Recommended Reading

Books I have read and reccomend

My introduction to Reformed Theology came as a result of reading the works of John Bunyan. If you are looking for a definitive description of the spiritual pilgrimage all believers must pursue in order to attain Christ-likeness then The Pilgrims Progress (ISBN: 1-59308-254-1) is for you. Bunyan's insight into our inner struggles such as doubts and inconsistencies with our obedience to the Lord are right on target. I have read this book three times this year and I am sure I will return to it several times a year until the Lord takes me home.

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (ISBN: 0-88368-766-6), also by John Bunyan, is his autobiography about his conversion and struggles with assurance. If you struggle with assurance and the enemy has wounded your conscience then I highly recommend Grace Abounding. I read this book after reading The Pilgrims Progress. After finishing Grace Abounding I went back and reread The Pilgrims Progress. It was obvious he used his own struggles to create the penetrating allegories in The Pilgrims Progress. The main insight I gained from this book is our total dependance upon the Lord's grace to "lead us not into temptation." Most of Bunyan's struggles with his assurance came as a result of taking his salvation lightly. God allowed Him to struggle with this so He could clearly see that his salvation was of the Lord not in any way due to any righteousness of his own.

Knowing God by J.I. Packer (ISBN: 0-8308-1650-X) is an awesome book. Packer is scholarly yet readable. I was lead to this book by a friend. Packer's theology is Reformed. He uses the great Puritan theologians as his models. The main point I gained from studying this book was how important it is for God's children to seek to know their heavenly father. He has taken great steps to reveal Himself and His ways to us. As we seek Him He guides us to the truth, but if we stray down unprofitable paths we leave His close presence behind. Packer's explanations of the doctrines of grace in this book are present, but submerged within his focus on drawing us closer to the knowing our Lord and savior. This is a good starter book for those seeking the truth about Reformed Theology.

The Doctrines of Grace by James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken (ISBN: 1-58134-299-3) contains the most concise and readable presentation of the the doctrines of grace I have read to date. I did not speed read this one. I took my time and devoured it. The section on the order of salvation, the "Ordo Salutis", spoke the most to me. True evangelism springs from a proper understanding of these doctrines. Contrary to the lies from the enemy the most effective evangelists in the history of the Church have been Calvinists. Here are a few examples, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, David Brainerd and Charles Spurgeon. I do not have enough space here to list them all. In the early 19th century Arminian theology started replacing Calvinism in our churches. The result has been a move towards liberalism, easy-beleivism, and man-focused worship. However, God is not mocked. There is a surging movement within our churches to rediscover these wonderful doctrines. When the Spirit-led live by the doctrines Paul taught us in scripture then the Holy Spirit moves in a mighty way to cleanse and heal His people. I highly recommend this book.

How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur (ISBN: 0-73690-544-8) is a tremendous tool for learning the methodology of doing proper scriptural exegesis. The version I have is no longer in print. The one pictured with the ISBN number above is the latest from Precept Ministries. My Precept leader training was instrumental in me learning how to study the Bible. Yes, proper exegesis of scripture requires work. The effort is necessary though. If we don't do this then we tend to interpret scripture eisegetically. That is the source of heresies which are rampant in our day. This book is for those who desire to learn from the Bible itself with the Holy Spirit as guide rather than depending solely on others to spoon feed them.

Saved from What? by R.C. Sproul (ISBN: 1-58134-417-1) was a quick yet profitable read for me. This little book is packed with the profound purpose of our salvation by grace through faith. The lost have no idea they need to be saved from the penalty of their sins. RC. Spoul divides his arguments into three sections. The first is "Saved from What?" The second is "Saved by What?" and the last is "Saved for What?" The modern and post-modern church has lost sight of the purpose of salvation. God saves His people so they will become conformed to the image of His son. All in Christ have been adopted into the family of God and are the spiritual brother and sisters of Jesus Christ.

All of Grace by Charles Spurgeon (ISBN: 0-88368-857-3) is a very simple book to read and understand. Spurgeon's writing style is not heavy at all. I highly recommend this book to any who want to learn the Baptist Reformed perspective on salvation by grace alone. It is a clear, simple gospel presentation.

