Devotional Books

Here's the last set of books recommended by Luke Jenner. These encourage a closer walk with God and have been written to help Christians to follow the King of Books.

Now that I've listed the whole set, I must get round to reading them!

Pilgrim’s Progress	John Bunyan	Various
Living the Christian Life	A N Martin	Banner of Truth
Holiness	Joel Beeke	Banner of Truth
Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices	Thomas Brooks	Banner of Truth
The Bruised Reed	Richard Sibbes	Banner of Truth
The Pursuit of Holiness	Jerry Bridges	Authentic Lifestyle
Holiness	J C Ryle	Sovereign Grace
On Knowing Christ (sermons)	Jonathan Edwards	Banner of Truth
Romans (sermons - several volumes)	D M Lloyd-Jones	Banner of Truth
Ephesians (sermons – several volumes)	D M Lloyd-Jones	Banner of Truth
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount	D M Lloyd-Jones	IVP
Sermons of Robert Murray M'Cheyne	Robert Murray M'Cheyne	Banner of Truth
The Valley Of Vision (a collection of Puritan prayers)	Arthur Bennett	Banner of Truth
Praying Always	Frans Bakker	Banner of Truth
The Thought of God,	Maurice Roberts	Banner of Truth
The Christian’s High Calling	Maurice Roberts	Banner of Truth
The Shadow of the Cross	Walter J Chantry	Banner of Truth
Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul	Octavius Winslow	Banner of Truth
The Mystery of Providence	John Flavel	Banner of Truth
The Holy Spirit; His Person and Ministry	Edwin H Palmer	P & R Publishing

See also: Bible Introduction and Overview, Bible Commentaries, Systematic Theologies, Contemporary Issues, Biography and History

Biography and History

Here's another set of book recommendations - this time tracing the influence of the King of Books in people's lives and its effect on history - again provided by Luke Jenner. No other book has had such an impact on people and nations, because no other book can show us what we're really like - and show us the remedy.

Sketches from Church History	S M Houghton	Banner of Truth
2,000 Years of Christ’s Power (3 volumes so far)	N R Needham	Grace Publications
Among God’s Giants (Aspects of Puritan Christianity)	J I Packer	Kingsway
Five Pioneer Missionaries	Iain Murray	Banner of Truth
Christian Leaders of the 18th Century	J C Ryle	Banner of Truth
God’s Outlaw (Tyndale)	Brian Edwards	Evangelical Press
The Forgotten Spurgeon	Iain Murray	Banner of Truth
Through Gates of Splendour	Elisabeth Elliot	Authentic Lifestyle
Shadow of the Almighty	Elisabeth Elliot	Authentic Lifestyle
History of Princeton Seminary (2 volumes)	David Calhoun	Banner of Truth
The Life of John Murray	Iain Murray	Banner of Truth

See also: Bible Introduction and Overview, Bible Commentaries, Systematic Theologies, Contemporary Issues, Devotional

Contemporary Issues

What does the King of Books say about ...? This set of books aim to provide Biblical answers to some issues of current concern to Christians and non-Christians alike. Thanks again to Luke Jenner for the initial list.

World Views	Does God Believe in Atheists?	John Blanchard	Evangelical Press
Evangelism	Today’s Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic	Walter J Chantry	Banner of Truth
Evangelism	Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God	J I Packer	IVP
Guidance	Discovering God’s Will	Sinclair B Ferguson	Banner of Truth
Charismatic gifts	The Final Word	O Palmer Robertson	Banner of Truth
Charismatic gifts	Perspectives on Pentecost	Richard Gaffin	P & R Publishing
Apologetics	Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction	John M Frame	P & R Publishing
Evolution	Darwin on Trial	Phillip E Johnson	IVP
Evolution	Objections Sustained: Subversive Essays on Evolution, Law and Culture	Phillip E Johnson	IVP
World Views	The Divine Challenge	John Byl	Banner of Truth
Charismatic gifts	The Charismatics and the Word of God: A Biblical and Historic Perspective on the Charismatic Movement	Victor Budgen	Evangelical Press

See also: Bible Introduction and Overview, Bible Commentaries, Systematic Theologies, Biography and History, Devotional

Systematic Theologies

The Bible contains many different types of writing, including history, poetry, law, proverbs and letters. And these were written by many different sorts of people over a period of perhaps 2000 years or so. It can be difficult to track down what it teaches about a given subject. However, there are quite a few books that aim to present what the Bible teaches in a thematic and ordered way. These are generally called systematic theologies.

