Tolle Lege

One of the major obstacles to growth evangelical Christians face in our current culture is that we watch and listen more than we read. If you were given the choice today to listen or watch someone give a series of lectures or teaching sessions on a particular subject would you choose that over reading a book on the same subject? Most of our reading today is in bits and bites. We read an excerpt from a book or an article and we do it quickly because we have to move on to our next experience in our fast paced existence before it passes us by and we miss something.

In this article I want to not only suggest you take up reading but I want to suggest some books to read that will assist you in your growth as a child of God. When I encounter a person is not reading at all I will suggest that they begin with a small bit of time each day. If a person will set aside twenty minutes per day five days a week they will read around sixty pages a week and could therefore finish a 240 page book in one month. That is only twenty minutes out of twenty four hours each day. And even if you are a slower reader only reading eight to ten pages in twenty minutes you can still read the average book in a month. Just think that gives you the potential to read ten to twelve books a year. But it is not the number of books a year that is the goal. The goal is to grow up into maturity in Christ as a Christian reader. I think Christians should be reading all kinds of good and great books. But in this article I am focusing on books that will particularly assist you as a disciple of Christ in learning how to think biblically about the Christian life.

I first recommend the Bible. I would suggest getting an ESV Study Bible or the Geneva Study Bible in ESV. These two Bibles are helpful not only in there accurate translation of the original texts from which we have the Bible today. But they are also helpful in the use of their study helps. There are many different methods for reading the Bible but I would choose one that allows you to read through the Bible in a year. Use this practice privately and engage your family in it publically. The Bible is the Word of God breathed out to us that we may know him, his salvation and his will for our lives. Make it a regular practice of reading the Scriptures before you read any other book about the Scriptures. “This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.”

Second there are many books that are helpful in understanding the gospel and the Christian life. I would recommend “The Christian Life” by Sinclair Ferguson. In this book Dr. Ferguson covers in a succinct manner the major doctrines of the Christian life. John Stott’s book, “Basic Christianity” is a very helpful book for understanding the gospel. I would also recommend his work, “The Cross of Christ”. There are not many books written as clearly on the centrality of the cross to all of life as this one. C.J. Mahaney has written a short book that is very helpful entitled, “Living the Cross Centered Life”. In this book he helps the reader live with an understanding of our need for the grace of God through the cross of Christ in all things. Two books that God has used in helping me understand the Christian life as an everyday disciple of Christ are John Piper’s “Desiring God” and “When I Don’t Desire God” . Three classic works that I would mention in understanding the Christian life would be, Jonathan Edwards “Religious Affections”, Richard Sibbes “The Bruised Reed” and Jeremiah Burrows “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.”

Third there are several books I would recommend with more emphasis in theology and history. There are three important books by R.C. Sproul, “The Holiness of God”, “Knowing Scripture” and “Chosen by God”. An important book in understanding God’s work of salvation in our lives is John Murray’s “Redemption, Accomplished and Applied.” This book assist you in seeing the order of God’s salvific work in our lives. The Westminster Confession of Faith and John Calvin’s “Institutes of the Christian Religion” are helpful in a systematic approach to theology as well as a more contemporary work, “Systematic Theology” by Wayne Grudem. A simple but helpful book on doctrine and theology is “Know the Truth” by Bruce Milne. Two books on church history I would recommend are “Sketches in Church History” by Houghton and “The Story of Christianity” by Gonzalaz.

This is a brief list of some books I think will be helpful as you seek to grow into maturity as a Christian. I hope that we will soon have a page on our church website that is dedicated to recommended books and book reviews. C.S. Lewis said, “We read to know we are not alone.” God has given to his church a community of saints to build her up into maturity in Christ and when we listen to the voices and thoughts of his community we grow into maturity in the context of knowing you are not alone. You can stand on the shoulders of others to be helped in understanding more of the glory God has revealed about himself. Tolle lege. Take up and read.