Thanks to everyone who responded and told us about a book that helped you understand the Bible better. We got hundreds of awesome responses. Here are the 6 we picked to win a free copy of the book Christian Theologies of Scripture:
Knowing God
"For me most recently, Knowing God by J.I. Packer really rocked my world. Being in youth ministry it is very easy to fall into the trap of being quite pragmatic in our approach to and relationship with God. Packer encourages deep, organic, real relationship with the God of the Bible rather than gaining facts and head knowledge."
-Jon Wolfinger
Chino Valley, Arizona
Desiring God
"John Piper's Desiring God changed my entire frame of thinking. I was a prosperity gospel believer and didn't know it. I was man-centered and didn't know it. I misinterpreted Scripture and didn't know it. It was through the words of that book that God has shown me himself and who he is in the Bible. I am still in awe of God's sovereignty and the miracle of salvation. The Bible is not a collection of stories about how to make our lives better. The Bible is God revealing himself to man, and through that revelation God graciously allows us to enjoy his glory. I am forever thankful to God for using John Piper to reveal truth about the glory of God. In my life Desiring God isn't just a book. It was one of the tools that God used to save me."
-Jason Wallace
San Marcos, Texas
Mere Christianity
"I have been saved for about a year and a half, and with all of the different books out there that misrepresent the person and work of Jesus, I was blessed to be given a copy of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. It helped me to better understand the Bible by showing the rationality of the faith (at a time when this was being challenged left and right), explaining 'The Great Sin' of pride, and furthering my understanding of biblical grace—saving grace. It is an incredible read (with the Word of God as the foundation, of course) for new believers, and the Lord used it in a huge way in my life."
-Tyler Howell
Loveland, Colorado
The Holiness of God
"One book that really put Scripture and God into a correct view is R.C. Sproul's Holiness of God. It was one of the first books I read as a Christian and it really forced me to read Scripture and study for myself. So instead of borrowing others' faith, I really came to understand what God requires of us as Christians. Ever since reading Sproul my interest in theology has exploded and really helped me understand the God we serve."
-Lucas Hillman
Palm Harbor, Florida
Van Til's Apologetic
"Van Til's Apologetic by Greg Bahnsen helped me understand the necessity of God's revelation in human knowing. This gave me a greater confidence in the Bible. Bahnsen shows the presuppositional charter beliefs and worldviews and how God's revelation through his Word answers the philosophical questions that man can't answer on autonomous presuppositions. The Christian worldview built on God's revelation in Scripture accounts for realities we take for granted such as ethics, reason, and science, and all so-called autonomous worldviews destroy these realities. This gave me greater insight into Romans 1:18-25."
-David Fassett
Cary, Illinois
The Church Before the Watching World
"The Church Before the Watching World by Francis Schaeffer has been very helpful in its encouragement toward doctrinal purity in contrast to theological liberalism. It influenced my everyday reading of the Bible as truth, when so many other authors say things like, 'It doesn't really matter if there was a real guy named Job...'. It absolutely matters. Schaeffer describes the difference between spiritual adultery and spiritual purity: 'The real chasm is between those who have bowed to the living God and thus also to the verbal, propositional communication of God's Word, the Scriptures, and those who have not.'"
-Jude Michael Ross
The Woodlands, Texas
Read Some Free Chapters
If you didn't win Christian Theologies of Scripture, you can still get part of it for free.
You can read the introduction by Resurgence Director Justin Holcomb as a free PDF here.
You can also read Michael Horton’s chapter, "Theologies of Scripture in the Reformation and Counter-Reformation", for free online.
We believe God uses good books to change lives. Re:Lit publishes a growing line of books to fuel the Resurgence. Find out more.
