By Ronald Nugent

I. Why Should We Read?

He who increases books, increases wisdom.
Jewish Proverb

I read somewhere recently that a survey showed that ninety-nine percent of Christians regularly watch television while just five percent regularly read books. Although I do not recall the source of the figures, my experience suggests that they are probably accurate. As a lover of books I confess that I am somewhat saddened that so few of my brothers and sisters in Christ are enjoying the pleasures and blessings to be found in a good book. If you are not a reader of books, you are missing one of the great joys of life.

It would seem that the Apostle Paul was a lover of books. In what is probably the last letter that he ever wrote, Paul instructed Timothy, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments” (2 Timothy 4:13). We can understand why Paul, locked in a cold prison cell, wanted his cloak, but why did he also ask for his books?

The books of ancient time were usually scrolls made of papyrus, while parchments were made of the skins of animals. Some suggest that these scrolls and parchments which Paul so desperately wanted were parts of the Old Testament. This is possible but I think that, because Paul usually called the Old Testament “the Scriptures,” it is more likely that it is other books from his library that he was wanting.

We are not told why Paul was so keen to have his books with him, but we can make some guesses. Books can be good friends. They can provide comfort and counsel; they can lift up the downcast; they can strengthen faith and hope. Paul was in prison awaiting execution and he was missing his friends. And books can be good teachers. Though Paul’s life was drawing to its close, he was still learning. He wanted even his last days to be learning days.

This is the first in a series of articles on our website encouraging Christians to follow Paul’s example and be readers of books. In this first article I want to give you some reasons why you should read. In the second article I will suggest how you should read, and in the third I will suggest what you can read. First, then, in the midst of busy (and sometimes hectic) lives, why bother with books? I want to propose five reasons why Christians should be readers.

First, with books we can spend time reflecting on our lives. Whenever I ask someone how they are, nine times out of ten they reply, “Busy.” That was not so twenty years ago. I believe that our lives have become too busy. In the words of the poet, William Henry Davies:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?

The more busy our lives, the more we need books. Books slow us down. They force us to think. The best books are not means of escaping reality, but aids to understanding ourselves and our world. Of course, books can be read at speed, but that is not the sort of reading I am talking about. The reading which I am recommending is leisurely and meditative. It is important not only that we read, but that we also meditate on what we have read. Reading Christians are usually thinking Christians.

Secondly, in books we can learn from the great teachers of the past and present. Among God’s many gifts to His people are teachers. As Paul reminded the young Christians in Ephesus, “He gave . . . pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Though living at the beginning of the Twenty-first Century, we can sit at the feet of Augustine of Hippo in the Fourth Century or John Calvin in the Sixteenth. Though living at the ends of the earth, we can visit All Souls Church in London and listen to John Stott, or Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and learn from Philip Ryken. Reading Christians are usually growing Christians.

Thirdly, in books we can witness the lives of great Christians of the past. One of the strongest incentives to faithful Christian living is the example of those who have gone before us. In the memoirs and biographies of Christians and in their published diaries and letters we can watch them at work and at prayer, in their homes and in their churches, during times of blessing and times of hardship. Personally, I have found that nothing so rebukes my sin or strengthens my faith as the stories of the Christian men and women of former generations.

Fourthly, by books we can protect ourselves from pollution by the world. Over one hundred years ago, in words that proved prophetic, the great American statesman and orator, Daniel Webster, warned:

If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy. If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of corrupt and licentious literature will. If the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.

Let’s be honest. For the most part the counsel of our TV sets is the counsel of the wicked. When TV in the average Australian home is turned on for seven hours a day, is it any wonder that our nation is in a state of spiritual and moral stupor? When the average Australian teenager will have seen 350,000 commercials (that is, one-and-a-half years of eight-hour workdays) by the time he finishes high school, is it any wonder that we have a generation that puts more value on material possessions than personal integrity? When ninety-nine percent of Christians regularly watch TV while only five percent regularly read books, is it any wonder that there is little obvious difference between the church and world?

The old hymn counsels us: “Take time to be holy.” Reading takes time, but it is time well spent. An hour spent reading the Letters of Samuel Rutherford will benefit the soul more than an hour spent watching CSI Miami. Do not misunderstand me. I also enjoy watching TV, especially detective stories. I am not saying that watching TV is always sinful. But it is sometimes sinful, sometimes harmful, and often not helpful. Do your really want to be holy? Reading Christians are usually holy Christians.

