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Why I Am a Christian
John Stott has spent a lifetime wrestling with questions about Jesus both personally and in dialogue with skeptics and seekers around the globe. Now in his new book, Why I Am a Christian he provides a compelling, persuasive case for considering the Christian faith. // John Stott is known world-wide as a as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. His books have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. He is Rector Emeritus of All Souls’ Church, Langham Place, London, and founder of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. He was named one of The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America.
140 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
84 people are currently reading
916 people want to read
About the author
John R.W. Stott
305 books553 followersJohn R. W. Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist, and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books, including Why I Am a Christian and The Cross of Christ, have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
August 31, 2023
Fir an old soul like me, who has had the blessing of walking with Christ for mist of my life, this book is a refreshing shower of basic salvation truth. It’s always so good to revisit these ABCs of the Way and to be humbled by the goodness of God. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
April 16, 2014
Good little apologetic book by one of the most prominent evangelicals at the turn of the twentieth century, John Stott. In 1927, the atheist Bertrand Russell, gave speeches that become his book "Why I am Not a Christian", while Stott's "Why I Am a Christian" makes the case for Christianity. One thing I always appreciate about Stott, as a biblical commentator and Christian voice, is that he consistently writes with such clarity. This book is no different. In it he gives seven reasons for why he is a Christian, and his aim is to convince you to become one. For any with questions about Christianity this is a great place to start.
July 19, 2022
A Rightful Rebuttal to Russell
In this befitting response to Bertrand Russell’s infamous polemic, author John Stott makes concrete arguments in defense of why he is a Christian and lists out the many reasons. He starts by reflecting on the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and goes on to testify about how Christ impacted his own life.
The author engages in a philosophical discussion and cites verses from the Bible to substantiate his points. He argues that “materialism cannot satisfy the human spirit either in its communistic or in its capitalistic form” and that “we are most truly human when we are worshipping God.”
Christ assures us that “whether or not we are consciously seeking God, he is assuredly seeking us.” In Christ, God’s fullness dwells permanently, and everything essential to our human being is in us if we are in Christ.
John Stott reasons that he is a Christian “not only because Christianity explains who Jesus was, and what he achieved on the cross, but because it also explains who I am.” As he observes, Christianity offers “evidence of God’s love, which is historical and objective.” God is love in His innermost being and when he made us in His image, “He gave us the capacity to love and to be loved.”
Furthermore, John Stott asks us to humble ourselves before God and open our hearts and minds to Him. What we need is “neither the easy optimism of the humanist, nor the dark pessimism of the cynic, but the radical realism of the Bible.”
Overall, Why I Am a Christian is an important book that answers an important question.
In this befitting response to Bertrand Russell’s infamous polemic, author John Stott makes concrete arguments in defense of why he is a Christian and lists out the many reasons. He starts by reflecting on the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and goes on to testify about how Christ impacted his own life.
The author engages in a philosophical discussion and cites verses from the Bible to substantiate his points. He argues that “materialism cannot satisfy the human spirit either in its communistic or in its capitalistic form” and that “we are most truly human when we are worshipping God.”
Christ assures us that “whether or not we are consciously seeking God, he is assuredly seeking us.” In Christ, God’s fullness dwells permanently, and everything essential to our human being is in us if we are in Christ.
John Stott reasons that he is a Christian “not only because Christianity explains who Jesus was, and what he achieved on the cross, but because it also explains who I am.” As he observes, Christianity offers “evidence of God’s love, which is historical and objective.” God is love in His innermost being and when he made us in His image, “He gave us the capacity to love and to be loved.”
Furthermore, John Stott asks us to humble ourselves before God and open our hearts and minds to Him. What we need is “neither the easy optimism of the humanist, nor the dark pessimism of the cynic, but the radical realism of the Bible.”
Overall, Why I Am a Christian is an important book that answers an important question.
February 14, 2018
Stott makes some strong arguments does a wonderful job referencing Scripture but lack some of the simple elegance and accessibility of C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity". Lewis is hard to top.
December 28, 2018
A Great Audiobook for Every Christian
Theologian and Biblical scholar John R. W. Stott gives a remarkable apologetic defense of the faith) in WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN audiobook. The detailed stories are combined with a series of Scriptures to help every Christian know and celebrate their faith. I enjoyed this audiobook and listened to it cover to cover. I highly recommend it.
Theologian and Biblical scholar John R. W. Stott gives a remarkable apologetic defense of the faith) in WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN audiobook. The detailed stories are combined with a series of Scriptures to help every Christian know and celebrate their faith. I enjoyed this audiobook and listened to it cover to cover. I highly recommend it.
October 7, 2017
A good reminder.
