15 Key Christian Books for Your 2024 Reading List
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Kickstart the new year by adding these key books on the Christian faith to your 2024 reading list, and they make great Christmas gifts too! (Click here for the 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018 lists.)
1. 5 Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age by Rosaria Butterfield (Crossway)
How can Christians effectively respond to the unrelenting assault on God’s truth in culture today? Getting an expert’s help is a great start—and we have one in Rosaria Butterfield, a former lesbian college professor who found Christ and is now a Christian author and lecturer. Butterfield, author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and The Gospel Comes with a House Key, has been taking on the secular propaganda of our age and responding to it with solid Christian doctrine and heartfelt empathy for those who are being deceived. In her most recent work, 5 Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, Butterfield addresses five prominent falsehoods circulating today:
Homosexuality is normal.
Being a spiritual person is kinder than being a biblical Christian.
Feminism is good for the world and the church.
Transgenderism is normal.
Modesty is an outdated burden that serves male dominance and holds women back.
Butterfield openly admits that she continued to believe some of these lies even as a Christian, and her goal in writing the book is to confront them with biblical truth “because lies cannot be tamed. Lies do not coexist with truth but rather corrupt it” (p. 24). As Butterfield rightly points out,
Proclaiming the truth, living in humble obedience to the word, and professing faith in Jesus Christ is what honors God. We can’t agree to disagree, and we can’t split hairs because unconfronted lies work a little like air pollution: we breathe it in, and we never realize that we are ingesting it until it’s too late. (p. 23)
Throughout Butterfield’s writing is this critical point: to truly love your neighbor means telling them the truth they need to hear. In 5 Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, Butterfield is concerned with directing the reader’s gaze to the goodness of God’s design for humans, male and female, and the only source of true hope for becoming both whole and holy now and for eternity—Christ Jesus our Savior. Click here for Amazon link.
2. Impossible Christianity: Why Following Jesus Does Not Mean You Have to Change the World, Be an Expert in Everything, Accept Spiritual Failure, and Feel Miserable Pretty Much All the Time by Kevin DeYoung (Crossway)
Have you been feeling discouraged about your Christian walk lately? Maybe it seems no matter how hard you try to be faithful and make a significant difference in the world for Christ, you often fall short in some way. Instead of feeling victorious in Christ, much of the time you feel defeated. Perhaps you have concluded that being a faithful Christian just means completely leaning on God’s grace and giving up the pursuit of living a holy life. Thankfully, author and pastor Kevin DeYoung addresses this very issue in his recent book, Impossible Christianity: Why Following Jesus Does Not Mean You Have to Change the World, Be an Expert in Everything, Accept Spiritual Failure, and Feel Miserable Pretty Much All the Time. That’s a long sub-title for sure, but we’re glad DeYoung didn’t leave any of the words out because it sums up the pressure Christians are under in a fast-paced, digital world where it seems like everyone is “doing Christianity” (whatever that means) better than we are. DeYoung’s goal is to help believers push the reset button and remember what the Bible actually says about the Christian life. He writes,
The Christian life is harder and easier than we think—harder because dying to ourselves, wrestling with the devil, and being hated by the world do not come to us naturally. But it is also easier, because God doesn’t insist that we need multiple degrees, thirty hours a day, and superhuman organizational skills to be Jesus’s disciples. In the simplest terms, all Jesus asks is that we trust him enough to walk with him, listen to him, and depend on him for everything. (p. 24)
In each chapter of Impossible Christianity, DeYoung addresses unrealistic burdens believers put on themselves, including the constant need to assess ourselves negatively when it comes to evidence of the Spirit’s work in our lives, not having enough “quiet time,” not evangelizing enough, having an unbiblical view of wealth, excessive guilt, and taking Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount out of context and making it merely about what failures we are in keeping God’s commands.
