The Certainty of Faith

“This work could come at no more critical moment. Stories of de-conversion vie for our hearts, pulling many into a vortex of doubt and denial. Even the formerly ardent have been sucked into the violent waters of unbelief, surfacing only now and again to listen to one bellowing sermon: the only thing certain is uncertainty. But with the welcome assistance of Dan Schrock, here comes Herman Bavinck, in this brief but vivifying three chapters, which hand deliver an oxygen tank to the Church. Bavinck fans refreshing winds into certainty, and makes a compelling, nay certain, case for the utter reasonableness of our faith in Christ. Read and rest (again) in the blessedness and wisdom of Christ-centered assurance!”

“What a gem! The certainty of faith and the assurance of faith are interwoven superbly in brief compass. In this little book we meet Bavinck the pastor – it reads like a letter, or, better yet, a conversation. It will not only inform your mind but enlarge your heart to receive Christ with all his benefits.”

“Bavinck's book is a great classic Reformed text, biblical and edifying.”

“Everything that Herman Bavinck writes is a must-read, but The Certainty of Faith stands out amidst his large corpus. In this classic work, Bavinck sets the certainty that is grounded in divine revelation and which we receive by faith against the non-certainty of other means of knowledge. In contrast to our world that renders faith merely subjective and fanciful, Bavinck accounts for why faith is the highest expression of our response to our triune God and his revelation. This is must reading for all Christians as they think through the importance of saving faith and how it results in an unshakeable confidence in our covenant Lord in the face of Jesus Christ.”

“Herman Bavinck was a brilliant theologian-philosopher, unique for his capacity to combine the disciplines of theology, science, and philosophy into a coherent, constructive world-and-life-system (Weltanschauung) within the matrix of orthodox Calvinism. Living as we are in the post-Enlightenment age, many Christians (including those in the theological guild) are far more influenced by the skepticism of modernism and postmodernism than they are ready to admit. It is for this reason that such a refreshing corrective—in this profound treatise on the certainty of the Christian faith—is as necessary for the twenty-first century church as it was when Bavinck first penned it. Describing the nature of faith, which lays hold of God revealed in His Word as the ultimate authority for belief and life, Bavinck shows that true faith is an experiential reality that provides lasting peace for the believer in the face of pain, suffering, death, and uncertainty, for it satisfies the deepest longings of the human soul that science and scholarship (wetenschap) can never satisfy. Taking us back to a Reformational, almost premodern epistemology without discounting the value of modern science, Bavinck shows how God’s Word answers the ‘why’ questions that science, with its emphasis on the ‘what’ and ‘how,’ can never answer. Now presented afresh to the English-speaking world, this treatise is sure to become a staple in the growing corpus of ably-translated Bavinck literature that has blossomed, for good reason, in recent decades.”

“In an age of rampant doubt and skepticism, Dr. Schrock’s new translation of Herman Bavinck’s classic, The Certainty of Faith, unlocks for a new generation answers to the perennial questions of the heart: How can I be at peace with God in this life and the next? Can I be assured now that Christ has atoned for my sins and taken me to himself? And when I die, can I know for certain that I shall live with Christ forever?” As Bavinck notes early on, “to live in comfort and to die in beatitude, we need certainty about the things that are above, the things that are invisible and eternal.” Unto that end, Bavinck provides in three short chapters biblical definition and a historical defense of the certainty of faith with pastoral wisdom. The result is a book that cultivates confidence and conviction for the believer that Christ is for him. Here is a work of great pastoral counsel and care for all who consider themselves 'physicians of souls'.”

“Two of the most important questions that a Christian believer can ask are, ‘How can I be sure that Christianity is true?’ and ‘How can I be sure that I am a Christian?’ In The Certainty of Faith, Herman Bavinck guides non-specialists through these questions with disarming simplicity and clarity. B. B. Warfield, who differed with some of Bavinck’s conclusions, rightly observed that in this work, as in all of Bavinck’s writings, “extensive learning, sound thinking, and profound religious feeling are smelted intimately together into a product of singular charm.” Dr. Daniel Schrock and Westminster Seminary Press, in this newly translated and annotated edition, have placed the Reformed church in their debt by making this classic work available once again to contemporary English-speaking audiences.”

“One great feature of Herman Bavinck’s writings is his articulation of classic Christian orthodoxy with a modern accent. Recognizing that faith must rest on the certainty of divine revelation, Bavinck reassessed here how to retain this core conviction in light of the challenges posed by modern science, philosophy, and religion. His work is timely, judicious, and charitable. In addition to showcasing the nature of faith in relation to God, truth, and certainty, he engaged the appeal and limitations of Christian alternatives to truth, especially Roman Catholicism, in ways that apply directly to the modern growing enchantment with Rome (and with Eastern Christianity). This thought-provoking book promotes both certainty in the truth of divine revelation as well as certainty of personal salvation in Christ, bent towards serving the church and the world.”

“[In these pages] extensive learning, sound thinking, and profound religious feeling are smelted intimately together into a product of singular charm.”

“The Certainty of Faith is a multum in parvo (much in little). It is a book I usually included on seminary class reading lists on the doctrine of assurance, even though it was no longer in print. If, in terms of theological literature, we are living in gold rush days, some of the finest quality gold is to be mined in Herman Bavinck Hills! Dan Schrock and Westminster Seminary Press together have given us one more grace-gift from the prolific ministry of a truly great theologian.”