I read The Gospel According to Jesus (ISBN: 0-31039-491-0) several years ago, but it has taken on new meaning to me since God drew me to turn my heart back to him. This book is a wonderful refutation against cheap grace. The soft-sell version of the gospel that leaves out repentance from sin and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is called easy-beleivism. This watered-down gospel is simply a symptom of encroaching liberalism in the Western Church. John MacArthur does a marvelous and scholarly work in presenting the gospel to the reader that Jesus taught. He also reveals how improper exegesis of scripture produces heresies, false doctrines, which cause the body of Christ to become consumed with trivialities rather than the glory of God.

In John MacArthur's The Vanishing Conscience (ISBN: 0-7852-7181-3) we see that our post-modern western culture is going hard after eliminating guilt. The flesh-driven person who lives only for the moment has to do violence to their conscience in order to maintain their sanity as they violate all of God's commandments. Their conscience becomes cut off from the Soul because of hardness of heart. Until godly repentance this condition only worsens. The believer who is trapped in this lifestyle will be miserable as he or she will be unable to live a godly life consistently since the watchdog of their soul, their conscience, is walled off due the hard layer of callousness there. Hence, they are full of unbelief. This book deals primarily with the causes of this condition rather than the mechanics of the hard heart, but it is still useful. Part of the godly treasure in our hearts is a pure and undefiled conscience.

The Holiness of God (ISBN: 0-8423-3965-5) was one of the first R.C. Sproul books I read. God wants each of His sheep to grow in grace. This requires a dedication to personal holiness. The Holiness of God contrasts God's Holiness with the complete lack of holiness on our part. However, the sanctification process God takes each us through has as its goal the fulfillment of Romans 8:29-30 which is each of the children of God becoming conformed unto the image of His son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Personal Holiness may be out of fashion in our western culture, but that does not mean God has changed one bit. We must still turn our hearts to God and seek to live for His glory by obedience to His commandments.

The Soul's Quest for God by R.C. Sproul (ISBN: 0-87552-706-X) delves into the journey each maturing believer must take in order to draw near to God and commune with Him on a consistent basis. It describes how each believer must cooperate with God in the sanctification processes which God has laid out for each of us. In a way it is a mirror of The Holiness of God. I liked this book.

Humility - True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney (ISBN: 1-59052-326-1)

This is small yet powerful statement on the necessity of genuine humility in the life of the believer. I read most of it in a few hours as I waited in the hospital waiting room as my wife was having some pain management procedures done. What I like about this book is its reliance on scripture and the books of the puritan writers I hold dear. Mahaney has written a "necessary" book. Not only do I highly recommend this book for every believer I put at the top of the list. After all, genuine humility is the key attribute God desires to develop in each of us. As we become more and more Christlike the more humble we will be. The marker for the immature believer is pride. Pride and humility cannot coexist. In order for each of us to become the Spirit-led believers God desires us to be we must put pride to death and cultivate humility in our hearts.

R.C. Sproul's writing style is very easy to read. Chosen by God (ISBN: 0-8423-1335-4) is extremely deep and concise yet Sproul's explanations of Election are so easy to understand any believer can grasp them. The doctine of election has been lost in the modern and post-modern Church amid its Pelegian captivity. Sproul explains that all church groups contain some form of predestination or election in their doctrines. He explains each then contrasts them with the Reformed view. Those who oppose the Reformed view of Theology are building their suppositions upon their human common sense whereas the Reformed view of doctrine is based upon the proper exegesis of scripture. I highly recommend this book. Perhaps the reader should read this one before tackling The Doctrines of Grace by Boice and Ryken. I didn't do that, but I may have benefited if I had.

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen (ISBN: 1-85792-107-0) has to be one fo the most important books I have ever read. In this little book John Owen effectively dismisses various excuses for not engaging in self-scrutinty and yets avoids the current trend of self-absorption. In so doing he provided principles to help believers live lives of holiness.--from the back cover. In my case I enjoyed this study very much. Our old nature, our sin nature, is still alive and well within us after salvation. It is a living force which stands in the way of our personal holiness. In this book John Owen presents the Biblical methods we must employ to put sin to death. This book has been long neglected. I highly recommend this book to you.