DeYoung doesn’t only seek to relieve us of the unnecessary burdens we heap upon ourselves, though. With a pastor’s heart he also gently exhorts believers regarding the importance of “living like God’s reign and rule have come into their lives” (p. 73). This also includes taking the time to love and serve others as we live quietly and peacefully where God has placed us in his good and sovereign will:
Christians are not only counted righteous on account of Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21); we can—as the fruit, not the ground, of that imputed righteousness—live holy lives pleasing to God. (p. 79)
In Impossible Christianity, readers will be heartened by the biblical truth that they actually are doing something extraordinary by God’s grace in Christ as kingdom citizens in the ordinary, mundane things of life in this time of the “already-and-not-yet” until Christ returns. Click here for Amazon link.
3. Persistent Prayer by Guy M. Richard (P & R Publishing)
On one hand, prayer seems so easy: all we have to do is talk to God; on the other hand, prayer doesn’t seem so easy: we give thanks and praise, confess our sin, and make our petitions known to God, and then we must patiently wait for an answer. And sometimes we can wait a long time—and possibly even our entire lives—for God to grant our petition. In his book Persistent Prayer, pastor Guy M. Richard seeks “to encourage and motivate us to give ourselves more fully to the practice of prayer (p. 14). As Richard accurately assesses,
Even the most mature Christians struggle with prayer from time to time. We forget the blessing it provides. We lose sight of its importance. We allow urgent things to push important things like prayer to the periphery of our lives—until a storm or a difficult providence enters our experience and reorients our priorities. (p. 16)
Richard acutely experienced the need for prayer after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the entire church facility and the homes of nearly 60 families in the congregation he was about to lead as the new pastor (and a recent seminary graduate), only two months before his arrival in 2005. While overwhelmed at the time by the devastation and suffering Katrina caused, looking back Richard reflects on how the circumstances drove his congregation to pray for God’s help in caring for those in desperate need in the wake of such an immense disaster. And God most certainly answered their prayers—at times in very visible ways. Richard points out that while God doesn’t need our prayers, he graciously “stoops down to use our prayers as means to accomplish his perfect purposes” (p. 15).
This little gem of a book covers a lot of ground in around just one hundred pages, including the blessing and comfort of prayer, the nature of prayer, the efficacy of prayer, the necessity of prayer, and the growth that prayer produces in the believer’s life. The chapter “Questions and Answers on Prayer” at the end of the book tackles some of the most common (and difficult) questions about prayer with succinct, pastoral answers and is not to be missed. One of the BCL editors has already given this book as a present, and you likely know someone in your life who could also benefit from Richard’s encouragement to do the persistent “heart work” of prayer in Jesus’ name. Click here for Amazon link.
4. The Character of Christ: The Fruit of the Spirit in the Life of Our Saviour by Jonathan Landry Cruse (Banner of Truth Trust)
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Most Christians know these are the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Every believer is supposed to grow in these virtues as they mature in Christ; yet, you may not have considered how Jesus had all these virtues in absolute perfection. Thankfully, author, hymn writer, and pastor Jonathan Landry Cruse has written the profoundly rich book The Character of Christ: The Fruit of the Spirit in the Life of Our Saviour to help believers grow in godliness by closely observing the character of Jesus in his person and work. Cruse writes,
Since the fruit of the Spirit is not a to-do list, this is not a how-to book. This is a he-did book. This is a he-is book. This is a book about the sheer unmatched beautiful character of Christ. This is a book about the person and work of our Saviour, because that is what the fruit of the Spirit is really all about….Therefore, if we want to see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, we must first see it in his. We must be drawn deeper into Christ in faith and love, that we may experience fuller and richer communion with him. (p. 9)
Cruse is careful to reassure readers that our salvation isn’t the result of our fruit, but rather we produce fruit because we are saved. If we want to grow in the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, then we most certainly will benefit from reflecting on the life of Jesus, the God-man, for his Spirit is our Spirit and God has promised that all who are attached to the vine will bear fruit, “the very fruit God has been looking for all along in his children” (p. 9).
In The Character of Christ, Cruse studies the life of our Lord in light of each spiritual fruit listed in Galatians and pastorally guides the reader to consider not only the beauty of Christ but also how God is making us beautiful in Christ, conforming us to the image of the Son (Rom. 8:29). This remarkable book will both fill your heart with love, joy, and peace for all Jesus is and has done for you and stir your heart to desire to be more like him in all you think and do. Click here for Amazon link.
