Good words have a funny way of becoming meaningless.

The other day a friend of mine said he wanted the word ministry expunged from the English language. In his opinion it has become so overused that it now means different things to different people. It is effectively meaningless.

I can understand what he is saying and sometimes the answer is to ditch the word for something better. But sometimes it is much better to go back and explore what the word really means.

One such word is ‘faith’.

It has becomes so broad in its meaning that unless you are certain of what the other person understands by the word, you cannot safely use it in conversation. Yet it is so central to the message of Christianity that we cannot possibly ditch it. So we need to make sure we understand what it really means.

Enter Bryson Smith and his new book Faith.

In this, the latest in Matthias Media’s Guidebooks for Life series, Bryson explores the biblical view of faith. Using the analogy of a mountain climb he starts at the base camp of what faith is and, as he climbs to the summit, shows us the breathtaking panorama of its power, purpose and promise. It’s a stunning view. But with this view comes a challenge so on the descent down the other side, he completes his examination of faith by looking at its implications for the Christian believer.

Bryson has an easy and compelling style that mixes a considerable understanding of the Bible with illustrations and stories to produce a book of biblical substance that is easy to read. It is not meant to be an exhaustive theological treatment of the topic but an accurate and accessible overview. It may not answer all your questions but it does provide a good biblical springboard from which to explore them. More than once I found myself challenged to respond to or marvel at the awesome nature of our amazing God.

Faith is the sort of book that you can read or give to others. I could also see the book being used as the basis for small group Bible studies. I would recommend it for Christians wanting to look afresh at the faith that saves or non-Christians who want to find what the heart of the Christian message is. Indeed I now intend to give it to my mother-in-law and pray for some fruitful conversation.