May 26, 2024
Great Stott, solidly excellent, good stuff.
February 26, 2022
A good read that shares one person's journey to faith! What I liked most about this book is that it is straight to the point. There is no gibberish or babble in here, just straight shots of theology with solid Biblical references (from my limited understanding; I am not trained in this area)!
Although this book achieves its purpose, I sadly found it tailored mostly towards Christians. This is good in a way because it helps people like me grow in their faith, but I was hoping for this book to be something I could suggest to read to atheists and even Jesus haters within my circle of influence. This book just doesn't have enough grounding in the evidence and ancient eye witness accounts which support that Jesus walked the earth. As a former atheist and non believer for a majority of my life, I know this book would not have helped me believe in Christ because it lacks perspective into what drives the atheist to operate (facts and evidence). Using the Bible is good evidence if I am a Christian. Using the Bible to convince others of the faith is weak evidence because the Bible's legitimacy is likely already in question to those that are skeptical of Christ and God. Unless the author uses facts and evidence to support how the Bible came to fruition, then I can see this approach packing more punch towards a non-believer, rather than just citing scripture.
Ultimately, I found this book only operates from a Christian's perspective. This is why I have to nix it a star, because I cannot recommend this book to friends that need something with evidentiary support about Jesus. The author's approach to argument is too open for the atheist to wiggle with facts and evidence. For example, to summarize, the author states that the feeling of Jesus in our spirits as Christians is like food that we need for our bodies. We are hungry for Jesus, similar to how we are hungry for food! As a Christian myself, ABOSOLUTELY YES I AGREE STOTT!
Although this is true and I do not disagree with it, a person that does not believe will likely scoff at this and attack the point, because it stands on comparison, and not really on a fact that can be logically understood to a person that does not believe. Essentially, Stott excels at communicating to Christians, but this book is not meant to fall into a non-Christian's hands (at least I think)!
I think it is my flaw that this book is not earning 5 stars, because I acknowledge that I had expectation for this book. For me, part of earning five stars is because I think the book is truly valuable to others, including those that may not know Jesus yet. Unfortunately, this book doesn't deliver on that front! However, it is better than books that did PROMISE to deliver facts and reasons that would help move a non believer into considering Jesus.
Although this book achieves its purpose, I sadly found it tailored mostly towards Christians. This is good in a way because it helps people like me grow in their faith, but I was hoping for this book to be something I could suggest to read to atheists and even Jesus haters within my circle of influence. This book just doesn't have enough grounding in the evidence and ancient eye witness accounts which support that Jesus walked the earth. As a former atheist and non believer for a majority of my life, I know this book would not have helped me believe in Christ because it lacks perspective into what drives the atheist to operate (facts and evidence). Using the Bible is good evidence if I am a Christian. Using the Bible to convince others of the faith is weak evidence because the Bible's legitimacy is likely already in question to those that are skeptical of Christ and God. Unless the author uses facts and evidence to support how the Bible came to fruition, then I can see this approach packing more punch towards a non-believer, rather than just citing scripture.
Ultimately, I found this book only operates from a Christian's perspective. This is why I have to nix it a star, because I cannot recommend this book to friends that need something with evidentiary support about Jesus. The author's approach to argument is too open for the atheist to wiggle with facts and evidence. For example, to summarize, the author states that the feeling of Jesus in our spirits as Christians is like food that we need for our bodies. We are hungry for Jesus, similar to how we are hungry for food! As a Christian myself, ABOSOLUTELY YES I AGREE STOTT!
Although this is true and I do not disagree with it, a person that does not believe will likely scoff at this and attack the point, because it stands on comparison, and not really on a fact that can be logically understood to a person that does not believe. Essentially, Stott excels at communicating to Christians, but this book is not meant to fall into a non-Christian's hands (at least I think)!
I think it is my flaw that this book is not earning 5 stars, because I acknowledge that I had expectation for this book. For me, part of earning five stars is because I think the book is truly valuable to others, including those that may not know Jesus yet. Unfortunately, this book doesn't deliver on that front! However, it is better than books that did PROMISE to deliver facts and reasons that would help move a non believer into considering Jesus.
January 24, 2020
John Stott was a preacher! Sometimes you can sense that a man is a preacher in the way he writes and John Stott without a doubt was a brilliant preacher. If you are looking for a book to give to a new convert for a first book then I would highly recommend this book but it also works for someone who has been a Christian for several years because it is nice refresher of the truths we know and hold dear.
Why I am a Christian is a book that explains the grace of the God on our lives from the call that leads us to salvation to the purpose we find for life now that we are saved. Reading it gets you to the point where you have to ask yourself if what is being described is something that you have come to know. And it ends with a prayer for salvation. I have not been one for repeated sinners prayers but I absolutely loved the prayer at the end because it said all that I felt was the necessary end to such a great book.
