Basic Christian doctrine best describes the content of "The Essence of Christian Doctrine." Christians everywhere ought to know the basic Christian doctrine of the Bible. A knowledge of essential Christian doctrine will help bring unity to the body of Christ.
THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
A BRIEF STUDY OF THE APOSTLES' CREED AND BASIC CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
By Martin Murphy
©2010 Martin Murphy
ISBN 9780984570812, published by Theocentric Publishing Group, 196 pages
For most of my adult life it appeared to me that evangelical Christians look for reality in drama, music, and other highly visceral means of communication. For nearly fifty years I’ve observed the curtailment of rational thinking which results in the decrease of Christian doctrine finding a place in spiritual growth. Words like doctrine have taken the back seat to words like relationships. I heard a preacher say “the answer to the problems we face today is not found in Bible study, but in our relationships with each other.” This brief study of the basic content of the Christian faith is unashamedly derived from biblical doctrine. Although sound doctrine is important, personal application is necessary to bring the doctrine alive. A deliberate attempt has been made to apply the doctrine with clarity and compelling conviction.
My purpose for publishing this book on the essential doctrine of the Christian religion is twofold. First I want to show that the Apostles’ Creed is a basic statement of Christian doctrine. Secondly and most important I want Christians to know how to express their faith in simple terms but with meaningful reasons based on biblical teaching. I will take each section of the Apostles’ Creed and show the biblical basis for the statement as well as meaningful application. The other chapters have been added to compliment the basic doctrine found in the Apostles’ Creed.
The question that plagues every religious sector, every philosophical proposition, and every cultural milieu is "what is truth?" Enlightenment relativity is said to be the enemy of truth in the modern world. The blame does not properly belong to any one philosophical discipline, or the concepts of modernity or post modernity. It belongs to a culture that embraced irrationalism and anti-intellectualism. It is time for Christians to re-discover the basic doctrines that make the church like light in a dark world. The orthodox doctrines of the Christian religion once held in high esteem are brought back to life in “The Essence of Christian Doctrine.”
An excerpt from Chapter one - Christians Believe
Creeds have always been important to Christians, so they should understand what creeds are and why they are important. A creed is a statement of one’s belief. The English word creed comes from the Latin word credo, which means, “I believe.” The English words “believe, trust, faith, and persuade” that are often found in the New Testament can be traced to the same family of Greek words. So when a person says “I believe” it may also be said that “I have faith, I trust, or I am persuaded.”
Christians say “I believe” with a full assent to the authority of God. Christians say “I believe” because they love the truth found in the love and grace of God. Christians say “I believe” because they desire fellowship with the Saviour. Faith and believing does not stand alone. The words belief, faith and persuade belong to the same family originating from Greek and moving to Latin and then to English. When you say I believe you are essentially saying you have faith. It naturally follows that belief is an activity of the whole soul. If you believe, then you must have faith, and if you have faith you must have knowledge. It is impossible to assert any truth if utter ignorance prevails. There is an old maxim attributed to St. Hilary of the 5th century. “A person cannot express what he does not know and he cannot believe what he cannot express.” Hilary’s words agree with the words of our Lord in the gospel of John. “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father” (John 10:37-38).
An excerpt from Chapter five - The Exaltation of Jesus Christ
The creed teaches what Scripture teaches on this subject. “I believe Jesus Christ rose again on the third day from the dead and ascended into heaven.” The birth, life, crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus Christ define the doctrine of His humiliation. The resurrection and ascension describes the exaltation of Jesus Christ. His resurrection was the point of transition from His state of humiliation to His state of exaltation. Both, the doctrine of humiliation and exaltation, are found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church in the fifteenth chapter.
An excerpt from Chapter 10 - The Communion of Saints
Does fellowship with Christ translate into vital personal spiritual growth and good health for the church? Unfortunately Christians have become so desensitized and depersonalized by technology and modern communication that they have little fellowship with other Christians. They are trained by the modern techniques of tracking people rather than knowing people. Try to conduct a business transaction without a Social Security Number. Try to cash a check without a driver’s license number. We are known by our social security number, our driver’s license number or our zip code. In this depersonalized world of automation and computerization, there is great need for fellowship.