“Herman Bavinck’s Certainty of Faith, given fresh translation and introduction by Daniel Schrock, written after Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche, furnishes fresh hope for a world plunged into the abyss of epistemic skepticism. Bavinck shows that the faith is not some irrational belief in the unverifiable, as asserted by a secularized science that is built not on demonstration but naturalist convictions; rather, the Christian faith is certain because it rests on the solid foundation of God’s revelation, finding its focus in the person and work of Christ, conviction of which is thereby thoroughly warranted and sure. Here is the true ground for the believer’s assurance – a certainty that will see him through this world to the next.”

“Nothing searches out the frailty or solidity of religious faith like death. The question ‘Who am I?’ finally cowers before, “Where am I going?” Moderns may shrug their shoulders and skeptics may roll their eyes at questions of faith; but their feigned indifference is eventually unmasked by the swelling emptiness, doubt, and fear within. They cannot deny “that cold black cloud is comin’ down.” As Bavinck argues so eloquently, the faith that takes root in the soil of God’s promises will alone bear the fruit of certainty. The hope that looks confidently to the risen Christ will alone stay its course in the face of death. Only Christ can calm the sea of the restless heart.”

“Few topics are as frequently addressed in pastoral ministry as the quest for assurance of salvation. Its absence breeds anxiety, while its presence brings profound peace. Daniel Schrock has served the church well by translating Herman Bavinck’s seminal work on this very subject. This treatise is well worth your time to read, ponder, and meditate upon. Bavinck is no ivory tower theologian, nor is he a mere sentimentalist. Instead, he combines biblically grounded reasoning with a pastoral heart and a gentle touch. Truly, this is one of the most important works on the doctrine of assurance. Read it, and rejoice in the Christ who grants such precious gifts to His people in His person.”

“Herman Bavinck wrote at a time when many challenges were raised against the Christian faith. The question being asked was ‘Can we have certainty?’ In that sense, his days were not unlike our own. This helpful translation gives Bavinck’s answer to this question for his own time, but it is well-worth considering in our day as well.”

“We humans were created for harmony between head, heart, and hand, but our rebellion shattered that unity, leaving us with doubts, worries, and fractured souls. Our restless hearts wander and search for the kind of certainty that can restore what we lost—a certainty of faith that brings true rest for the soul. What is this certainty of faith, and how can we find it? It is both gift and treasure, and you need only open the pages of Herman Bavinck's wonderful book to discover the answer. Though more than a century old, this little volume endures and it will enlighten your mind, heal your heart, and reinvigorate your hands with the assurance and freedom that certainty of faith provides. Schrock's translation from Dutch to English is especially smooth and readable, making his work a true labor of love for every reader who picks up this rich volume.”

“Herman Bavinck’s The Certainty of Faith has been called “one of the small but powerful classics written by one of the greatest theologians Holland has ever produced.” That claim still stands! Dr. Daniel Schrock has done the church and the Christian academic community an invaluable service in reintroducing this great little book to North American readers. Bavinck demonstrates that doubt is a form of an ill, not a healthy, Christianity—that is, the certainty of faith is normative. As believers, we find certainty in God and his Word, and the certainty of faith is the “from which” we proceed in Christian living and thinking—it’s the root, never the fruit, of our own efforts. Since Bavinck would bid us to rest in God and his revelation, he would warn us away from seeking rest in our own experience of God and his revelation. Instead, resting in God’s promises, Christians can assess challenges to Christian faith from the perspective of faith. They can also live Christian lives that explore the consequences of faith rather than in a ceaseless pursuit of obtaining faith. Bavinck reminds us that believers belong to God and to his Christ. As such, from the prayer chamber and the sanctuary we can, being so strengthened and equipped, glorify God and enjoy him forever in the wider scope of life.”

“Any new publication of the great Reformed dogmatician, Herman Bavinck, is just cause for celebration. But I take special delight in the release of this relatively brief but powerful work. In the spirit of Augustine, that great doctor of the mysterious soul, Bavinck adeptly addresses a great ill of his day and ours: the restless and anxious soul. He unfolds how every person made for God’s glory and fellowship longs for rest of soul, of spirit, of conscience, of the whole self. The modern quest for certainty and assurance is, in reality, the quest for this rest. Here is where Bavinck yet again proves to be a prophet for our time. Authentic certainty, he explains, is related to but distinct from the concerns of objective truth. We are more than our mental grasp of objective facts. True certainty is ours only as we come to rest ultimately in God himself as he gives himself in his Gospel. He alone is peace, and in Christ he is our peace, not only from judgment but from deep doubt and perpetual unrest. This work is sure to be a most valuable and timely resource for spiritual formation and care that is shaped by the gospel of God and the God of the gospel.”

“Daniel Schrock has served the church well in this fresh edition of The Certainty of Faith. Bavinck’s classic exploration of the nature of Christian assurance is a model of orthodox theological reflection, wise pastoral instruction, and careful cultural engagement. This is an important volume that ought to find its place on the shelf of every pastor who cares to lead his congregation into a well-grounded, Christ-centered assurance.”

“Refusing false and simplistic foundations, Bavinck shows us how to stand firm on an assurance that is both robust and personal, reasonable and supernatural. This is a book for all who long to rediscover the surprising maturity of childlike faith in a skeptical and confused age, and for those who want to learn how to help others find the peace and joy that come from a certain faith.”