One book

[Piper]

Is there a particular book that impacted you, other than the Bible?

For me, it was "The Freedom of the Will" by Edwards.

It made me think deeply about the psychology of man's will and actions and God's interactions with everything in the universe. It took me 3 tries to get through it, but it was worth it.

Please don't post a list of 20 books. Just one, and maybe how it impacted you.

 

[KenH]

Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God. I read this book in my early 40s, around 1998 or so. Reading this book totally crushed what was left of the Pelagianism I was raised in.

 

[Marooncat79]

Funny story

I was told to not read that book about 40 yrs ago

I didn’t

 

[Deacon]

It’s old.
It’s dated.
It’s out of print.
There are better ones out there now but…

Bernard Ramm’s
The Christian View of Science and Scripture
(1955)
The book was quite influential in my college years, helping me to develop a biblical worldview in the environment of secular education.

Rob

 

[Alan Gross]

I have been amazed by John Gill's Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity, since I first saw the title. He does a wonderful job, with scripture after scripture after scripture, of "things of God" we have rarely seen or heard.

They are Bible, people just have to own and embrace the Total Depravity of the lost and the rest of the Doctrines of Grace, to attain to their depths and heights.

Every word of it is a God-honoring blessing.

The Body of Doctrinal Divinity is here:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...0QFnoECC0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw1sukUaRGuBr6mWaILEkiJN

For example of contents;

BOOK IV: Of the Acts of the Grace of God, Towards,
and Upon His Elect in Time.

1. Of the Manifestation and Administration of the Covenant of Grace.
2. Of the Exhibitions of the Covenant of Grace in the Patriarchal State.
3. Of the Exhibition of the Covenant of Grace
Under the Mosaic Dispensation.
4. Of the Covenant of Grace, as Exhibited in the Times of David, and the
Succeeding Prophets, to the Coming of Christ.
5. Of the Abrogation of the Old Covenant, or First Administration of it,
and the Introduction of the New, or Second Administration of it.
6. Of the Law of God.
7. Of the Gospel.

The Body of Practical Divinity is here:

Check out, " The Worship of God". It is a blessing.

Contents

• Title Page
• Book I. On the Worship of God.
• Book II. On External Worship, as Public
• Book III. Of the Public Ordinances of Divine Worship
• Book IV. Of Private Worship, or Various Duties, Domestic, Civil, and Moral
• Book V. A Dissertation Concerning the Baptism of Jewish Proselytes
• Indexes

John Gill: Body of Practical Divinity - Christian Classics Ethereal Library

 

[John of Japan]

In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon

 

[John of Japan]

It's really hard to list just one.

Prayer: Asking and Receiving, by John R. Rice
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, by Howard Taylor
Japan Needs Jesus, by Clifford Lewis

 

[Van]

Rather consistent thread, the first 5 posts from 5 posters advocating books advocating their doctrine.

I believe we should lean toward books expressing "how to study" rather than indoctrination books expressing "what to believe."

The most influential book impacting my life (other than the Bible) is my discipleship manual which outlined broad mainstream concepts, such as the Trinity and the reliability of scripture, but spent most of its verbiage on study methods and how to use study aids.

 

[KenH]

The most influential book impacting my life (other than the Bible) is my discipleship manual which outlined broad mainstream concepts, such as the Trinity and the reliability of scripture, but spent most of its verbiage on study methods and how to use study aids.

Who wrote the manual?

 

[Van]

Who wrote the manual?

The manual was compiled by our church staff, but primarily by our Pastor who had final say as to its contents. As far as I know, it is not available for sale to the public. But there are similar discipleship manuals to peruse available to the public..

 

[Van]

Here is a link to an available "how to study" system.
How to Study The Bible | Inductive Bible Study | The Navigators

If you scroll down to number 3, Questions and Answers, here is where an exhaustive concordance comes in. You can quickly find all the verses where "apostle" appears. Ditto for any word that is key in understanding the verse under study.