I've tried to condense a summary of the basic doctrine of the Christian religion into a book that is compact, but packed with biblical doctrine. The question that plagues every religious sector, every philosophical proposition, and every cultural milieu is "what is truth?" Enlightenment relativity is said to be the enemy of truth in the modern world. The blame does not properly belong to any one philosophical discipline, or the concepts of modernity or post modernity. It belongs to a culture that embraced irrationalism and anti-intellectualism. It is time for Christians to re-discover the basic doctrines that make the church like light in a dark world. The orthodox doctrines of the Christian religion once held in high esteem are brought back to life in “The Essence of Christian Doctrine.”
Email: mmapdm@centurytel.net
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New book release: The Essence of Christian Doctrine, ISBN 9780984570812, 196 pages, by Martin Murphy, $12.95, published by CreateSpace
The pastor, Sunday School teacher, new believers, or seasoned believers will be refreshed by the Essence of Christian Doctrine. It is also an excellent resource for group Bible study. It would be a great daily devotional for any serious Bible student.
This book was written to provide Basic Christian doctrine to the Bible student. The biblical topics are place in logical sequence so that each one lays the foundation of the next topic. It will give Christians a basis for expressing the reasons they believe. Although Bible doctrine is essential, it must be meaningful for individual spiritual growth. This brief study of bible doctrine incorporates both doctrine and application.
The postmodern concept has saturated modern evangelicals with the idea that absolute truth is not important or necessary. What came with it was the demolition of Christian doctrine. This book calls Christians to take a fresh look at the essentials of Christian doctrine. When Alice in Wonderland asked the cat where she ought to go the cat said "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." Christians have purpose and a final goal "to get to" and "The Essence of Christian Doctrine" is a valuable tool for that process.
This work is an explanation of the essential doctrine of Christianity based on the teaching found in the Apostles' Creed. It further explains other basic Christian doctrine like creation, sin, and salvation. The author explains how the Ten Commandments are basic to Christian doctrine and includes a chapter on biblical evangelism.
Now Available on-line at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books a Million.
Phil Morgan Book Review
I became acquainted with Martin Murphy recently through a couple of online exchanges, including comments he left right here on this blog. Martin has more than 20 years experience as a pastor and teacher, and holds degrees in Bible and Divinity from Columbia and Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife live in South Alabama.
Not every competent pastor or seminary graduate can write. Martin can!
I bought a copy of his new book “The Essence of Christian Doctrine”, and as I started to leaf through it I was immediately struck by its style. It does not pretend to be a magnum opus on systematic theology. (We probably have enough of those.) It is clearly written for a more popular audience, bringing a good summary of sound Christian doctrine in a thoroughly engaging and readable style.
This book would be a great introduction to theological reading for any young person, and it would make an excellent small group Bible Study curriculum. The seasoned pastor will find immensely helpful material here in preparing to preach doctrine in terms that a whole congregation can grasp quickly.
Approximately the first half of the book (13 chapters) is devoted to expounding the Apostle’s Creed, which (in my opinion) ought to be the very first thing we teach new converts, in that it is thoroughly Biblical, easily memorized, and broadly instructional. It’s a marvelous doctrinal foundation for anyone.
The remaining 11 chapters cover such things as the authority of the Bible, the providence of God, the doctrines of salvation by grace, the Church, God’s law and Biblical evangelism. (This last topic has become especially close to my own heart, and I have been quietly preparing material on it myself.)
I love this book! It’s at the same time both a systematic approach, but also faithfully Biblical; it is appropriately dogmatic, but also pastoral. Martin has not avoided the topics that have historically sparked theological controversy, but he does not engage in the combative arguments that often serve to create more heat than light. He simply and positively lays out the plain teaching of Scripture.
When I bought the book, Martin very graciously also sent me a complimentary review copy of another book of his, which forms a great companion volume to the one above. It’s called “Theological Terms in Layman Language“.
As the title suggests it is an alphabetically organized glossary of terms used in theological study. This is a terrific little book to keep beside you when you’re reading any theological books (which all Christians SHOULD! … turn off the TV, and dump the paperback fiction for a while – even the “Christian” stuff – and read something solid that will feed you.)
I highly recommend both these books to you. Martin Murphy also has some other titles if you would check out his website for details.
Phil
The Essence Of Christian Doctrine
Martin Murphy
CreateSpace
Reviewed By Dominique Sessons
The debate of religion vs. spirituality has raged for quite some time, and in recent years it has spread far beyond the realm of the church. Many so-called “believers” from all walks of life now proclaim that the “spirit” of Christian doctrine is more than important than the “letter” of the law itself, and traditional church services and sermons have now given way to messages more likely to placate the emotions than instruct the mind and spirit.
