After attending a wonderful seminary later in life and reflecting back on my early years as a believer, here are twelve books I wish I had read as a new Christian (some of the below books were available at the time and some have been published more recently).

There are a lot of books out there on the Christian faith, and it’s not all that easy for a new believer to know which ones are especially helpful to better understand the Bible. After attending a wonderful seminary later in life and reflecting back on my early years as a believer, here are twelve books I wish I had read as a new Christian (some of the below books were available at the time and some have been published more recently):

1. What Is Faith? (Crucial Questions Series Book 8) by R. C. Sproul

Saving faith is not, as is commonly believed, a blind faith. R. C. Sproul gives new and mature believers a correct understanding of what God’s gift of faith actually is and how it reveals God’s love and mercy for sinners. Click here for Amazon link.

2. Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray

All believers should have as clear an understanding as possible of how redemption has been accomplished and applied in their life. While subjective feelings of peace can come and go depending on our circumstances, Christians can—and should—know that all believers have objective peace with God because Christ has accomplished their redemption in full.

Theologian John Murray explains that “Christ procured redemption and therefore he secured it” (p. 56). Learn more about both Christ’s redemptive work on behalf of all believers and how it is applied in their effectual calling, regeneration, faith and repentance, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, union with Christ, and glorification in this classic book. Click here for Amazon link.

3. The Unfolding Word: The Story of the Bible from Creation to New Creation by Zach Keele

In his latest book The Unfolding Word, pastor and seminary lecturer Zach Keele helps readers make better sense of the Bible from beginning to end, from the garden of Eden in Genesis to the New Jerusalem in Revelation, from man’s creation and fall to his redemption and glorification.

As he surveys each major section of the Bible, Keele connects individual stories and passages to the big picture and helps us better grasp that Scripture is not only a historical story that “unfolded within the lives of real people within the messiness of history,” but also an account of events that took place in ancient cultures with very different ideas and assumptions from our world today. Whether you’re a new or mature believer, this must-read book will not only help you gain a more thorough understanding of God’s redemptive plan but will also cause you to marvel over the cohesiveness of the Bible. Click here for Amazon link.

4. The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul

It’s all about holiness! The problem is that God is holy and we aren’t. God is pure goodness, and he must uphold all of his attributes of love, truth, justice, and righteousness. R. C. Sproul explains why a better knowledge of God’s holiness will fill us with awe and wonder—and will help us to understand why we need to be holy through the finished work of Christ on our behalf to stand in God’s presence. Click here for Amazon link.

5. The Fruit of the Spirit Is… by J. V. Fesko

New Christians want the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; Gal. 5:22-23), but how do they actually go about getting it? In this helpful little book, theologian J. V. Fesko explains not only how believers produce the fruit of the Spirit but also how the work of the Spirit in the lives of believers in the New Testament era is related to the work of the Spirit throughout the Old Testament. Indeed, when we display the fruit of the Spirit, we are experiencing and manifesting God’s Old Testament promises fulfilled! All Christians should desire to grow in holiness, and this book gently guides new believers on how the Spirit is at work in their lives to the glory of God.

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