7 Books I would Definitely Read

Last 36 books I read sorted in descending order by date

Tim Challies just published a blog post that intrigued me. The title of his blog post (“blost”) is the same as mine, or should I say, my title is the same as his, since he had it first.

It made me think. Which 7 books that have not been written yet would I definitely read?  This, especially since I saw a link on Facebook yesterday in which the BBC (or an unknown individual) thinks that the average person has only read 6 of a list of 100 books “they” think should be read. The questions arises, “Who decides what the top 100 books that everybody should read are?” Hold a survey? Is it a democratic decision? What people find important to read right now, in ten years could be considered just so-so!

I have only read 7 of that list of 100. However, I have read 100s of others. The list of books on the right is made up of the last 36 books I have read. The list is sorted in descending order by date, meaning, that the last book I read is the one in the top left corner, and the first of these 36 is in the right bottom corner. 6 of these are novels, of which I disliked 2, found 2 to be average and 2 that I enjoyed. I am in the process of reading 3 others, “American Sniper,” “NCT: Time For A Most Accurate Way,” and “New Testament Theology” by Morris.

So, what are the books that I would definitely read?

[An In-Depth Biography of John Piper]: I first met John Piper (not personally) via listening through his sermon series on the New Testament book of Romans. I have read commentaries on Romans and have heard pastors preach on parts of Romans, but I have never heard anybody expound the text of Romans with the theological clarity and passion like John Piper did. He started this series on 26 April 1998 and finished it on 24 December 2006. I know we all have our favourite preachers, and some of you may disagree. If you haven’t listened to his series on Romans, listen to it before you disagree. John Piper has had an amazing ministry and you can see much of it at Desiring God.

[Al Mohler’s Memoirs]: Here I agree with Tim.

[Paul, the apostle, in the 21st century]: Many books have been written on Paul, but that is not what I want here. What I would like to see is a book, fully based on Paul’s theology, on how he would have dealt with the issues of our day. Books on Paul have been written by men like Ridderbos (Paul: An Outline of His Theology), Reymond (Paul, Missionary Theologian: A Survey of His Missionary Labours and Theology), Bruce (Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free), and Fee (Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study).

[New Covenant Theology: A Systematic Theology]: The theological system known as New Covenant Theology (NCT) has been around for some time now, and although there are some differences of thought on its core, I believe that the time is ready for its belief system to be explained via the tried-and-tested format of a systematic theology. Who would write such a book? I have a list of names that could perhaps work together on such a project: John Reisinger, Moe Bergeron, Blake White, and Gary D. Long.

[D.A. Carson on Revelation]: I once again agree with Tim on this one. If you do not know who D.A. Carson is, shame on you! I believe Carson is one of today’s treasures in the church.

[Commentary on Romans by John Piper]: As I’ve written in my first point, Piper has done an amazing sermon series on Romans, and I believe that he could perhaps, based on his knowledge of Romans, set forth the definitive commentary on the apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman church.

And, that wasn’t the last time I am mentioning John Piper…

[Interpreting the Bible: A God-glorifying Pursuit by John Piper and D.A. Carson]: With their combined knowledge of the Scriptures and their expertise in the area of Biblical interpretation, I think that such a book could perhaps be one of the best books on Biblical interpretation for theological students and bench warmers alike.

So, there are my 7! They are perhaps not earth shattering, but that is what I thought of now!

What would be your 7. Remember, these are books that have NOT been written yet!

The Spirit does what the law could not–sanctification

(3)  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,  (4)  so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  (5)  For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  (6)  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,  (7)  because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,  (8)  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  (9)  However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (Rom 8:3-9)

John Piper delivers a thought provoking sermon on “How the Spirit Does What the Law Could Not Do,” based on Rom 8:3-9. Piper intends answering the following questions in his sermon:

“Did he turn us away from the law for justification and then send us back to it for sanctification? Is the law the first and chief and decisive focus of our lives if we want to triumph over our rebellion and our craving for God's creation over God? If we want to love our enemies and not return evil for evil, and have patience and kindness, and be bold and courageous in the cause of righteousness, and endure hardship joyfully in service of the gospel, and spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples, then where shall we turn for help? How do we become holy, loving, and Christ-like after we are justified by faith alone?

“What do you do? Where do you turn? What is your focus and passion? How do you fight for holiness and love and Christ-likeness? You must fight. The alternative of pursuing holiness is to perish (Hebrews 12:14). How do you fight? Is law the key that unlocks a life of love?”

You can either read or listen to his sermon here!

An exhortation for pastors not to waste their pulpits

Preaching is not done when someone stands behind a pulpit and says some spiritual platitudes, even though those words do not contradict the Bible. Preaching is not done when someone reads a verse from the Bible and then carries on with all kinds of cute stories to make the point he wants to make. Preaching happens when someone takes the Word of God, the Scriptures, and in his preaching saturates his people with God’s Word by expounding the Scriptures, knowing full-well, that he is dealing with the WORD OF GOD, not just a clever text! The same God who SPOKE the universe into existence, also gave us the Bible. Treat it with a holy respect in preaching, as if God is standing right there beside you giving you the words to speak, knowing that you cannot fool around with His Word!

Listen to John Piper’s exhortation...

Carson and Piper discuss historical background and the Bible

Mastered By the Book from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

John Piper interviews Rick Warren on doctrine

John Piper interviewed Rick Warren on his doctrinal stance on 1 May 2011. The video below is about one and a half hours long, so it is a long download. It is a very interesting interview, and some of Warren's answers are interesting, even surprising!

If your internet connection is like mine, and it just feels like it is going to take a week to download, then you also probably do not have the patience to wait that long to watch this video. There is a solution, and that is the transcript of this interview!

Update:

1. 1 June 2011 -Tim Challies has written a thought provoking short analysis of this interview.
2. 1 June 2011 - Frank Turk, of PyroManiacs fame, has written "[another] Open Letter to John Piper," and it covers the interview directly.

Do you entertain worldly passions more than Godly passions?

Phil Johnson, head honcho of the PyroManiacs, wrote a very interesting piece about our passions. Do we get more excited about our favourite sports team, celebrities and the like, than about God and celebrating His glory?

It is definitely worth reading, and by the way, don’t dismiss it off-hand, thinking that you are not like that. Rather spend time reading his “The Bizarre Passions of Worldly Culture, and Why They are Incompatible with a True Passion for God's Glory,” giving it some serious thought.

Just to get you thinking in the right direction, John Piper asked the students at the Passion 2011 conference: “Do you feel more loved by God because He makes much of you or because He enables you to make much of Him?”