5. A Small Book for the Anxious Heart: Meditations on Fear, Worry, and Trust by Edward Welch (New Growth Press)
It seems as though there are always more things to worry about, more anxiety-inducing situations, and more unsettledness in the world around us. If you aren’t currently experiencing some anxiety, you most likely will in the near future. So, it’s imperative that we find our comfort and stability in Jesus. This is exactly what Edward Welch’s little book about trusting God helps the reader to do. A Small Book for the Anxious Heart: Meditations on Fear, Worry, and Trust is a daily dose of Christ-centered teaching concerning anxiety and fear.
The size of this book is wonderful; it’s only about five inches in length and fits comfortably in your hand, purse, or other personal bag, which is perfect as you may very well want to open this little book for a quick read when you are out and about. There are fifty very short chapters reflecting on aspects of anxiety and fear, and each one looks to God’s Word for dealing with anxiety (there are several chapters that feature a particular Psalm). This book is written as a daily devotional, and Welch encourages the reader to go slowly through each chapter, doing some journaling as well as talking to other trusted Christians about what’s been read. Welch encourages readers not to give up when their Scripture reading doesn’t initially reduce their anxiety as they hoped it would:
Jesus heard the words of the Father in the same way that we do—in Scriptures—and there can be no doubt that he enjoyed the closeness of the Father through those words. So, even if we have already tried Scriptures, we try again, and again. Our goal is to persist in listening to God’s words until we really hear them and they speak God's comfort and healing to our souls. (p. 11)
Because each chapter is so short, it can be read in a small amount of time, leaving ample time for contemplating and meditating on the content. To facilitate this, each chapter ends with reflection questions and often a prompt to get discussion with others going. This makes it a useful resource for having deeper conversations with those who may struggle with anxiety, as well as helping yourself (if you struggle with anxiety) to initiate a conversation with someone. A Small Book for the Anxious Heart is definitely a wonderful little book to gift for Christmas, share with a friend, or start your own New Year off with reading—embarking on a journey of more trust in Jesus and less anxiety and fear is a resolution worth pursuing for all Christians who want to be comforted by the sure promise of God’s grace given to them in Christ. Click here for Amazon link.
6. The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes by Nancy Pearcey (Baker Books)
Both men and women inherited sinful natures from the Fall in the garden of Eden, but males in particular are being singled out more and more as the source of a multitude of problems in society and relationships. As author Nancy Pearcey observes, the phrase toxic masculinity “has become a catchall explanation for male sexism, dominance, aggression, and violence” (p. 18). In her recent book, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Pearcey provides encouraging statistics on the health of marriages with devout Christian husbands who faithfully attend church. She also addresses both the historical stages of the escalating “inflammatory rhetoric denouncing men” and the devastating consequences that come from nominal Christian men buying into secular views of masculinity and applying those unbiblical principles in marriage and fatherhood. Pearcey sees the way forward as being one in which both sinful behavior by men is first and foremost addressed by the church and men are encouraged to follow what the Bible actually says about masculinity according to God’s good design:
If Christians hope to offer the world a credible solution to toxic behavior in men, they must demonstrate that Christianity has the power to address it first of all among those within the church’s own orbit of influence. The Bible calls men to be both tough and tender, both courageous and caring. Men who know they are made in God’s image can be full persons, reflecting all the rich dimensions of God’s own character. (p. 15)
We must add a caveat to this recommendation: Pearcey appears to lean toward an egalitarian view of marriage, with which we don’t agree (click here for a more thorough review of The Toxic War on Masculinity). Having stated that, this is a must-read book for anyone who is concerned about the societal assault on the goodness of masculinity and looking for positive ways to encourage and support men in the church. Click here for Amazon link.