Fifthly, through books we can minister to others. We can lead them to Christ and help them to grow as Christians. Not many of us are teachers or preachers but all of us can give or lend good books. Books are not just for reading but also for lending. Long ago the Jewish rabbi, Judah of Regensburg, wrote: “If a man has two sons, one of whom dislikes lending his books, while the other is eager, a man should leave all his library to the second, even if he is younger.”

As a young man in my early twenties I viewed the Bible as a lot of superstitious nonsense until a friend lent me a book called Layman’s Answer by E.M. Blaiklock. In it Blaiklock, who was Professor of Classics at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, defended the Bible against the attacks of liberal criticism. I did not like the book, and I told my friend so. I did not like it because it exploded my objections and undermined my prejudices and left me with nowhere to hide from the risen Lord Jesus. That book was used by God to draw me to Himself.

A year or so later, as a young Christian, I was suffering severe depression, when I noticed on the bookshelf of another friend a book called Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I took it off the shelf and one chapter heading caught my attention. “Maybe there is help for me here,” I thought. And there was. As a wise physician of souls, Dr Lloyd-Jones diagnosed the cause of my trouble and prescribed the cure. In just half an hour I was lifted out of my despondency and my happiness was restored. I now keep spare copies of Spiritual Depression in my study to give to others. I thank God, not only for those two books, but also for the two friends who lent them to me.

Those of us who speak and read English are blessed with a rich heritage of Christian literature. But of what use is this great heritage if we do not read? As Mark Twain put it: “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” With a wealth of good Christian books available to us, there is no reason whywe should remain ignorant of what we believe, uncertain of why we believe, or unable to share our faith with others. Reading Christians are often strong Christians.

Copyright 2000, 2004 by R.G. Nugent.

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By Ronald Nugent

II. How Should We Read?

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, possibly the greatest preacher in the English language in the Twentieth Century, once observed, “Most great men of God have been great readers.” But while most great men of God have been great readers, not all great readers have been great men (or women) of God. Reading can help but it can also hinder our spiritual growth. It can be a means of grace but it can also be means of escape; escape from reality, escape from responsibility, even escape from God. If we want our reading to benefit ourselves and others, we must be careful how and what we read. In this second article in my series on books and reading we will look at how we should read and in the next we will look at what we should read. How, then, should we read?

First, read selectively. Even if we could read everything, we should not. We are to be good stewards of our time and money, and much reading material is a sheer waste of both. I sometimes wonder how much fruit I have harvested from the hours I have invested in reading newspapers. A.W. Tozer once noted that the best advice he had ever received on reading was, “Always read your daily newspaper standing up.” Henry David Thoreau also had a low view of newspapers. When asked if he would like to have a newspaper delivered to his cottage he replied, “No, I have already seen a newspaper.”

While some reading is wasteful of our time, other reading can be harmful to our soul. Jesus warned us, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). We could paraphrase His words: “Beware of false teachings which come to you in books with attractive covers, but within is deadly poison.” In choosing what to read, do not be guided by bookshop promotions, which are often influenced more by publisher discounts and market demands than spiritual value. Seek the counsel of mature Christians and godly pastors. Ask those who have read widely and deeply over the years, what books have most helped them.

Secondly, read thoughtfully. Read to get wisdom as well as information. Information gives us knowledge of facts but wisdom gives us knowledge of God. Beware of the encyclopaedia type of mind. To quote again from A.W. Tozer: “The mind should be an eye to see with, rather than a bin to store facts in.” Read slowly and deeply. I confess that I am no great fan of speed reading courses. When I was a small boy, my mother taught me to chew my food before I swallowed it and I find that reading at speed does not allow me to chew over what I have read. Some books can be read quickly, but good books, the only books worth reading, should be read thoughtfully.

Here is a great advantage of reading over listening. What is heard soon passes out of our mind, but what is read can be thought upon and read again. Books can be read in our own time and at our own pace. They can be pondered and discussed and debated. I find that for the purposes of learning and thinking, books are better than tapes or disks of sermons. And, of course, some books are better than others. The best books do not do our thinking for us, but stimulate us to think for ourselves. Knowledge is digested by thinking.

Thirdly, read critically. The Apostle Paul counselled the Thessalonians, “Test all things; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). To read critically mean to test all that we read by the rule of God’s Word, the Bible. Even the best teachers sometimes fall into error; only the Bible is infallible. We should pray for the spirit of the Jews of Berea, who “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were” (Acts 17:11). I think it was John Wesley who said that he was a man of one book, by which he meant, of course, the Bible. Well, all Christians should be people of one book, not in the sense that we read only the Bible, but in the sense that we read all other books in the light of the Bible.