Basically it says, Dear God if you have not saved me yet, save me now.
Why I am a Christian is a book that explains the grace of the God on our lives from the call that leads us to salvation to the purpose we find for life now that we are saved. Reading it gets you to the point where you have to ask yourself if what is being described is something that you have come to know. And it ends with a prayer for salvation. I have not been one for repeated sinners prayers but I absolutely loved the prayer at the end because it said all that I felt was the necessary end to such a great book.
Basically it says, Dear God if you have not saved me yet, save me now.
September 15, 2011
THIS BOOK CUTS THROUGH THE FOG.
I waddled off to seminary and got drunk on interesting peripheral issues, giving too much attention to the cultivation of ways to communicate them in the pastorate. That's an overstatement; but closer to the truth than I'd like to admit. Now as a pastor I am growing in my appreciation (and need) of clearly communicated first principles. Stott, rest in peace, wrote an amazing little booklet that meets this need and appreciation.
While not as witty as Lewis' Mere Christianity, or nuanced as Wright's Simply Christian, or subversive as Wilson's Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl - it rises to the top owing to its simplicity, brevity, and clarity.
So good. So good.
I waddled off to seminary and got drunk on interesting peripheral issues, giving too much attention to the cultivation of ways to communicate them in the pastorate. That's an overstatement; but closer to the truth than I'd like to admit. Now as a pastor I am growing in my appreciation (and need) of clearly communicated first principles. Stott, rest in peace, wrote an amazing little booklet that meets this need and appreciation.
While not as witty as Lewis' Mere Christianity, or nuanced as Wright's Simply Christian, or subversive as Wilson's Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl - it rises to the top owing to its simplicity, brevity, and clarity.
So good. So good.
July 17, 2022
"The only God I believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as "God on the cross". In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?... Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his."
Beautifully written and deeply compelling. It is a perfect blend of apologetics and evangelism that takes questions seriously and presents the gospel clearly.
Stott is wonderful here.
Beautifully written and deeply compelling. It is a perfect blend of apologetics and evangelism that takes questions seriously and presents the gospel clearly.
Stott is wonderful here.
October 13, 2020
I can't believe I had not read this before. Stott's words are rich and bring unparalleled clarity to the biggest questions we have about life.
"Nothing can convince us of our personal significance like the cross of Christ"
"Nothing can convince us of our personal significance like the cross of Christ"
August 24, 2019
Stott é sempre agradável. Nesse ele da uma apologética simples, breve, direta e pessoal... Não é um livro dos grandes argumentos, mas é um livro convidativo a boas reflexões...
January 30, 2023
“Why I Am a Christian” by John Stott is a classic Christian book with each chapter expounding on why Stott is a Christian, and the whys that should be behind our own profession of Christian faith as well. The book reads easily and yet inspires with every sentence. Highly recommend!
Some notable quotes from the book:
"Why I am a Christian is due ultimately neither to the influence of my parents and teachers, nor to my personal decision for Christ, but to 'the Hound of Heaven.’ That is, it is due to Jesus Christ Himself, who pursued me relentlessly even when I was running away from Him in order to go my own way."
(Note: this is only the first reason.)
“…we are more than material bodies needing food; we are spiritual beings needing God, needing transcendence.”
“…when worship is real, our hearts and minds are transported beyond time and space to join the whole church on earth and in heaven in the worship of God. Then we know what Jacob meant when he said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place,’ and sometimes unbelievers coming in will fall down and worship with us, saying, ‘God is really among you!’”
Some notable quotes from the book:
"Why I am a Christian is due ultimately neither to the influence of my parents and teachers, nor to my personal decision for Christ, but to 'the Hound of Heaven.’ That is, it is due to Jesus Christ Himself, who pursued me relentlessly even when I was running away from Him in order to go my own way."
(Note: this is only the first reason.)
“…we are more than material bodies needing food; we are spiritual beings needing God, needing transcendence.”
“…when worship is real, our hearts and minds are transported beyond time and space to join the whole church on earth and in heaven in the worship of God. Then we know what Jacob meant when he said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place,’ and sometimes unbelievers coming in will fall down and worship with us, saying, ‘God is really among you!’”
May 8, 2020
This is a short book, but I encourage you to not read it in one sitting.
In fact, I don't think it would be right to read even a whole chapter at a time. I read just a couple pages per day, and even that was a lot to take in. There's a lot to chew on in each section of each chapter.
As I read the book, I felt as if I were being let in on the humble reasoning of a true believer. I'm finding that to be more and more rare today. While Stott's arguments aren't simplistic, they are simple. They share his experience, without sharing the irrelevant details of his experiences. He keeps the focus on Jesus.
