Machen in 5 Sayings: Defender of Orthodoxy

During a period of theological upheaval, J. Gresham Machen firmly defended Christian orthodoxy. Today, Stephen Nichols highlights Machen’s commitment to doctrine, his awe at God’s majesty, and his hope in the active obedience of Christ.

Welcome back to another episode of 5 Minutes in Church History. On this episode, we are continuing our look at Machen in five sayings. Last week we looked at two, and we laid a foundation for what is to come. This week we are going to get into some of Machen’s significant theological writings, mainly his classic text, Christianity and Liberalism. Machen, early on, is discussing this business of whether Christianity is a doctrine or a lifestyle. And there were many who were saying beliefs don’t matter, only behavior does. Christianity in the end is a lifestyle. Jesus cares about how we live and what we do, not what we believe. And what we believe even about him is not crucial, essential, or important. Machen disagreed, and early on he says this, “Paul was convinced of the objective truth of the gospel message and devotion to that truth was the great passion of his life. Christianity for Paul was not only a life, but also a doctrine, and, logically, the doctrine came first.” Machen isn’t saying it’s doctrine and not lifestyle, but Christianity is doctrine first. Beliefs do matter and then flows the lifestyle or the behaviors.

And what doctrine is at the center of all this? Well, a few pages later in this chapter on doctrine, Machen says this, “Christ died. That is history. Christ died for our sins. That is doctrine.” And I want you to notice something there, that little preposition “for.” Remember what Machen said in his Greek grammar, the necessity of precise acquaintance with prepositions? Well, this is one of the most crucial prepositions of all time and especially of the New Testament, “for.” Christ died for us in our place. In this great book on doctrine, Machen goes on to discuss the doctrines of God and man, the Bible, Christ, salvation, and the church. It is a wonderful introduction to historic Christian orthodoxy and maybe even more importantly, why that orthodoxy matters.

Well, for our fourth saying, let’s switch gears. For hobbies, Machen loved to go mountain climbing and his favorite mountains to climb were up in Maine where his family had a summer vacation home and also the Alps. And one time he had come back from a mountain climbing expedition. He was asked by a group in Philadelphia to give a little talk on his mountain climbing. He would then publish this in August of 1934 in Christianity Today. And he titled this piece “Mountains and Why We Love Them.” And towards the end, he said this, “There is far above any earthly mountain peak of vision, a God high and lifted up who, though he is infinitely exalted, yet cares for his children among men.” As Machen looked at those soaring peaks of the Swiss Alps, he was all struck by their majesty and just by the sheer size and force of these mountains. And he speaks of how he feels little compared to these mountains. But yet here’s God, infinitely over topping the mountains.

Well, for our last saying, our fifth saying, we’re going to go to what is one of the last things Machen said. At the end of his life, he was producing these radio talks for a station in Philadelphia, and he recorded his final episodes. In December, he boarded a train to North Dakota and there he died on January 1st, 1937. But in those early weeks of January, the episodes he recorded were published and one of them was on the active obedience of Christ. And in here he talks about Christ not only paid the penalty for our sin, but he also did what Adam did not do, he kept the law. It was not only passive, but active in his obedience. And again, we’re back to that preposition, aren’t we? For us and for our salvation. Well, in his final spoken words to his colleague John Murray at Westminster Seminary, in a telegraph Machen said, “So thankful for the active obedience of Christ, no hope without it.” That was the doctrine that Machen championed and contended for and with courage and boldness proclaimed in his day. And that’s “Machen in 5 Sayings.” And I’m Steve Nichols and thanks for listening to 5 Minutes in Church History.