However, if we are to read all things in the light of the Bible, then we must know the Bible and know it well. As A.W. Tozer has truly said, “Every Christian should master the Bible, or at least spend hours and days and years trying.” Many good programs have been compiled to assist us in reading the Bible. I especially recommend M’Cheyne’s Calendar of Daily Readings (published by the Banner of Truth Trust) and Table Talk (published by Ligonier Ministries). M’Cheyne’s Calendar is a schedule for reading the whole Bible in one year and can be purchased from any good Christian bookstore. Table Talk is a monthly magazine of daily Bible readings and notes, as well as useful articles on biblical topics, and can be ordered online at www.ligonier.org.

Our appetite for other books should never be stronger than our appetite for God’s Word. As the Puritan preacher Thomas Manton expressed it, “The Spirit of God rides most triumphantly in His own chariot.” However, there are many books which help us to understand, appreciate and apply the teachings of the Bible. For example, commentaries help us to understand the Bible and biographies show us how it can be applied in real life. So read widely, but read with your Bible close at hand.

Fourthly, read regularly. Living as we do in an age that is running out of time, we do well to set aside time to read. Some like to read in the morning because they find that they drop off to sleep in the evening. Personally, I find the evening the best time to read. In the morning a thousand and one things clamour for my attention but in the evening I am relaxed and in a mood to meditate. There are few things I enjoy more than to spend an evening curled up on the sofa with a good book. An hour spent reading and reflecting on Stephen Charnock’s The Existence and Attributes of God or J.I. Packer’s Knowing God is better for my soul than hour spent looking at “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” or “Survivor Vanuatu”.

Reading is a good way to spend a Lord’s Day afternoon. God, in His goodness, has given us a day each week in which we put aside our work and spend time with Him. The Lord’s Day is not another Saturday in which we catch up on our homework or our housework, but a day for communing with God and refreshing our spirits. A good book can rebuke our sin and prompt us to repent and seek God afresh; it can warm our hearts and move us to turn aside to worship and to pray; it can fire our imaginations and stir us to serve God with renewed zeal and joy.

Fifthly, read prayerfully. One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received about reading was given to me when I was a very young Christian. My pastor told me that He frequently prayed for God to direct him to those books which would be most useful for his spiritual growth. Over the years I have often followed his advice and I have often found that God leads me to just the book I need; picking me up when I am down, calling me back when I stray, or showing me the right way when I am confused. We cannot hope to read more than a small fraction of even the good Christian books that are now available, so we need God’s wisdom in choosing what to read.

I suggest that can be useful to pray before we read, while we are reading, and after we have read. The human mind is an awesome work of God, but it is filled with darkness until God sheds His light abroad in our hearts. So it is good to pray before we read, asking God to enlighten our minds and give us understanding and discernment. We live in an age in which false prophets and false teachers abound, and their falsehoods can be found even on the shelves of Christian bookstores. So it is good to pray while we are reading, asking God to enable us to discern truth from error. Most of us forget most of what we have read as soon as we have put the book down, and the little we do remember is usually lost over time. So it is good to pray after we have read, asking the Lord to help us retain what is good so that our lives will be lived for His glory.

“Lord God, You have made me to live for Your glory. Grant that even in my reading I will glorify You. Before I read, guide me to the right books so that I will not wander into the way of error but walk in the path of truth. As I read, feed me with Your truth so that I will not pollute my mind with junk food but will nourish my soul with sound teaching. And after I have finished reading, help me to live according Your truth so that I will not be a reader only but a doer also of Your Word. Amen.”

Copyright 2001, 2004 by R.G. Nugent.

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Books are listed in chronological order from the earliest to the latest. They can be read in any order.