Throughout the pages of The Essence Of Christian Doctrine, though, readers will be enlightened to the precise nature of the aforementioned mentality – not to mention the potential consequences that await those who embrace it. Soundly crafted by author Martin Murphy, The Essence Of Christian Doctrine is an insightful, highly informative volume, backed by detailed scriptural analysis highlighting well thought out, superbly articulated points. Furthermore, by framing his analysis within the larger scope of Christianity’s ongoing evolution throughout world history, Murphy lays a practical contextual foundation for the benefit of fostering a deeper understanding within the reader, preventing his key points from getting lost in a sea of endless dates, facts, and other minutiae.
Eye-opening and profound, The Essence Of Christian Doctrine is an invaluable educational tool for believers of all ages. A strongly recommended read.
The Essence of Christian Doctrine, ISBN 9780984570812,
218 pages, by Martin Murphy, $12.95, published by CreateSpace
Book Review by Kurt Michaelson
http://www.kurtmichaelson.org/
Well, this is my very first book review and I'm grateful for the opportunity to provide a brief review of this book.
When the author, Martin Murphy, contacted me via Twitter, he asked me to review the book from a seminary perspective.
One of the courses any seminarian will take will be a course on Systematic Theology, which is an excellent subject to learn more about all of the doctrines found in Scripture.
This past year in seminary, I read Millard Erickson's book, Christian Theology and it was good, a long and thick book and one that I'll use as a reference in the future.
This book, The Essence of Christian Doctrine, A brief study of the apostles' creed and basic Christian doctrine is an excellent read and one that should accompany any other book a seminarian has in their library.
The contents of the book are not exclusively for the benefit of seminary students either, but an excellent opportunity, for anyone to be refreshed in understanding Christian doctrine through the Apostle's Creed.
I attended a Catholic school as a child and I remember reciting the Apostle's Creed, even memorizing it in 8th grade for a assignment. The Apostle's Creed was also something I heard recited often on a Sunday morning too when my family attend Mass, but we never knew the deeper meaning of the creed, nor were taught its significance regarding its biblical foundation either. I don't suppose much has changed since then in the Catholic church where parishioners simply repeat the creed in robotic form rather than knowing the foundation upon which it has been given to the church. This book helped to discover that and I am grateful for the time and effort Martin Murphy has devoted to this work, to provide such a simple theological understanding of the Apostle's Creed.
When I read chapter 9, Holy Catholic Church, Martin Murphy provides an excellent explanation what a Holy Catholic Church means and what it is supposed to represent.
Many catholics do not know that the word catholic refers to a Greek word, katholikos, which means universal and that is what the church is to be, a known universal Christian entity where the teaching is based on the inspired word of God.
Murphy says that the catholic church, "The true church has no boundaries thus it is not parochial, but rather it is evangelical." (p. 69) So true!
The latter part of the book provides a basic theological understanding of the doctrine of sin, salvation and sanctification, which provide for the reader a simple understanding of these doctrines and the significance of these doctrines regarding the life and ministry of the church and the Christian believer.
He also covers some additional topics too, which I was not disappointed by either, because they added so much more value to what I had read.
Chapter 21, Living by God's Law was very good, probably my favorite chapter of the book to read because of the Ten Commandments.
The author says, "Sermons dealing with the full nature, extent and interpretations of the law of God have been absent from pulpits in this country for over a century" (p. 160) and he's absolutely right.
Many pastors in modern Christianity no longer exposit the Ten Commandments because they have adapted to avoiding an understanding of the commandments, in favor of being more relevant with people and providing sermons that are more applicable to their lives. They'd rather delight you in their eloquence so as not to offend someone, rather than devote themselves to teaching doctrine and winning their souls to Christ.
Quite honestly, there is no other way, in my opinion, to learn how to apply the Scripture to our lives, than for the pastor to preach the sermon in an expository manner. (John MacArthur provides a brief audio explanation regarding what is meant by "expository" preaching here.)
Martin provides a brief, yet solid explanation of the Ten Commandments in this chapter and any reader would have a much better understanding of the commandments, as they relate to God and living by His law because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ, after reading this chapter.
This is an excellent book and one that I would recommend people to read. Whether someone is in seminary or not, a new believer or a seasoned one, or someone who is seeking to understand more about what they may have heard as a child when they attended a catholic mass, this book will add to your life an understanding of this creed, more than you realize.
Martin was gracious to send to me another work of his, The god of the Church Growth Movement, which I have no doubt will be as good as The Essence of Christian Doctrine.