Wayne Grudem helpfully defines systematic theology as

... any study that answers the question, "What does the whole Bible teach us today?" about any given topic. This definition indicates that systematic theology involves collecting and understanding all the relevant passages in the Bible on various topics and then summarizing their teachings clearly so that we know what to believe about each topic.

As long as we don't put these books at a higher level than the King of Books they can be extremely useful.

The following are recommended. Thanks again to Luke Jenner for the initial list.

First some general volumes:

Ultimate Realities	Robert M Horn	IVP
Summary of Christian Doctrine	Louis Berkhoff	Banner of Truth
A Faith to Live By	Donald MacLeod	Mentor
Systematic Theology	Wayne Grudem	IVP
Bible Doctrine	Wayne Grudem	IVP
Foundations of the Christian Faith	James M Boice	IVP

Other books deal with particular aspects of the Bible's message. The following authors are also recommended. I've mentioned one each of their books, but their other titles are also worth exploring.

J I Packer	Knowing God	Hodder & Stoughton
John Murray	Redemption Accomplished and Applied	Banner of Truth
John Stott	The Cross of Christ	IVP
Stuart Olyott	The Three Are One: What the Bible Teaches About the Trinity	Evangelical Press
A W Pink	The Sovereignty of God	Banner of Truth
J Gresham Machen	What is Faith?	Banner of Truth
A W Tozer	The Knowledge of the Holy	Authentic Lifestyle
John Piper	The Pleasures of God	Christian Focus Publications
Edward Donnelly	Heaven and Hell	Banner of Truth

See also: Bible Introduction and Overview, Bible Commentaries, Contemporary Issues, Biography and History, Devotional

Bible Commentaries

Sometimes it can be hard to understand what a particular Bible passage is about. This is where a good commentary can be invaluable. Here are some useful ones. But don't take what they say at face value—always check them against what the King of Books says. Thanks again to Luke Jenner for the initial list.

New Bible Commentary	G Wenham, J Motyer, D Carson, R France (editors)	IVP
New Bible Dictionary	I H Marshall, A R Millard, J I Packer, D J Wiseman (editors)	IVP
Welwyn Commentary Series (especially Romans)		Evangelical Press
Bible Speaks Today Series		IVP
Tyndale Commentaries Series		IVP
New Testament Commentaries	Geoffrey B Wilson	Banner of Truth
Focus on the Bible Commentaries		Christian Focus Publications
Reading the Bible	Geoffrey Thomas	Banner of Truth
Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible	James Strong
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels	J C Ryle	Banner of Truth
New Testament Commentaries (including More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation)	William Hendriksen	Baker

See also: Bible Introduction and Overview, Systematic Theologies, Contemporary Issues, Biography and History, Devotional

Bible Introduction and Overview

Search for "Bible Introduction" in Amazon and you're presented with a list of several hundred titles. How can you sort out the trivial from the profound, the rubbish from the pearls of wisdom? Well, here's a start at least. Here are a few basic reference works that will help you discover something of the background to the King of Books. With grateful thanks to Luke Jenner.

The New Testament: An Introduction to Its Literature and History	J Gresham Machen	Banner of Truth
An Introduction to the Old Testament	E J Young	Eerdmans
Survey of the Bible	William Hendriksen	Evangelical Press
The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands	Barry J Beitzel	Moody Press

See also: Bible Commentaries, Systematic Theologies, Contemporary Issues, Biography and History, Devotional