In short, Jesus fills every longing. That's why he's a Christian.
I've read many books that seek to convince people about Jesus using external evidence. They are good for what they are, and I certainly recommend them to Christians as a means of strengthening their faith. But Stott takes a completely different approach. He appeals to what we all long for in life, and shows that Jesus is the answer.
This is a book that I'll recommend.
In fact, I don't think it would be right to read even a whole chapter at a time. I read just a couple pages per day, and even that was a lot to take in. There's a lot to chew on in each section of each chapter.
As I read the book, I felt as if I were being let in on the humble reasoning of a true believer. I'm finding that to be more and more rare today. While Stott's arguments aren't simplistic, they are simple. They share his experience, without sharing the irrelevant details of his experiences. He keeps the focus on Jesus.
In short, Jesus fills every longing. That's why he's a Christian.
I've read many books that seek to convince people about Jesus using external evidence. They are good for what they are, and I certainly recommend them to Christians as a means of strengthening their faith. But Stott takes a completely different approach. He appeals to what we all long for in life, and shows that Jesus is the answer.
This is a book that I'll recommend.
May 20, 2020
Porque sou cristão? Segundo Stott a resposta é:
1) Porque Cristo me chamou a ser.
2) Porque o que Cristo diz é A Verdade.
3) Porque Cristo morreu na cruz pelos nossos pecados.
4) Porque só Cristo nos faz entender quem somos de fato.
5) Porque em Cristo temos a verdadeira liberdade.
6) Porque só Cristo nos satisfaz plenamente.
Boa leitura!
1) Porque Cristo me chamou a ser.
2) Porque o que Cristo diz é A Verdade.
3) Porque Cristo morreu na cruz pelos nossos pecados.
4) Porque só Cristo nos faz entender quem somos de fato.
5) Porque em Cristo temos a verdadeira liberdade.
6) Porque só Cristo nos satisfaz plenamente.
Boa leitura!
March 3, 2023
“Why I am Not a Christian” by Bertrand started a series of stripping down my faith in college that led to a lot of confusion and heartbreak. Thankful for a crisp, clear, powerful response by Grandpa Stott himself.
Also, Hound of Heaven is an absolute killer Seattle-born, new wave Punk band name.
Also, Hound of Heaven is an absolute killer Seattle-born, new wave Punk band name.
December 16, 2021
This is a clear presentation, not just of why John Stott was a Christian, but why people in general should take the claims of Christianity seriously.
May 12, 2025
One of those rare books that is both a refreshing read for the Christian and perfectly suited for the non Christian. I especially liked his chapter on the identity of the Christian.
Currently reading
December 18, 2019n this book John Stott tells his spiritual story, and gives the reasons for his first life- changing step of faith on the path he has followed since that day. It was not so much that he found Christ, as that Christ found him. Not because the Christian faith is attractive, but because it is true. Not because he deserved to be saved, but because Christ took his sins, and ours, on himself. It is because the answer to the paradox at the heart of our humanness, because the key to true freedom and fulfillment, are to be found in Jesus Christ alone. And he who extends the greatest of all invitations to each one of us waits patiently for our response.
April 13, 2021
The situation is very simple. The claims of Jesus are either true or false. If they are false, they could be deliberately false (in which case he was a liar, an imposter), or they could be involuntarily false (in which case he was deluded). Yet neither possibility seems at all likely. Jesus hated religious pretense or hypocrisy. He was a person of such integrity that it is hard to believe he was a charlatan. As for having a fixed delusion about himself, there certainly are psychotic people who imagine they are the Queen of Sheba, Julius Caesar, the Emperor of Japan or some other VIP. But one thing is fatal to this theory in regard to Jesus. It is that deluded people delude nobody but themselves. You only have to be in their presence for two or three minutes before you know that they are withdrawn from reality and living in a world of fantasy.
It is the combination of egocentricity and humility that is so startling - the egocentricity of his teaching and the humility of his behavior.
We are not, therefore, to regard the cross as defeat and the resurrection as victory. Rather, the cross was the victory won, and the resurrection endorsed, proclaimed, and demonstrated the victory.
Secular humanists tend to be very optimistic. True, they declare that human beings are nothing but the product of blind evolutionary forces. But they have boundless confidence in what they regard as our future evolutionary potential, especially that one day human beings will be bale to take hold of their own history and control their own destiny. But that is too optimistic. It does not take into account what Christians call "original sin," which is a twist of self-centeredness in our nature and which has repeatedly thwarted the dreams of social reformers. Atheistic existentialists, on the other hand, go to the opposite extreme of pessimism, even of despair. Because there is no God, they say, there are no longer any values. Although we must somehow find the courage to be, nothing has meaning and everything is ultimately absurd - which is at least logical if God is dead... It takes no account of the love, joy, beauty, heroism and self-sacrifice that have adorned the human story.