Two more specific study aids are lexicons and Bible Dictionaries.

 

[Piper]

In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon

Interesting. I read that when I was 25, impacted me, but then I saw the place it was pushing and felt that it needed corrected.

 

[Piper]

I have been amazed by John Gill's Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity, since I first saw the title. He does a wonderful job, with scripture after scripture after scripture, of "things of God" we have rarely seen or heard.

They are Bible, people just have to own and embrace the Total Depravity of the lost and the rest of the Doctrines of Grace, to attain to their depths and heights.

Every word of it is a God-honoring blessing.

The Body of Doctrinal Divinity is here:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...0QFnoECC0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw1sukUaRGuBr6mWaILEkiJN

For example of contents;

BOOK IV: Of the Acts of the Grace of God, Towards,
and Upon His Elect in Time.

1. Of the Manifestation and Administration of the Covenant of Grace.
2. Of the Exhibitions of the Covenant of Grace in the Patriarchal State.
3. Of the Exhibition of the Covenant of Grace
Under the Mosaic Dispensation.
4. Of the Covenant of Grace, as Exhibited in the Times of David, and the
Succeeding Prophets, to the Coming of Christ.
5. Of the Abrogation of the Old Covenant, or First Administration of it,
and the Introduction of the New, or Second Administration of it.
6. Of the Law of God.
7. Of the Gospel.

The Body of Practical Divinity is here:

Check out, " The Worship of God". It is a blessing.

Contents

• Title Page
• Book I. On the Worship of God.
• Book II. On External Worship, as Public
• Book III. Of the Public Ordinances of Divine Worship
• Book IV. Of Private Worship, or Various Duties, Domestic, Civil, and Moral
• Book V. A Dissertation Concerning the Baptism of Jewish Proselytes
• Indexes

John Gill: Body of Practical Divinity - Christian Classics Ethereal Library

So, it wasn't a book, but a 5 volume Theology. HOw long did it take you to read it all?

HOw much of it have you actually read?

 

[Piper]

It’s old.
It’s dated.
It’s out of print.
There are better ones out there now but…

Bernard Ramm’s
The Christian View of Science and Scripture
(1955)
The book was quite influential in my college years, helping me to develop a biblical worldview in the environment of secular education.

Rob

I read his Protestant Biblical Interpretation. I need to get this one.

 

[John of Japan]

Interesting. I read that when I was 25, impacted me, but then I saw the place it was pushing and felt that it needed corrected.

It's been a long time since I read it. What place do you mean?

Some have called it a Social Gospel approach, but I look at it as a "Love your neighbor" approach.

 

[Piper]

Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God. I read this book in my early 40s, around 1998 or so. Reading this book totally crushed what was left of the Pelagianism I was raised in.

Interesting. I have heard that it is totally dated. Is it good?

 

[Piper]

It's been a long time since I read it. What place do you mean?

Some have called it a Social Gospel approach, but I look at it as a "Love your neighbor" approach.

Social Gospel. I read it again in about 1995 and saw their point. I got love your neighbor too, but the essence of it was "Do good to everybody."

 

[KenH]

Interesting. I have heard that it is totally dated. Is it good?

I don't know how a theological book could be "dated". The Biblical canon was completed a long, long, long time ago.

There are very few books that have been page turners for me, but this was one of them. I was so excited to turn the page and read what was on the next one.

 

[Piper]

I don't know how a theological book could be "dated". The Biblical canon was completed a long, long, long time ago.

There are very few books that have been page turners for me, but this was one of them. I was so excited to turn the page and read what was on the next one.

Thank you. I read old books. Like John Owen, Jonathan Edwards, and more. I will get it.

 

[kyredneck]

There are very few books that have been page turners for me, but this was one of them. I was so excited to turn the page and read what was on the next one.

Besides 'The Sovereignty of God', so was his 'Elijah', and 'Gleanings In Genesis', for me.