My bookshelf
I feel the need to begin this post with a justification of its necessity. If I wish to succeed in convincing you the merit of reading this book or not not reading that book, maybe I ought to start from the beginning, and remind ourselves why we ought to read any book at all. I’ll give you three quick reminders why Christians are readers.
Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. — P.J. O’Rourke
1. Reading is to gain understanding and knowledge.
Jim Rohn once said, “The book you don’t read won’t help.” I think that quote speaks for itself, doesn’t it? We read to learn about God. We read to learn about ourselves. We read to learn about Creation.
2.Reading builds discipline.
We live in a consumer culture. Entertainment culture. The “right now” culture. We expect immediacy and ease of comfort. Sometimes a book will have only a single line that will change your heart, but you have to put your head down through 99 pages of grind first, just to get there. Discipline developed here will carry over to other areas of your life.
3. Reading is an act of worship.
Have you ever heard the song, “In Christ Alone?” I must have sung that song a thousand times.
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, … hmm. I totally forget the next line…?
Although I can’t think of the words of the song right at this moment, when I sang that song last Sunday I was worshipping our great God. My point is that remembering facts, lyrics, quotes from books isn’t in itself an act of worship. Yet, during the singing of that song, I am captivated and in awe of Christ. That moment, is true worship. A good book can follow the same principle — use it as an act of worship, growing in the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
I read quite a few books this year, so I’ll organize them in a few categories: “Gospel Books”, “the Word of God & Expositions”, “Marriage & Complementarianism”, “Biographies, Fruits of the Spirit / Spiritual Disciplines”, and “Culture & the Church”.
Gospel Books
As Christians, we can never “get away” from the gospel — why would we want to? It is imperative that the gospel inform every thought, word, and deed of our lives. In order to help us do that, here’s some books that focus on the pure gospel of Christ.
The Explicit Gospel — Matt Chandler
If you don’t think the gospel is deep enough to fill 250 pages of a book, then you need to buy Chandler’s book immediately. Wisely noticing that many churches worship Jesus without making the gospel explicit in their corporate worship, Chandler’s desire is to help challenge your assumptions of the gospel in your personal life and make it explicit — explicit from Scripture.
Living the Cross Centered Life — CJ Mahaney
Has the gospel ever “felt more real” to you on some days than other days? If you’re like me, you might have a tendency to let feelings and emotions guide your decisions. The gospel never changes, but our emotions change daily, even hourly. Mahaney helps us remember the objective reality of gospel truth, regardless of our subjective feelings. Sometimes the times we feel it the least is when we need to remember it the most!
The Word of God & Expositions
We can’t get too far into talking about theology without solidifying the role of the Word of God in our life. Christians must affirm the inerrancy and authoritative nature of Scripture, if we are going to try to apply it to our lives with any degree of accuracy.
Why Believe the Bible? — John MacArthur
A stalwart defender of the absolute authority and flawless character of Scripture, MacArthur outlines reasons to believe the Bible, from the role of the apostles, the historical accuracy, and of course, what the Bible claims about itself.
The Most Misused Verses in the Bible — Eric Bargerhuff
The best way to explain this book is to use one of the examples of hard-to-interpret verse that Bargerhuff faithfully explains. “Judge not, lest ye be judged” (Matt. 7:1) — does this mean we can’t ever tell anyone else that they are in the wrong? This verse is often used as a hasty retort in defense of the condemnation of other people, “don’t judge me because the Bible says you shouldn’t ever tell me what to do!” If you don’t know why that isn’t the correct interpretation of this verse, pick up a copy of this short, helpful book. A sound exposition of 17 easily misunderstood verses will have you equipped to rightly divide the Word of God.
Better — Tim Chaddick
One of my favorite types of books to read is an exposition of a Bible book — in this case, Ecclesiastes. Chaddick shows us how the Preacher of this Old Testament gem has found experientially what we all hesitate to believe as deeply as we should: Jesus is better than anything this life could offer, including fame, riches, authority, — anything!
A Christian’s Pocket Guide To Loving The Old Testament — Alec Motyer
This book wins my heart for the year. Does reading the Old Testament ever feel daunting and/or unwieldy? This extremely helpful book holds a plethora of helpful tips on grasping the Old in light of the New. You’ll be inspired to attack the Old Testament with renewed vigor! DA Carson calls this book, “the work of a master who knows his subject so well he can make it look ‘simpler’ than it is, and therefore less daunting.”
Weakness is the Way — J.I. Packer
Would you believe me if I said I had two favorites from this year? This book captured my heart in a profound way, finally pressing the reality of weakness in a Christian’s life through a sound exposition of 2nd Corinthians. Christians don’t seek weakness — we are weak and eventually life brings us to a breaking point. Packer reminds us that this is the very point where Christ’s grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect (2 Cor. 12:9).
Productivity Books
One of the ways I’ve been able to read so much this year is a compounding effect of the productivity books I’ve read! These books helped me organize my life, so I can fit more of what matters and structure my life to maximize my usefulness to God’s Kingdom — at least that’s the goal!
Do More Better — Tim Challies
Christians view productivity a little differently than the world. We want to be productive, but also effective for advancing the Kingdom. Otherwise, we are putting our effort into something merely temporal and fading away. Challies shows the Christian how to prioritize and act on the work we’ve been placed as a steward over by God. Giving us simple to implement strategies that are extremely helpful but not so simple that it verges on boring, Challies really nails it with this book.