The wrath of God has never meant that he is malicious, bad tempered or vindictive, but rather that he hates evil and refuses to compromise with it.
One thing is sure: no one who is afraid is free. And Jesus Christ holds the key to freedom, because he died to free us from guilt, rose to free us from self and was exalted to free us from fear.
We now come to human beings. If fish were made for water, what were human beings made for? The biblical answer surely is that if fish were made for water, human beings were made for love, for loving God and loving our neighbor. Love is the element in which humans find their distinctive humanness. As Robert Southwell, the sixteenth-century Roman Catholic poet wrote, "Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live." He was consciously echoing Augustine's epigram that the soul lives when it loves, not when it exists. An authentically human existence is impossible without love.
This brings us to a startling human paradox. Let me state it simply like this: true freedom is freedom to be my true self, as God made me and meant me to be. But God made me for loving, and loving is giving, self-giving. Therefore, in order to be myself, I have to deny myself and give myself for God and others. In order to be free, I have to serve. In order to live, I have to die to my own self-centeredness. In order to find myself I have to lose myself in loving.
Here, then, is the threefold quest on which all human beings are engaged. Although they may not articulate it in this way, I think we may say that in looking for transcendence they are seeking God, in looking for significance they are seeking themselves, and in looking for community they are seeking their neighbor. For this is humankind's universal search - for God, for neighbor and for ourselves.
The good news, then is this: that Almighty God loves us in spite of our rebellion against him. He came after us himself in the person of his Son Jesus Christ; he took our nature and became a human being. He lived a perfect life of love, having no sins of his own for which atonement needed to be made, but on that cross he identified himself with our sin and guilt. In two dramatic New Testament expressions he was "made... to be sin for us" and became a "curse for us" (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13). For in those awful three hours of Godforsaken darkness he endured the condemnation our sins deserved. But now, on the ground of Christ's sin-bearing death, God offers us a full and free forgiveness, together with a new birth and a new beginning in the power of his resurrection.
To take Christ's yoke upon us is to enter his school, to become his disciples and submit to his teaching authority. It implies that we are to regard him not only as our savior but also as our teacher and Lord. Jesus himself put this beyond doubt when, during his last night on earth, he said to the Twelve, "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am" (John 13:13). In other word, "Teacher" and "Lord" were more than courtesy titles; they bore witness to a reality. It will include bringing every part of our lives, public and private, under the sovereign lordship of Jesus.
The only authority under which our mind is genuinely free is the authority of truth. So-called free thought, which claims license to believe anything, including lies, is not authentic intellectual freedom; it is bondage to illusion and falsehood.
Freedom is indeed found in laying down our burden, but it is emphatically not found in discarding Christ's. We are back with the great paradox of Christian living. It is under Christ's yoke that we find rest and in his service that we find freedom. It is when we lose ourselves that we find ourselves, and when we die to our self-centeredness that we begin to live.
To sum it up in a single sentence: He who claims to be both Son of God and savior and judge of humankind now stands before us offering, if only we come to him, fulfilment, freedom and rest.
It is the combination of egocentricity and humility that is so startling - the egocentricity of his teaching and the humility of his behavior.
We are not, therefore, to regard the cross as defeat and the resurrection as victory. Rather, the cross was the victory won, and the resurrection endorsed, proclaimed, and demonstrated the victory.
Secular humanists tend to be very optimistic. True, they declare that human beings are nothing but the product of blind evolutionary forces. But they have boundless confidence in what they regard as our future evolutionary potential, especially that one day human beings will be bale to take hold of their own history and control their own destiny. But that is too optimistic. It does not take into account what Christians call "original sin," which is a twist of self-centeredness in our nature and which has repeatedly thwarted the dreams of social reformers. Atheistic existentialists, on the other hand, go to the opposite extreme of pessimism, even of despair. Because there is no God, they say, there are no longer any values. Although we must somehow find the courage to be, nothing has meaning and everything is ultimately absurd - which is at least logical if God is dead... It takes no account of the love, joy, beauty, heroism and self-sacrifice that have adorned the human story.
The wrath of God has never meant that he is malicious, bad tempered or vindictive, but rather that he hates evil and refuses to compromise with it.
One thing is sure: no one who is afraid is free. And Jesus Christ holds the key to freedom, because he died to free us from guilt, rose to free us from self and was exalted to free us from fear.