7. Gospel-Shaped Marriage: Grace for Sinners to Love Like Saints by Chad Van Dixhoorn and Emily Van Dixhoorn (Crossway)
Countless books have been written on how to have a good marriage, but it’s not all that easy to find one that clearly communicates both what the Bible actually says about the biblical meaning of marriage and how a husband and wife go about mutually loving and supporting each other in the ups and downs of life together. Thankfully, Chad and Emily Van Dixhoorn have co-authored the must-read book Gospel-Shaped Marriage: Grace for Sinners to Love Like Saints to help couples navigate both the foundational aspects of Christian marriage as well as living a grace-filled life with a fellow sinner. In chapter one, they give a succinct and poignant definition of God’s design for a man and woman in the marital union:
Marriage is for mutual support, companionship, reproduction of the human race, and the promotion of sexual purity. For Christians, we can also add that marriage is for church growth, for offering a context for children to be nurtured in the Christian faith, and for reflecting the relationship between Christ and the church (Eph. 5). And it is worth noting that all of this is more about giving than getting, an important idea that we’ll return to in later chapters. (p. 18)
The Van Dixhoorns make wise use of the reader’s time as they discuss foundational aspects of Christian marriage with wisdom and candor, including a brief overview of marriage in redemptive history, grace in marriage (the Early Morning Orange Juice Incident, aka EMOJI, will make most readers smile as it’s so relatable), how godly submission and authority involve putting each other first, having a Christ-like heart amid marital tension, what it means for a wife to respect her husband and a husband to honor his wife, navigating relationships with children and extended family, sexual intimacy in marriage (this chapter is well worth the price of the book alone), and growing in marriage both in godliness and service within the family and communities God has placed us. Along with discussing relevant Bible passages, the Van Dixhoorns share personal stories from their own marriage to bring helpful context and humor to the topic they’re discussing. Gospel-Shaped Marriage is an outstanding resource for marriage counseling material or anyone seeking to strengthen their marriage from a healthy, biblical perspective. Click here for Amazon link.
8. 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin (Crossway)
(Written by BCL associate editor, Ayrian Yasar) There are so many issues that swirl around us today. When I was younger, issues seemed to revolve primarily around the re-definition of marriage and the push for abortion. Now there is so much more out there that confronts God’s teaching on numerous fronts that previous generations never encountered. If you struggle to grapple with all these issues from a biblical perspective and would even like to familiarize yourself with other arguments evident from science that debunk recent worldly thought, Rebecca McLauglin’s 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity is a fantastic resource to get you started.
As the title suggests, this book is geared toward teens, who often have many hard questions but are getting all the wrong answers from the wrong sources. The topics McLaughlin addresses deal with Christian life, diversity, morality, science and Christianity, gender-identity, homosexual relationships, sex, love and friendship, God’s sovereignty and suffering, and more. As a parent, it’s great to have this as a resource because it’s written in an accessible way for young people who are grappling with big questions. There is no heavy technical language, no complicated sentences, no arguments that take three pages to get though (for these reasons, it’s a great resource for adults who also want an introduction into these topics but need it quickly and simply put). The language is conversational, down-to-earth, open, and clear.
While McLaughlin doesn’t steer away from unapologetically speaking the truth, she does it in a winsome way. This book is made more compelling by McLaughlin’s inclusion of numerous allusions to books or movies most teens will be familiar with, and she offers a warning at the beginning that there are Harry Potter spoilers. There are indeed.
McLaughlin begins each chapter with a problem or assertion from the world about Christianity, interweaving personal stories to help the reader connect with the topic. Then McLaughlin goes about addressing the issue using logic, science, and a proper understanding of Scripture. This approach really stresses the reality that there are abundant reasons (scientific ones included), to trust Jesus and live the way he says is good for us. If you need a simple, straightforward, introduction to these cultural issues and a starting place for addressing them, this is a great read. Click here for Amazon link.
