Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3, KJV)

What Is It?

Many in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church have probably never heard of The Sum of Saving Knowledge, and perhaps fewer have studied it and thought deeply about what it has to say. I think if you have not pondered the meaning of this little book, you may have missed some significant lessons that will help you in your spiritual quest for a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The middle decades of the seventeenth century were times of great uncertainty and conflict in Scotland. Often called “The Second Reformation,” this conflict had to do with church government (bishops or presbyters?) and with the question of the final authority for doctrine and worship and practice in the church (Scripture alone or Scripture and something else?). All the while, the political question of the place of King over the people and the Church had to be resolved.

All of us know that this time of ecclesiastical upheaval led to the Westminster Assembly, where ministers and elders, selected by the Parliament of England and the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, produced the Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms. John Murray described these standards as

the mature fruit of the whole movement of creed-formulation throughout fifteen centuries of Christian history and, in particular, they are the crown of the greatest age of confessional exposition, the Protestant Reformation.[1]

In addition to these formally approved documents, it was thought that a more simple summary of the truth of God’s Word ought to be prepared, especially appropriate for those being instructed in the biblical doctrines of the Gospel. It appears that two Scottish ministers in Glasgow, David Dickson (1583–1663) and James Durham (1622–1658), often reflected on how this need could be met. These men served as pastors and, at various times, as professors of divinity at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh. It is said that often they walked together in the hills near the Glasgow High Kirk. These talks led them to produce this document as they contemplated the need for a simple record of the truths of Scripture, especially one that would be appropriate as a guide for heads of families instructing children in the things of Christ. They were so successful in achieving that purpose that it came to be a staple of godly reading and meditation for all.

Never having received official confessional status by the Church of Scotland, nevertheless, from the beginning, this summary was printed along with the confessional documents, and even to the present day, it can be found published in a single volume with the other officially approved standards of doctrine, government, and worship. It was entitled The Sum of Saving Knowledge, and the subtitle gives its purpose and function:

A Brief Sum of Christian Doctrine, contained in the Holy Scriptures, and holden forth in foresaid Confession of Faith and Catechisms; together the practical use thereof.[2]

So, if anyone wishes to read a concise summary of biblical teaching, either as a Christian or as an interested inquirer, he can do no better than to turn to The Sum.

Why Should We Read It?

Obviously, this is a matter of interest to those historically minded who wish to know more about the life and growth of the churches holding to the Reformed Faith, especially as they underwent the trials of the seventeenth century. But I believe that there are at least two other reasons why someone in the church today ought to study The Sum.

First, we need to recognize that even if we take the Bible seriously and accept it as the revealed Word of God to us, it is sometimes difficult to put the teachings of that revealed truth together and see it as a complete and systematic revelation of God’s Word. The teachings of Scripture have, at their heart, a unified theme that can be overlooked as one focuses on specific questions that come to mind. The audience addressed here is not so much the scholar, theological student, or teacher, as it is the average Christian seeking to understand the faith he professes or in which he has a growing interest. Both sorts of people need to know what the substance of that faith is and what it ought to be doing with them and for them and to them. Matthew Vogan (the Editorial Director of the Trinitarian Bible Society, and an Elder in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland) is a noted scholar of the church history of Scotland and has published many articles and books in that field. He wrote a preface to the edition of The Sum published by the Reformation Press in 2019. He states:

The Puritans and Covenanters spoke frequently of “saving knowledge.” They understood that a person could not be saved without first coming to the knowledge of what the Scriptures teach concerning God, man, sin, righteousness, judgment, the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and salvation. True saving faith always has at least three elements: knowledge, belief, and trust.[3]

Therefore, the first reason to study The Sum is because in our day, perhaps even more than in the past, there is great ignorance, even in the visible church, of what biblical truth really is and how we need to correctly understand it and express it.

A second reason why we should be interested in this work is to be found in its subtitle mentioned above. Durham and Dickson were concerned to produce a work that would be doctrinally and biblically sound but would also be oriented toward the “practical.” That English word comes from the Latin, which in turn, comes from the Greek, and it means “to do, to accomplish, to engage in activity or behave in a certain way.” “Practical” was understood in distinction from “theoretical.” It was used by people to express ideas that were to have a consequence in actions; that make a difference not merely in opinions, but deeds. Words about doctrine, even when they are correct in their articulation, are not enough. There must also be thoughtful consequence in terms of actions, feelings, obedience, and trust. Our knowledge of the truths revealed to us in God’s Word ought, in short, to make a difference. Here is where The Sum of Saving Knowledge is very helpful, as it focuses as much on what we are and what we do as it does on what we think and believe.

How Should We Read It?

We are dealing here with a document that not only seeks to convey information, but, perhaps more importantly, seeks to convey information that will lead the reader to know, to believe, to trust, and to become something better than he was before. I suggest that the call to walk close to the Son of God, our Savior, is founded not only upon what we know about God and these things of eternity, but also what we feel about them, how we react to them, and how we become different people than we were before we were aware of such things.

I hope I have encouraged you to read The Sum of Saving Knowledge. Let me go further and suggest that those who read this little book ought to approach it with reflective, prayerful directions such as these in mind:

1. Take time to go through the book. Become really familiar with the material, and let it become a part of your own understanding of and practice of your walk with God and your love for Christ.
2. Include others in your reflections. Certainly, solitary study is acceptable, but finding a way to work through this text with someone else is to be encouraged. If possible, involve your family, your friends, or a group at your church as you seek to become more adept at understanding the gospel, and especially, at living the gospel.
3. Be sure to ask yourself significant questions about what you read. These ought to be personal, not general. What does this mean for me? How ought I to be more spiritually minded? If what I understand about the biblical gospel is true, how ought this knowledge to be changing me? What is the Holy Spirit doing to me and with me and through me in such a time of re-evaluation?

It is my hope that these words will spur people in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, especially its ministers, elders, and deacons, to draw closer to Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of His people.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne, a nineteenth-century minister whose spiritual writings continue to inspire, encourage, and guide Christians in our own day, wrote this in his diary for March 11, 1834:

Read in The Sum of Saving Knowledge, the work which I think first of all wrought a saving change in me. How gladly would I renew the reading of it; if that change might be carried on to perfection.[4]

It is my hope that all who take up this book and use it in the way the authors intended it to be used, might, as a result of such a study, come to know more and to experience more of that spiritual reality, which is nothing less than to draw nearer to Christ. And, thereby, all those who love the Lord, might find such study to bring an increased measure of joy, a foretaste of life eternal, and a token of our response to that One who did so much for us because he loves us so, all in accordance with his Father's holy will and sovereign decree.

Resources for Further Study

The Sum of Saving Knowledge is included with the Westminster Standards in the editions published by the Banner of Truth Trust (link) and by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (link).

Endnotes

[1] John Murray, “A Notable Tercentenary” in Collected Writings of John Murray, vol. 1, The Claims of Truth (Banner of Truth Trust, 1976), 313.

[2] The Confession of Faith; The Larger and Shorter Catechisms: Together with the Sum of Saving Knowledge (Free Presbyterian Publications, 1981).

[3] Matthew Vogan, preface, The Sum of Saving Knowledge, R. J. Dickie and M. Vogan, eds. (Reformation Press, 2019), 15.

[4] Andrew Bonar, Memoir & Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyne (Oliphant, Anderson, & Ferrier, 1894), 22.

James W. Campbell is a retired minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He served as teacher in Westminster Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Hamden, Connecticut. He recently led an eleven-part study of The Sum of Saving Knowledge for the mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting of Westminster Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Ordained Servant Online, May, 2025.