We now come to human beings. If fish were made for water, what were human beings made for? The biblical answer surely is that if fish were made for water, human beings were made for love, for loving God and loving our neighbor. Love is the element in which humans find their distinctive humanness. As Robert Southwell, the sixteenth-century Roman Catholic poet wrote, "Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live." He was consciously echoing Augustine's epigram that the soul lives when it loves, not when it exists. An authentically human existence is impossible without love.
This brings us to a startling human paradox. Let me state it simply like this: true freedom is freedom to be my true self, as God made me and meant me to be. But God made me for loving, and loving is giving, self-giving. Therefore, in order to be myself, I have to deny myself and give myself for God and others. In order to be free, I have to serve. In order to live, I have to die to my own self-centeredness. In order to find myself I have to lose myself in loving.
Here, then, is the threefold quest on which all human beings are engaged. Although they may not articulate it in this way, I think we may say that in looking for transcendence they are seeking God, in looking for significance they are seeking themselves, and in looking for community they are seeking their neighbor. For this is humankind's universal search - for God, for neighbor and for ourselves.
The good news, then is this: that Almighty God loves us in spite of our rebellion against him. He came after us himself in the person of his Son Jesus Christ; he took our nature and became a human being. He lived a perfect life of love, having no sins of his own for which atonement needed to be made, but on that cross he identified himself with our sin and guilt. In two dramatic New Testament expressions he was "made... to be sin for us" and became a "curse for us" (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13). For in those awful three hours of Godforsaken darkness he endured the condemnation our sins deserved. But now, on the ground of Christ's sin-bearing death, God offers us a full and free forgiveness, together with a new birth and a new beginning in the power of his resurrection.
To take Christ's yoke upon us is to enter his school, to become his disciples and submit to his teaching authority. It implies that we are to regard him not only as our savior but also as our teacher and Lord. Jesus himself put this beyond doubt when, during his last night on earth, he said to the Twelve, "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am" (John 13:13). In other word, "Teacher" and "Lord" were more than courtesy titles; they bore witness to a reality. It will include bringing every part of our lives, public and private, under the sovereign lordship of Jesus.
The only authority under which our mind is genuinely free is the authority of truth. So-called free thought, which claims license to believe anything, including lies, is not authentic intellectual freedom; it is bondage to illusion and falsehood.
Freedom is indeed found in laying down our burden, but it is emphatically not found in discarding Christ's. We are back with the great paradox of Christian living. It is under Christ's yoke that we find rest and in his service that we find freedom. It is when we lose ourselves that we find ourselves, and when we die to our self-centeredness that we begin to live.
To sum it up in a single sentence: He who claims to be both Son of God and savior and judge of humankind now stands before us offering, if only we come to him, fulfilment, freedom and rest.
August 25, 2017
What an inspirational book that also deepens one's understanding of the Old and New Testament. The common denominator in that scripture being Jesus of Nazareth. John R.W. Stott eloquently writes about his accepting Jesus as Christ, the Messiah. He uses scripture from both Old and New Testaments to reinforce his belief and also quotes great minds such as Augustine, C.S. Lewis, Mother Teresa, Bertrand Russell, and Bornhoeffer.
One appreciates the academic mind and logical rationale of Stott's interpretation throughout this book. He summarizes and further explains each component of the claims about Jesus Christ that confirm his abiding belief in Christianity. For example, the crucifixion's purpose is atonement of sins, revelation of God, and conquest over evil. These three points expand in that chapter's elaborations.
Why I Am a Christian is a short book but a powerful message of profound importance. It would behoove any reader to acquaint themselves with this work for the ability to discern truth in a world filled with lies and deception.
One appreciates the academic mind and logical rationale of Stott's interpretation throughout this book. He summarizes and further explains each component of the claims about Jesus Christ that confirm his abiding belief in Christianity. For example, the crucifixion's purpose is atonement of sins, revelation of God, and conquest over evil. These three points expand in that chapter's elaborations.
Why I Am a Christian is a short book but a powerful message of profound importance. It would behoove any reader to acquaint themselves with this work for the ability to discern truth in a world filled with lies and deception.
May 29, 2012
I got this as a free audiobook download. So I figured "why not". It was short, only a few hours. There were a few interesting and enlightening things that I hadn't thought about before. But there was also a lot of circular reasoning (How do we know Jesus was really divine? Because he said so. How do we know he wasn't lying? Because he was divine... and we're back to "But, how do we know he was really divine?"). If you're already a Christian this book might strengthen your faith. But it's not going to convince non-believers.
Overall I give it a "meh".
Overall I give it a "meh".
September 26, 2019
I enjoyed reading this book. John Stott made such good arguments for why he placed his faith in Jesus.
In rather down to earth terms, he shows the desperate need of humanity for a saviour, and ends the book by breaking down the essentials in Jesus' invitation to humanity.