9. Glorifying and Enjoying God: 52 Devotions through the Westminster Shorter Catechism by William Boekestein, Jonathan L. Cruse, and Andrew J. Miller (Reformation Heritage Books)
Would you like to do a Bible-centered devotional with your family on a regular basis but feel overwhelmed by all your other commitments? Thankfully, authors William Boekstein, Jonathan L. Cruse, and Andrew J. Miller have written Glorifying and Enjoying God: 52 Devotions through the Westminster Shorter Catechism. So, why would you want to take your family through a catechism? The answer is simple: so you can know and better treasure the fundamental truths God has given us in his Word in a relatively short amount of time. The aim of a good catechism (learning by question and answer) is to target essential biblical teaching that every believer needs to know, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647), while subordinate to Scripture, is truly a gift to the church for the growing and maturing of God’s people. The authors write,
The book you have before you is intended not only to increase knowledge but to stoke love for God. Its authors believe that the heart and mind are intertwined, that we will love God more the better we know Him. [2] Thus, as pastors, we chose to explain the Westminster Shorter Catechism and its biblical underpinnings not only that you might understand the truth better but that the truth would set you free (John 8:32). Better theology, better knowledge of God, leads to deeper discipleship and richer doxology. (p. 9)
The Westminster Shorter Catechism questions and answers are divided into 52 weekly sections with a short summary of and poignant reflection on the biblical teaching covered by the included questions and answers. This makes each chapter suitable for a weekly family devotional or Sunday school class. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to grow your faith and the faith of your family and church with this warm, theologically sound, and easy-to-finish devotional! Click here for Amazon link.
10. Natural Law: A Short Companion (Essentials in Christian Ethics) by David VanDrunen (B&H Academic)
What is natural law and how does God reveal it in Scripture? Why does it matter? These are important answers theologian David VanDrunen provides to his readers in this compact (160 pages) primer on God’s law, which he reveals through creation to everyone. In Natural Law: A Short Companion, VanDrunen’s primary purpose is to introduce Christians to natural law in a more concise and accessible way than the three academic volumes he wrote over a ten-year period (2010-2020). VanDrunen writes,
Natural law refers to the law of God made known in the created order, which all human beings know through their physical senses, intellect, and conscience, although they sinfully resist this knowledge to various degrees. Understood in this way, natural law is an essential part of Christian theology and ethics. Without natural law, Christianity would not make sense. The nonexistence of natural law would throw Christian claims about God, the gospel, and the moral life into disarray. (p. 1)
VanDrunen begins by introducing his readers to natural law—defining it and explaining it as God’s revelation in the world, able to be understood by everyone because God’s creation is “meaningful” and “purposeful” (ch. 2). He then proceeds to explain from Scripture three related areas of our common human experience: the relationship between God’s natural law and civil justice, the gospel and God’s universal judgment, and how natural law applies to the Christian life.
Finally, VanDrunen concludes with suggestions for further study and “engaging the public square.” One of the strongest benefits of this book is how Dr. VanDrunen draws his instruction from the Bible—the Scriptural references and explanations are especially helpful to those who may even have doubts. Most Christians are familiar with God’s moral law, such as what he summarizes in the Ten Commandments, but with VanDrunen’s help we all benefit by gaining a deeper understanding of God’s moral imperatives—God’s natural law—he reveals in the world in which we live. Click here for Amazon link.
11. Little Pilgrim's Progress (Illustrated Edition): From John Bunyan's Classic by Helen L. Taylor (Moody Publishers)
(Written by BCL associate editor, Ayrian Yasar) A perennial classic for its depth of understanding of the Christian life and allegorical clarity, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress (first published in 1678) is a fantastic read at any age, but Helen L. Taylor has now made it accessible to even the youngest little Christians.
Taylor’s first version of Bunyan’s tale, Little Pilgrim’s Progress: From John Bunyan’s Classic is a wonderful retelling of the story of Christian leaving the City of Destruction and traveling to the Celestial City, meeting many types of people and facing situations along his pilgrimage. The characters are children rather than adults, and the black and white illustrations are pleasing and simple. The chapters are short, making it perfect for a child reading alone, or a short story read aloud before bed.
If you have younger children (or older ones as well!) who really enjoy animal stories, Taylor’s second Little Pilgrim’s Progress uses animal characters, and the illustrations are more extensive, detailed, and very beautifully done.
