Articles · Apologetics
What, Why, and Who You Believe
Paul Little’s three books name the ground of Christian faith — the truth we confess, the reasons it holds, and the Person we trust.
A person can admire Jesus and still be unsure what Christians believe, why they believe it, or who they are trusting. Paul E. Little wrote three short books for that gap. He spent twenty-five years with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and taught evangelism at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. The books are Know What You Believe, Know Why You Believe, and Know Who You Believe.
The three belong together. The faith has a content, a case, and a Person.
What you believe
Know What You Believe is the content of the faith, so a believer can say it plainly.
God has spoken in the Bible. He is one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. His death is where sin is dealt with. People are made in God’s image, and we have sinned. The Holy Spirit convicts, gives new life, and lives in those who believe. Salvation is God’s gift, received by faith. Angels, Satan, and demons are real. The church is Christ’s people. Christ will come again, and history ends in His hands.
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” — Jude 3
That faith was delivered. We receive it, learn it, and pass it on.
Why you believe
Know Why You Believe meets the questions that faith faces in public. Christian faith is trust placed in a reliable object, and it is open to questions.
Is Christianity rational? Is there a God? Is Christ God? Did He rise from the dead? Is the Bible God’s Word, and are its documents reliable? Does archaeology line up with the text? Are miracles possible? Do science and Scripture agree? Why does God allow suffering and evil? How is Christianity different from other religions? Is Christian experience valid?
The resurrection is the hinge. If Jesus rose, His claims stand. Creation already shows God’s eternal power. The Gospels come from the generation that saw Him. Suffering is real, and the cross is where God entered it. A true experience confirms the faith. The facts carry it.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” — 1 Peter 3:15
Give the reason. Give it gently.
Who you believe
Know Who You Believe asks the question the other two serve: can we know God? We know Him personally through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the center of history, the One in whom love and justice meet, and the One who is alive. He is a fit object of trust. God uses words — Scripture — to make Himself known. Truth is public. It is the same for every person. The connection He offers lasts.
“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” — 2 Timothy 1:12
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” — John 17:3
Where to begin
Start with the question in front of you. If someone asks what Christians believe, open Know What You Believe. If they ask whether it is true, open Know Why You Believe. If they ask whether God can be known, open Know Who You Believe. Then open a Gospel and let them meet Jesus Himself.