I put off reading this book for so long. I wish I had read it sooner. It's definitely one of those books I'd keep going back to, in the years to come.
In rather down to earth terms, he shows the desperate need of humanity for a saviour, and ends the book by breaking down the essentials in Jesus' invitation to humanity.
I put off reading this book for so long. I wish I had read it sooner. It's definitely one of those books I'd keep going back to, in the years to come.
January 31, 2018
Gem after gem in this one. What a gift! John Stott taking on Bertrand Russell’s thesis of why Christianity is bunk is a small portion of what is stellar about this apologetical work. Go read it, please and thank you.
May 5, 2018
A short and concise apologetics book that lays out Scripture, the person of Jesus, logic, and thoughts from various thinkers (Christian and not) in order to illuminate the truth of the Gospel in intelligent yet approachable language
January 8, 2023
Favorite quote: I had high ideals but a weak will… What brought me to Christ was this sense of defeat and of estrangement, and the astonishing news that the historic Christ offered to meet the very needs of which I was conscious.
January 14, 2020
I started reading this book under the recommendation of a Christian friend after I quitted the first and the only church I attended a few months ago, with tears and a broken heart. It was such a dark time; I doubted everything in my life: the meaning of being a Christian, the teachings from that church, and the purpose of being where I was. I opened this book in seek of answers to all of these questions.
To me, there's no doubt that I am a Christian: I was attracted to the joy and freedom that the people in the church and the experiences afterward are real; the change in my personality and life attitude is real. But I never actually hear the reasons for being a Christian from other people's perspectives.
I echoed this book with the very first chapter, which talks about how Jesus is relentlessly pursuing him. It is, for sure, not a choice after logical thinking to become a Christian. It is because I was put at a particular time and space in a particular condition, and I met this particular group of people. I somehow willingly followed an intuition to take a step into something unknown, which is not reasonable at all when I look back. Even when I thought I was about to give up believing, I was, again, put into another community that gave a message, which is exactly what's written in this book, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20)". So I was persuaded that it is true that there's a power beyond us, watching us, persuing us, who will not give us up.
This book also solved some questions that have been bothering me for a while:
In the church I went to, people always practice "deny yourself", by denying the negative feelings and thoughts. I cannot agree because I was confused by the conflicts between "self-care" and "deny myself". I couldn't get it why I need to deny myself. The point mentioned in this book enlightened me that to "deny myself" is to care and love others. If we constantly live in our desires and struggles, we will have no room in our hearts to care and love others.
Also, I was a little resistant towards the verse "Take my yoke upon you (Matthew 11:29)" because the previous church was full of outward activities and works, which eventually made everyone worn out. I immediately relate "take my yoke" to "work for the church," but in this book, it says the way we "put on his yoke" is to "learn from him," to accept his teaching authority, which perfectly fit our humanity.
This book is the first Christian book I read in English other than the church materials from my first church. I will continue this journey of reading, and hopefully, these books will give me some answers in the upcoming years.
To me, there's no doubt that I am a Christian: I was attracted to the joy and freedom that the people in the church and the experiences afterward are real; the change in my personality and life attitude is real. But I never actually hear the reasons for being a Christian from other people's perspectives.
I echoed this book with the very first chapter, which talks about how Jesus is relentlessly pursuing him. It is, for sure, not a choice after logical thinking to become a Christian. It is because I was put at a particular time and space in a particular condition, and I met this particular group of people. I somehow willingly followed an intuition to take a step into something unknown, which is not reasonable at all when I look back. Even when I thought I was about to give up believing, I was, again, put into another community that gave a message, which is exactly what's written in this book, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20)". So I was persuaded that it is true that there's a power beyond us, watching us, persuing us, who will not give us up.
This book also solved some questions that have been bothering me for a while:
In the church I went to, people always practice "deny yourself", by denying the negative feelings and thoughts. I cannot agree because I was confused by the conflicts between "self-care" and "deny myself". I couldn't get it why I need to deny myself. The point mentioned in this book enlightened me that to "deny myself" is to care and love others. If we constantly live in our desires and struggles, we will have no room in our hearts to care and love others.
Also, I was a little resistant towards the verse "Take my yoke upon you (Matthew 11:29)" because the previous church was full of outward activities and works, which eventually made everyone worn out. I immediately relate "take my yoke" to "work for the church," but in this book, it says the way we "put on his yoke" is to "learn from him," to accept his teaching authority, which perfectly fit our humanity.
This book is the first Christian book I read in English other than the church materials from my first church. I will continue this journey of reading, and hopefully, these books will give me some answers in the upcoming years.