If you would like a fantastic retelling of this classic in animation, the film The Pilgrim’s Progress is highly recommended by myself and my four-year-old son. We have watched it close to a dozen times and it really is wonderfully done. Both adults and children will be edified from viewing it. Click here for the Amazon link for Helen Taylor's version with animal characters; click here for Taylor’s original version for children; click here for John Bunyan’s original version, parts 1 and 2, updated with modern English; and click here to watch the animated version on Amazon Prime.
12. You Are Still a Mother: Hope for Women Grieving a Stillbirth or a Miscarriage by Jackie Gibson (New Growth Press)
(Written by BCL managing editor, Le Ann Trees) As a mother who has lost two children, one from a miscarriage in 1987 and a second at the age of sixteen from a skiing accident in 2006, I am grateful to Jackie Gibson for being willing to share both her story of losing her daughter from stillbirth and the comforting truth of God’s sovereignty and goodness amid such tremendous suffering in You Are Still a Mother: Hope for Women Grieving a Stillbirth or a Miscarriage. Two things grieving parents especially need right after hearing the news of their child’s death are 1) connection with someone who understands what they are going through, and 2) reassurance that God loves them and their child and is in utter control of all that has occurred.
Gibson tenderly takes readers along her journey of accepting the seemingly unbelievable, learning to be willing to trust God in the darkest of times, and move forward even in her grief to find joy in God’s plan for her family’s life. I’m glad Gibson included her wrestling with what she could have done to save her daughter’s life. This is a very common and natural reaction of grieving parents and Gibson does an excellent job pointing readers to people’s limited ability to control what is ultimately under God’s control and learning to rest in his will:
Before God knit Leila together in my womb, he ordained that her life was only for the womb—about 277 days. Nothing I could have done would have altered the eternal plans of God, even though I have often longed to go back in time and give it a try. (p. 32)
I hope the title doesn’t keep men from reading this deeply moving book. Fathers experiencing the unfathomable grief of the loss of a child will also greatly benefit from Gibson’s biblical approach to processing the “whys” of God’s hard providences in this world. They will be better equipped to love, comfort, and encourage their wives as both of them struggle through the suffering of losing a child.
Someone gave me Jerry Sittser’s book A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss (Sittser lost three of his family members in a car crash in 1991) right after my son’s death, which was a tremendous help for me in surviving the first days after the accident, and I have no doubt that You Are Still a Mother will be a life preserver for many grieving parents in the years to come. Indeed, Gibson’s book will be of much help to anyone wanting to learn how to be of comfort and support to grieving people, and especially to parents who must travel the seemingly impossible (but very possible because of God’s grace in Christ) road of living after the loss of their child. Many thanks to author Tim Challies for bringing this book to our attention. Click here for Amazon link.
13. 2000 Years of Christ’s Power Volume 1: The Age of the Early Church Fathers by Nick Needham
Nick Needham is a Reformed pastor in Scotland and a college lecturer in church history. 2000 Years of Christ’s Power is Dr. Needham's five-volume work on the history of the church Christ has been building since his incarnation.
The first volume takes the reader from the first century up to the Middle Ages. You will be instructed not only on formative events in the early church, such as the fall of Rome, but also the people who were instrumental means God used, such as the early church fathers and Augustine as well as many of the church’s early martyrs and the fall of Rome. The next volume focuses on the Middle Ages, including the rise of Islam and its effects on the church as well as the church in Russia, Orthodoxy, and crises in the Roman church, which lead to the Reformation. In volume three Dr. Needham covers the Renaissance, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the English and Scottish Reformation, as well as how the Roman church tried to counter the Protestants. Finally, in volumes four and five Dr. Needham explores the religious conflicts that grew out of the Reformation as well as the “Age of Enlightenment and Awakening” in the eighteenth century.
Every believer will find it helpful in his or her Christian walk to know church history more thoroughly, and Dr. Needham makes it possible to learn and understand Christ’s power to build his church in spite of what can often seem like defeat. Through both people and their stories, be encouraged as you delve into two thousand years of Christ’s power. Click here for Amazon link.
Be sure to check out the rest of Needham’s series as well: Volume 2: The Middle Ages; Volume 3: Renaissance and Reformation; Volume 4: The Age of Religious Conflict; and Volume 5: The Age of Enlightenment and Awakening.
