Josh Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid run through of the fundamentals of Christian faith.

This is easily digestible and yet contains enough to make it a great introductory book.

As with most theological studies, there were always be areas of slight inconsequential disagreements, but I feel like Grudem presented the views well.

[Lydia Ware · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addresses vital faith conversations for Christians (even/especially those of us raised in the church) and unbelievers while being approachable, applicable, simple, and all the while faithful to Scripture. I got more out of reading this book than others many times its size.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book full of important theology beliefs that were to the point and had Biblical backing. I enjoyed the “text book” style. It will be a new resource for me.

[Cory McArtor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read and discuss with a new believer.

[Jacob Prince]

Revised edition has a few additional explanations, but not many. Hard to beat a systematic this readable.

[Aszerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book, hard topics were tackled in sound and simple ways, that even those who are not seminary inclined can grasp it (hahaha). I would recommend it for a small group session.

[Joshua Riding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book! The book does exactly what the book says it does; addresses 20 basic beliefs of Christianity, from what the Bible is to what sin is to what exactly IS salvation. It’s dry at times, but only for the purpose that it was written: to answer questions, not to be read like a novella. Will definitely keep it on my shelf for reference.

[Sean Perron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Best introduction to systematic theology.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful resource. It is succinct, jam-packed with valuable information, it has a focus on scripture, and it doesn't waste any time. I love this book.

[Sarah Redmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for review of the basics and stimulating discussion with newer believers

[Mike Fendrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book to teach middle-school students in Sunday School. The goal was to give these students a basic foundation in the basic truths of the Christian faith as our concern was passing the language of the faith to the next generation. In this, the book succeeds. This is a great resource for the new believer, initial training in systematic theology with students or perhaps someone who has questions about Christianity. For more advanced studies, Gruden's "Systematic Theology" or any other more robust systematic book would be needed. But this slim edition fills a void in an excellent way. Used in its right place, I highly recommend it.

[Greg Balzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the beginning of this book a bit dry - similar in feeling to reading a dictionary. The scriptural truth it conveyed was accurate, but it seemed to me to be missing passion, unique insight or moving truth. I am not totally certain that the problem was the author's, I personally found it difficult to engage the content.

Halfway through the book, however, something changed. Starting with Chapter 8 on the topic of Who is Christ, continuing on into Atonement, the Resurrection, Election, Regeneration, Justification, Adoption and the like, reading this book switches from a chore to a reward. The scriptures quoted and the supporting text do a good job of fully communicating what Christ has done for us when we were dead in our sins and trespasses.

If you are a new believer and want to get a quick overview of Christian beliefs, or if, like me, you are an older, more seasoned believer who wants a high level refresh of God's word, this book will provide the information you need.

[Micah Till · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are just starting to discover what Christians believe, this is a great book. If you want systematic theology or need convincing when it comes to sticky points of modern reformed protestant arguments, this is not going to be particularly helpful.

Christian Beliefs is the simplified version of the simplified version of Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Simply put, this book is concise to a fault. And I mean that literally. I recognize that I have a somewhat academic bent and many people prefer the cliff notes version of things over the full write-up, but in seeking to simplify the subject matter Grudem fails to fully argue his assertions or deal with all the relevant scripture for each topic. This book may be a useful springboard, but I highly recommend picking up Grudem's Systematic Theology instead.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a summary of Grudem's Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, so if you want a faster summery of doctrine, this is the book for you.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an accessible primer on conservative evangelical theology. Short, powerful, soaked in Scripture. It checks all my boxes! Perfect for helping high schoolers reach new depths of theological understanding.

[Kelly Boggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book bit by bit for a Foundations of the Faith class I took as a first year teacher at my Christian school. It is a very easy to read but covers the basics very well. This is an important read for any new believer or anyone who wants to review basic, but very essential doctrine.

[High Pointe Baptist Church]

Condensed version of Grudem's systematic theology; likely more useful for group study

[Lawson Hembree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful consolidation of Grudem's Systematic Theology perfect for those who are new believers or interested in the basic teachings of Christianity. I always have an extra copy available to give away.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Reader's Digest version of his very readable, but lengthy, Systematic Theology. This would be a great choice for small group study. It includes discussion questions after each chapter.