There are many debates regarding some of the top books for a person to read, and here is my foray into that category. Here my top five books that I believe every Christian should read.
Knowing God, by J.I. Packer
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, by Donald Whitney
The Thrill of Orthodoxy, by Trevin Wax
Praying the Bible, by Donald Whitney
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J.I. Packer
I really don’t have a specific order for these; honestly, this was the order that I could remember them in, in that I had written them down and then could not find my sticky note! But, here I go!
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
Knowing God is, and has been for many years, a mainstay in reading for believers both young and old. Also, if I were to give one of these five books the spot of “Number One”, Knowing God takes the cake. This really is one of the easier-to-read introductions to what it means to know and love God. I have heard many descriptions of Knowing God by many different people, from book reviews to seminary professors. Personally, I see this as a guide to the practical application of doing theology, of the study of God, in the life of the believer.
Unfortunately, I first read this book when I had been a believer for around ten years, so that would put it around 2005 or 2006 or so, a period in my life when I was not in a good place. It was reading this book, albeit in pieces, that really helped me get back on track, realizing that, as a believer, I must grow in grace and sanctification; I cannot just live life how I wanted to live, and that God would be fine with that.
I highly recommend this book to any and all believers as a true “modern” classic for understanding who God is and how we apply that to our lives as disciples of Christ.
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, by Donald Whitney.
Donald Whitney’s book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life was recommended to me as a relatively new Christian, so late 1990’s, and I still have the 1992 edition that I first purchased some quarter-century ago with underlines and notations in it. While right now it’s in a box (long story), it usually sits next to my newer edition copy.
While Spiritual Disciplines may not be an exhaustive listing of the disciplines of the Christian life, it’s pretty close. Covering everything from Bible-intake to prayer, and silence and solitude to evangelism, this book is a must-read for a still-maturing believer; whether or not they are a new believer is irrelevant, to be honest. I’ve given away more copies of this book than any other book (except for maybe Whiteny’s Praying the Bible) and will probably give more copies away. This is a book that I soon plan to get out and make sure I have enough copies to give to my two eldest children to read through and discuss with them.
We live in a day and age when too many professing believers don’t know what spiritual disciplines are, nevermind the thought of any level of self-discipline as a believer. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will not only help you understand the Christian life better, it will challenge you to be better as Christians. Get it. Read it. Do it.
The Thrill of Orthodoxy, by Trevin Wax
This newly released book is one that I have recently reviewed here, and is an excellent book. The Thrill of Orthodoxy is a book that was brought forth for a time such as this. We are living when Orthodox Christianity seems to be being torn apart from the inside by so-called believers. Using Biblical and historical theology, Trevin Wax really hammers home the idea that the true thrill of the Christian life is the application of Christianity in the life of believers. He is absolutely spot on in this assessment.
Too much of the church, both individual believers and local congregations, have slowly drifted away from orthodox Christianity, some quickly, some not so quickly. Both the fast and the slow drifters have moved away and “adapted”, as Wax would put it, to the culture around them rather than standing firm in the freedom of the orthodox beliefs of Christianity as they are laid out in the Bible and practiced/applied throughout the history of the church.
The Thrill of Orthodoxy is an easy read with a not-so-easy impact of conviction on the heart of believers. Or at least it was this way for me as I read through page after page of content. I pray that such a book will have a major God-honoring impact both on you, the reader, and your church, whether it be by a group reading or how it affects your life and how you interact with your church (lay-people and elders alike).
Praying the Bible, by Donald Whitney
Once again, Dr. Whitney makes an appearance on this list. I’m not going to lie, if I were to have a hero-of-the-faith author, it might be Dr. Donald Whitney of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His classes, I have heard, are legendary, and so are his books. Praying the Bible is a book that did something in my life, as a believer, that after over twenty years as a Christian, I did not think was possible. Prayer, once again, became a time of rejuvenation and excitement for me.
Too long had it been a time fraught with duty and repetition, and Praying the Bible literally slew those ideas in two nights. I read the first chapter one night, and then a couple nights later, I read the rest of the book, as I could not put it down. Immediately I began to apply the principles of quite literally praying through the Bible into my prayer life, something that I wish I had done years, decades even, earlier.
If you are here and reading this and you’re a seasoned believer, I urge you to read Praying the Bible, and experience prayer in whole new light (unless, of course, you’ve already read this book or pray through the Psalms of the day!). If you’re a new believer and cannot fathom that prayer can be regularly exciting and rejuvenating, I challenge you to read Praying the Bible and give it a whirl. You won’t be disappointed.
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J.I. Packer
Honestly, if I were to go through all of Packer’s works, I could make a top five list consisting of just his works. I was first introduced to this book when picking through a recently deceased pastor’s library (recent to when I received it, around seven years ago), and I found an old copy of Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God that is actually signed by J.I. Packer. While not the most up-to-date edition of the book, it is still an amazing book with a strong foundation of the realization that the work of evangelism must be wholly reliant upon the sovereignty of God, the Creator and sustainer of all things.
My most recent “read” through of Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God was actually a listen through, as I actually also have this as an audio book, and it truly was refreshing to hear. Refreshing and encouraging, being reminded that it is God’s sovereignty, not my ability or inability, that makes evangelism effective (or not!).
There are a lot of other books that could make this list, and maybe I will continue to add to this list in future posts. But, in the meantime, I strongly encourage you to check out these books. It’ll definitely be worth your time. They will grip you, convict you, challenge you, and have the distinct possibility of making you realize that the Scriptures aren’t there just to learn but to make you into a better Christian, a more Christ-like person to live out the Gospel on this side of Heaven.
Bibliography
Packer, J. I. Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1978.
Packer, J. I. Knowing God. IVP Books, 2011.
Wax, Trevin. The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2022.
Whitney, Donald S. Praying the Bible. Crossway, 2015.
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Revised and Updated. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014.
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