July 6, 2025
I was so enthralled and inspired by this little book. It was recommended to me by my mother and I'm so happy.
John Stott's writing style was simply beautiful, quiet and to the point. A few time, he made me burst out in quiet giggles as he wove some one-liner humor into his chapters. Such a gentle writing style that draws you in while leaving no doubts as to why he is a Christian. One thing I like about it was that it was written as an essay, "Why I'm a Christian," not "Why You Should Be A Christian." Personal testimony is so powerful.
The reasons he lists are concise, to the point and I completely agree with each one. Rather than focusing on all the branches of the doctrine of Christianity, he focus on the most important one: Jesus. His claims. His truth. And what He offers.
My personal favorite chapters were "The Cross" and "The Key To Freedom." I read "the Cross" chapter when I was going through a personal study on God's love and it brought it home even more. I was in tears as I read it, and it romanced my heart all over again. I highly recommend the book just for that chapter alone.
Wow. It was so powerful I'm still in awe of it.
And the "Key to Freedom" chapter. Refreshing...and so liberating, no pun intended.
Here's the thing. I love what Stott pointed out about "salvation" being a word that people turn a deaf ear to because it sounds religious or churched. Yes, it is a Biblical word, but people tend to stop listening after they hear it because it is very religious lingo. But throw in the word freedom and suddenly, they're interested...
Indeed, I find myself growing all the more drawn to the word freedom. It isn't just freedom from sin...it's freedom to live in abundant life and totally forgiveness. Freedom for peace, for love.
I highly recommend this little book. I loved it so much. It's also a short but informative read, so I can read it a few times a year if I so desired. :)
John Stott's writing style was simply beautiful, quiet and to the point. A few time, he made me burst out in quiet giggles as he wove some one-liner humor into his chapters. Such a gentle writing style that draws you in while leaving no doubts as to why he is a Christian. One thing I like about it was that it was written as an essay, "Why I'm a Christian," not "Why You Should Be A Christian." Personal testimony is so powerful.
The reasons he lists are concise, to the point and I completely agree with each one. Rather than focusing on all the branches of the doctrine of Christianity, he focus on the most important one: Jesus. His claims. His truth. And what He offers.
My personal favorite chapters were "The Cross" and "The Key To Freedom." I read "the Cross" chapter when I was going through a personal study on God's love and it brought it home even more. I was in tears as I read it, and it romanced my heart all over again. I highly recommend the book just for that chapter alone.
Wow. It was so powerful I'm still in awe of it.
And the "Key to Freedom" chapter. Refreshing...and so liberating, no pun intended.
Here's the thing. I love what Stott pointed out about "salvation" being a word that people turn a deaf ear to because it sounds religious or churched. Yes, it is a Biblical word, but people tend to stop listening after they hear it because it is very religious lingo. But throw in the word freedom and suddenly, they're interested...
Indeed, I find myself growing all the more drawn to the word freedom. It isn't just freedom from sin...it's freedom to live in abundant life and totally forgiveness. Freedom for peace, for love.
I highly recommend this little book. I loved it so much. It's also a short but informative read, so I can read it a few times a year if I so desired. :)
February 23, 2024
Read this book along with the Practicology Podcast's February 2024 Reading Challenge. (Episodes 147-151)
My notes are from chapter 7:
Christ's "come unto me" invitation is often quoted. Stott explains the original context
Matthew 11:25-30
Jesus makes bold claims
v27 He claims he exclusively knows the Father, had that he's able to choose who to reveal the Father to.
Heir of Father God
v28 Jesus claims he is able to give rest
Who does Jesus address? the humble
What does he offer? rest
What does he ask of us? nothing except taking his yoke and learning of him
People want rest, but either don't know about or reject Jesus' yoke and teaching.
Stott quotes CS Lewis a lot, and in some ways Mere Christianity might be a better book. Stott discusses the contradictory nature of humans as intelligent and god-like but also depraved.
I listened to an audiobook, so I didn't retain as much.
My notes are from chapter 7:
Christ's "come unto me" invitation is often quoted. Stott explains the original context
Matthew 11:25-30
"At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”" (NIV from Bible Gateway )
Jesus makes bold claims
v27 He claims he exclusively knows the Father, had that he's able to choose who to reveal the Father to.
Heir of Father God
v28 Jesus claims he is able to give rest
Who does Jesus address? the humble
What does he offer? rest
What does he ask of us? nothing except taking his yoke and learning of him
People want rest, but either don't know about or reject Jesus' yoke and teaching.
Stott quotes CS Lewis a lot, and in some ways Mere Christianity might be a better book. Stott discusses the contradictory nature of humans as intelligent and god-like but also depraved.
I listened to an audiobook, so I didn't retain as much.
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