Crazy Busy — Kevin DeYoung
Kevin DeYoung reminds us at the end of this productivity thriller (okay, maybe I’m a bit too into productivity books) that sometimes it’s okay to be busy. Christians are called to selflessly give our lives away to the Lord and to others. I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite between DeYoung and Chaddick’s books.
Marriage & Complementarianism
You might find this a weird category for a single 26-year-old young man to review, but it’s a privilege to be able to read books about Christian marriage before I get there. A reality that mimics Christ’s love for His Church, marriage is an important piece of practical theology for which I can’t wait, but until then, reading suffices!
The Mingling of Souls — Matt Chandler
Admit it, you’ve read Song of Solomon and you still have no idea what it’s about. That was the case with me and after reading Chandler’s fun to read exposition, I’ve come to appreciate the passion and purity depicted in this Bible book.
Divine Design — John MacArthur
One of the most beautiful realities about the design of marriage — the idea of complementarianism is lovingly explained by MacArthur using several key passages of Scripture. In this doctrine, like meets unlike to give glory to the King in heaven.
For Men Only/For Women Only — Shaunti/Jeff Feldhahn
An unusual and truly one-of-a-kind book, this is a MUST READ for anyone who finds the opposite gender confusing and unpredictable. Writing from a Christian prospective, Jeff and Shaunti review surveys of thousands of men and women, with stories of personal experience sprinkled in, to explain how each gender might feel cared for and loved. This book will be helpful and cause you to give glory to a God who created both genders to perfectly complement one another.
Biographies
So many examples of Christians heroes to choose from, I highly encourage you to learn from the saints of old. This will give you an eye for seeing God’s sovereignty and grace through the ages of history and allow you to become imitators of the saints, as they imitate Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).
John Knox: Fearless Faith — Steve Lawson
Read about the man who (literally) carried a sword to defend Biblical truth in his age. This is a man who, upon his death, a friend looked over his grave and said, “Here lies one who neither flattered nor feared any flesh.” John Knox truly lived a fearless faith.
Stronger: Clayton King
Not quite a biography or even an autobiography, but in this deeply personal book, Clayton King walks us through his experience of applying the weakness principles outlined in 2 Corinthians. His testimony is a powerful example of how God uses loss, pain, and terrible tragedy in our lives.
The Heroic Boldness of Martin Luther — Steve Lawson
The man who sparked the Reformation with his fiery boldness captures my imagination. Reading this book will inspire you to rejoin the reformation efforts even today — an effort where Luther sought to prioritize the Word of God over personal opinion of the church leaders, to place Biblical preaching (of the whole of Scripture) in high regard in church worship, and to fundamentally lean on grace alone through faith alone claiming Christ’s righteousness as our justification. Steve Lawson excellently outlines Luther’s passion for these Reformation Truths.
Fruits of the Spirit/Spiritual Disciplines
God has blessed believers with a few ordinary means of grace. They are ordinary because we mustn’t “reinvent the wheel” but they are also extraordinary in the ways that God works. They are prayer, fellowship with believers, worship, and of course, Scripture reading. In these things we are most aided in seeing the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18) and developing Christlike fruit in our lives. At the heart of many of those are Spiritual Disciplines. That is the connection between fruits of the Spirit (i.e. the Christian’s spiritual growth) and spiritual disciplines (e.g. prayer, Scripture reading, etc).
Humility — CJ Mahaney
I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I love it for the many helpful ways it pushes me to pursue humility, (which Mahaney defines as “honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness”) which we know our Savior had in perfect supply (Phil. 2:3). But it is not fun to realize just how prideful my thoughts and attitudes are. Pick up this book at your own risk, knowing that our great God is holy and expects us to follow suit (1 Peter 1:16). The reality of God’s holiness and our sinfulness is enough to drive us to our knees in humble reverence and awe. Humility is a must-read for every believer.
Alone with God — John MacArthur
Prayer is important, but are we praying about the right things? John MacArthur walks us through the Lord’s Prayer — incidentally a prayer that is meant for us and not for the Lord, considering Jesus is the only one who never had to ask for the forgiveness of sins! Maybe it should be called “the Lord’s prayer for His people”?
Culture & the Church
We are seeing the culture of America separate from the historical culture of the Church more rapidly than we can imagine. Yet naturally, we all bring a bit of our own culture and personal upbringing to the ways we worship and gather. That is why we need to be careful to pinpoint what separates the Church of believers from the world, and remember the truths that bind us.
Adoption — Russell Moore
As Christians we are adopted as sons and daughters of God, through Christ (Eph. 1:5). This reality gives Christians a heart of adoption. Russell Moore reminds us that adoption is a sign of the gospel and part of the Great Commission. The Church needs to be at the center of adoption efforts around the world.
Blind Spots — Collin Hansen
You may have visited churches that have a lot of compassion, but lack in speaking truth. Maybe they shy away from controversial Bible passages, but they do seem to have a genuine heart for God. Or maybe you’ve met someone who has an evangelistic zeal but is less than faithful in their own church of believers at home. Collin Hansen writes a masterful overview of the church’s admonition to be courageous for truth, compassionate in love, and commissioned to spread the gospel. If you find yourself struggling, being pulled between those seemingly conflicting points of view, you’ll need to grab up this book to help you find the proper balance!
Now that you’ve seen my recommendations, I’ll leave you with a quote that says quite literally the opposite,
If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.–Haruki Murakami
Get out there and read!
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