14. The Great Gain of Godliness by Thomas Watson (Banner of Truth)
There’s nothing new under the sun when it comes to Christians getting caught up in the cares of the world and their own desires instead of growing in godliness and a loving fear of God. We all need to be reminded that, even though we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Christians are marked by their pursuit of living to the glory of God. The Great Gain of Godliness is Puritan Thomas Watson’s exposition on Malachi 3:16-18. Sometimes the recommendation of a book is best given from the author’s own words. In his introductory address to the reader, Watson comments that his goal in writing this book
…is to encourage solid piety, and confute the atheists of the world, who imagine there is no gain in godliness…It is an unhappiness that, in these luxuriant times, religion should for the most part run either into notion or ceremony; the spirits of true religion are evaporated. When knowledge is turned into soul food, and digested into practice—then it is saving. That God would accompany these few imperfect lines with the operation and benediction of his Holy Spirit, and make them edifying—is the prayer of him who is
Yours in all Christian service, Thomas Watson, London, November 22, 1681
Watson wrote this wonderful work in 1681, yet surely we can perceive how the times have not changed much when it comes to the preoccupation with “luxury” and “ceremony” instead of living a life that is pleasing to God. In these days though, just as in Watson’s time, godliness remains the crown of the Gospel—the changed lives brought about by the power of God’s spirit working through his Word in the hearts and minds of his people. In The Great Gain of Godliness Watson passionately pleads,
Oh, that the eyes of sinners may be speedily opened—that they may see the difference of things, the beauty which is in holiness, and the astonishing madness that is in sin!
The beloved nineteenth-century pastor C. H. Spurgeon longed to have this work of Watson’s in his library and now it is available in a lightly edited version in Banner of Truth’s Puritan Paperbacks series. Godliness is the “Great Gain” as Dr. Watson so aptly puts it, and every Christian is called to pursue it. So come and read of this weighty subject and be edified and blessed by it. Click here for Amazon link.
15. Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? by Timothy Keller (Viking)
Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? was Timothy Keller’s last published book before he went to be with the Lord on May 19, 2023, and we’re grateful to Keller for taking the time amid his battle with cancer to write on this critically important subject. According to Keller, the ancient culture of shame and honor is now reflected in a modern “shame and honor culture of victimhood” with a focus on the therapeutic:
Modern culture teaches us that our primary concern is to demand respect and affirmation of our own identity. In this it mirrors the desire for respect and honor that drove pagan cultures centuries ago. People today are encouraged to respond with outrage to even the slightest offense, as was true in the older societies. (p. 31)
Can we seek justice for the oppressed and the abused and still advocate for forgiveness at the same time? What does it mean to truly forgive and be forgiven? In Forgive Keller points out how the focus on inner-healing alone without the transformative vertical dimension of forgiveness leads to vicious “no-grace” or “little-grace” models with “endless cycles of retaliation and vengeance, back and forth, between the victim and the wrongdoer” (p. 33). He writes,
The experience of divine forgiveness brings profound healing. It is grounded in a faith-sight of Jesus’s costly sacrifice for our forgiveness. That reminds us that we are sinners in need of mercy like everyone else, yet it also fills the cup of our hearts with his love and affirmation. This makes it possible for us to forgive the perpetrator and then go speak to him or her, seeking justice and reconciliation if possible. Now, however, we do not do it for our sake—but for justice’s sake, for God’s sake, for the perpetrator’s sake, and for future victims’ sake. The motivation is radically changed. (pp. 33-34)
In Forgive, Keller covers both understanding forgiveness and practicing forgiveness, devoting individual chapters to our need for forgiveness, receiving God’s forgiveness, granting our forgiveness, and extending forgiveness.
While Keller is no longer with us physically, we can still glean much—and grow much—from his writing over the years. If you are struggling to forgive someone or need to be forgiven (which everyone faces at some point in life), Keller’s Forgive will help you better understand what it means to have true inner peace in the acts of forgiving and experiencing forgiveness and reconciliation in light of God’s love for us in Christ. Click here for Amazon link.