The Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith
Overview
These sermons cover all the major tenets of Christianity, starting with the defense of the divine inspiration of the Bible. Like his contemporary Dwight L. Moody, Torrey’s sermons were renowned for their passion and scriptural insight.
Top Highlights
“The third thing that the Bible makes perfectly clear as to the inspiration of the Prophets and Apostles is, that the revelation made by God through His Holy Spirit to the Prophets was independent of the Prophets’ own thinking, that it was made to them by the Spirit of Christ which was in them, and that they themselves oftentimes did not thoroughly understand the full meaning of what the Spirit was saying through them, and that what they said was a subject of diligent search and inquiry to their own mind as to its meaning.” (Page 19)
“He gave them the law to produce conviction of sin, to stop men’s mouths, and to lead them to Christ.” (Page 190)
“the law is given, not to bring us justification, but to bring us a knowledge of sin,” (Page 189)
“The other view of justification is that we are justified, not by our own works in any sense, but entirely by the work of another, i.e., by the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, that our own works have nothing to do with our justification, but that we are justified entirely by Christ’s finished and complete work of atonement, by His death for us on the Cross, and that all that we have to do with our justification is merely to appropriate it to ourselves by simply trusting in Him who made the atonement. Which is the correct View?” (Page 189)
“The fourth thing that the Bible makes perfectly clear is, that not one single prophetic utterance was of the prophet’s own will (i. e., it was not in any sense merely what he wished to say), but in every instance the Prophet spoke from God, and the Prophet was carried along in the prophetic utterance by the Holy Spirit, regardless of his own will or thought.” (Page 21)
- Title: The Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith
- Author: R. A. Torrey
- Publisher: George H. Doran Company
- Publication Date: 1918
- Pages: 328
Reuben Archer Torrey (1856–1928) was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. Torrey studied at Yale University, Yale Divinity School, Leipzig University, Erlangen University and received a doctorate degree from Wheaton College.
Soon after becoming a congregational minister, Torrey joined Dwight L. Moody in his evangelistic work in Chicago. Torrey became the superintendent of the Bible Institute of the Chicago Evangelization Society (now Moody Bible Institute).
He later became pastor of the Chicago Avenue Church (now the Moody Church). Torrey later served as a chaplain with the YMCA and dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University).
Torrey authored over 40 books in his lifetime. The classic four-volume set The Fundamentals includes over 90 articles by leading Christian scholars. The R. A. Torrey Collection features 15 titles of biblical doctrine and teaching from Torrey.