The Sovereignty of God by Arthur W. Pink (ISBN: 0-8010-7088-0) was written in the years right after World War I. Arther Pink became alarmed at the encroachment of Humanism in the Church. This book lays bare the Biblical fallacies of Arminians and Pelagians. He presents his thesis to the reader by showing the truth that each area of theology, our Universe and all areas of our lives are under the sovereignty of God. By the time I finished this book I felt as if Pink had "left no stone unturned." This book should be required reading for all believers.

The Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards (ISBN: 1-57358-033-3) was written in the 1757. I have started this book, but I am sure it will take me the rest of the year to complete it if not longer. Despite what the title suggests Edwards' thesis is that the natural man's will, while still functioning in the natural world, has no ability to choose to seek God or salvation. Here is R.C. Sproul's evalution of this timeless work. "Pelagianism has a death grip on the modern church. Perhaps the most important refuation of this distinctive is Edwards' Freedom of the Will. I beleive this is the most important theological work ever published in America.--R.C. Sproul. This book presents the clearest "logical" refutation of "Free Will" heresies I have read. Edwards was brilliant. No one can read this book lightly. As I read through each chapter I came to the conclusion that his understanding of every nuance of the operation of Man's mind, will and emotions was beyond compare. A word of warning. This is heavy reading. Edwards using logical reasoning to prove his points. If you are not familiar with this type of argument then this book may be a little overwhelming. In any case, those opposing Edwards' theology are left with no where to stand after this brilliant presentation.

The God Who Justifies by James R. White (ISBN 0-7642-2288-0) is comprehensive study of the Doctrine of Justification. Doctor White uses exegesis of both the English and Gree

k texts of both the New Testement and Septuagint to present a watertight, bulletproof study of the Justificaton by Faith. Using these logical, lexical and proper exegetical studies of the Bible he shows that the Reformation Theological Doctrine of Justification is the heart of the Gospel. Without this doctrine in place, the Gosple is damaged. This book is full of Greek texts. However, if you aren't fluent in New Testament Greek it is not an issue because the presentation of the passages are also in parallel English. Doctor White goes into great detail about the pivotal passages with emphasis on the crucial grammar and word usages. Even half-way through this wonderful book, I feel my understanding of the Doctrine of Justification has been completly overhauled.

A Case for Amillennialsim - Understanding the End Times by Kim Riddlebarger (ISBN 0-8010-6435-X) In a clear and accessible manner, Kim Riddlebarger presents and defends amillennialism

as the historic Protestant understanding of the millennial age. Amillenarians believe that the millennium is a present reality centered in Christ's heavenly reign, not a future hope of Christ's rule on earth after his return. Recognizing that eschatology--the study of future things--is a complicated and controversial subject, Riddlebarger begins with definitions of key terminology and an overview of various viewpoints and related biblical themes. He then discusses key passage of Scripture that bear upon the millennial age, including Daniel 9, Matthew 24, Romans 11, and Revelation 20. Finally, he evalutes the main problems facing each of the major millennial positions (dispensatinal pre-millennialism, historic premillennialism, postmillennialism, and preterism) and cautions reders to be aware of the consequences of each view. -- From the back cover.

I finished reading this book in about a week. It is a scholarlly, well-written exposition of the Amillennial two-age model. The two ages are this age and the age to come. Dr. Riddlebarger presents a very compelling case for returning to the millennial view held by most Christians throughout the history of the Church. The current eschtological confusion between the various views is a relatively new. I came away from this study convinced that the Dispensational/premillenial view is not biblical. There are many similarities between postmillennialism, preterism and amillennialsim, however, the most biblically consistent vew is amillennialism. I highly recommend this book.

What I'm reading now

The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen (ISBN 0-85151-382-4) is a polemical work, designed to show, among other things, that the doctrine of universal redemption is unscriptural and desctructive of the gospel. Those who see no need for doctrinal exactness and have no time for theological debates which show up divisions between Evangelicals my well regert its reappearance. Some may find the very sound of Owen's thesis so shocking that they will refuse to read his book at all. But there are signs today of a new upsurge of interest in the thelology of the Bible: a new readiness to test tradition, to search the Scriptures and to think through the faith. It is to those who share this readiness that Owen's treatise is offered, in the beleif that it will help us in one of the most urgent tasks facing Evangelical Christiendom today--the recovery of the gospel. - From the introduction by J.I. Packer.