• Saint Augustine, Confessions (republished by Penguin Classics). The spiritual biography of the greatest of the church fathers continues to inspire 1,600 years after it was written.
• Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will (republished by James Clarke). J.I Packer called this work “the greatest piece of theological writing to come from Luther’s pen.”
• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (republished by Westminster Press). The best systematic theology ever published. The translation by Ford Lewis Battles is best.
• John Owen, The Mortification of Sin (republished by Banner of Truth). Owen was the greatest of the puritans and although he is not always easy to read he amply repays the effort.
• Richard Baxter, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest (republished by Hodder Christian Classics). These meditations on heaven were written by a leading puritan pastor during his final illness.
• John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress (republished by Banner of Truth). Has been called “the greatest book which an Englishman has given to mankind.” Spurgeon read it 100 times.
• Blaise Pascal, Pensees (republished by Penguin Classics). These unfinished notes by the great French mathematician are a remarkable and thought-provoking defense of Christian belief.
• Samuel Rutherford, Letters (republished by Banner of Truth). Spurgeon held Rutherford’s Letters to be “the nearest thing to inspiration which can be found in all the writings of mere men.”
• Jonathan Edwards, The Life and Diary of David Brainerd (republished by Baker). The moving diary of a pioneer missionary to the American Indians who died while in his twenties.
• C.H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (republished by Pilgrim Publications). There are 62 annual volumes of Spurgeon’s sermons and any volume is worth its weight in gold.

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Over the years several people have asked me to make a list of my favourite Christian books. In response to their requests, I have made three lists: my top ten biographies, my top ten books on the Christian life, and my top ten books for pastors. Below is the list of my favourite books on living the Christian life. It is of course a personal list and others would choose different titles. I have chosen books which I have found personally helpful and which are written for “the person in the pew” rather than for pastors and academics. I have not included older titles as I plan to make another list of my favourite Christian classics. Sadly, I have had to leave off my list several very helpful books which are now out of print. The books are listed in alphabetical order of their authors.

• John Blanchard, Right with God (Banner of Truth). This is the best book I know for explaining the gospel to non-Christians and new Christians.
• Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace (Navpress). Jerry Bridges helps us to get off the performance treadmill and experience God’s transforming grace.
• John Chapman, Know and Tell the Gospel (Matthias Media). This book is a must read for every Christian who wants to learn how to share the gospel.
• D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression (Eerdmans). A great physician of souls diagnoses the causes of spiritual depression and prescribes the cures.
• Kris Lundgaard, The Enemy Within (P&R). Kris Lundgaard teaches us how to fight and win the war against sin in language all of us can understand.
• Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Supernatural Living for Natural People (P&R). This exposition of Romans chapter eight teaches us how to live by the Spirit.
• John Piper, Desiring God (Inter-Varsity Press). John Piper reminds us that we find our deepest happiness in God and teaches us how to enjoy Him.
• Kenneth F.W. Prior, The Way of Holiness (Inter-Varsity Press). This is the best introduction to the biblical teaching on sanctification that I have seen.
• James S. Spiegel, How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad (Kregel). Gives practical steps for growing twenty-two virtues such as humility and kindness.
• Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Navpress). Gives practical guidance for such disciplines as prayer and meditation.

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Over the years several people have asked me to make a list of my favourite Christian books. In response to their requests, I have made three lists my top ten biographies, my top ten books on the Christian life, and my top ten books for pastors. Below is the list of my favourite Christian biographies. It is of course a personal list and others would choose different titles. I have chosen books which I have found spiritually helpful and/or whose subjects are historically important. I recommend them to those wanting books that will not only give you interesting information but will also help you to grow in your faith. The list includes two reformers, two evangelists, two theologians, two missionaries and two pastors. The books are listed in chronological order of their subjects.

• Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Abingdon Press). The life of the great German reformer.
• Alister McGrath, A Life of John Calvin (Basil Blackwell). The life of the great French-Swiss reformer.
• Arnold Dalimore, George Whitfield (Volumes 1 & 2) (Banner of Truth). The life of the great English evangelist of the eighteenth century.
• Iain H. Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography (Banner of Truth). The life of the great American theologian of the eighteenth century.
• Jonathan Edwards, editor, The Diary of David Brainerd (Baker Books). The diary of a pioneer missionary to the American Indians.
• John Sargent, The Life and Letters of Henry Martyn (Banner of Truth). The life of a pioneer missionary to India and Persia.
• Bennett Tyler and Andrew Bonar, The Life and Labours of Asahel Nettleton (Banner of Truth). The life of an evangelist in a time of spiritual revival.
• Ned B. Stonehouse, J. Gresham Machen: A Biographical Memoir (Banner of Truth). The life of a theologian in a time of theological conflict.
• Iain H. Murray, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Volumes 1 & 2) (Banner of Truth). The story of a great preacher and pastor.
• Timothy Dudley-Smith, John Stott (Volumes 1 & 2) (Inter-Varsity Press). The story of a great preacher and pastor.

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