Book Reviews
All Things for Good, or A Divine Cordial by Thomas Watson
If you ever wondered why apparently bad things happen, here is the answer. As a Christian we enjoy God’s sovereignty by never having to be depressed or worried or discouraged or have anxiety because of what happens in or lives, jobs, government or anywhere, because we know all things work for good. If this constant peace, rest, freedom from frustration and joy are not your constant experience then you need to read this book. For lack of knowledge or belief of what is real, we suffer needlessly. Truth sets us free. This should be the experience we have daily. This does not mean we do not feel sorrow or pain at the moment something occurs, but it means we at the same time we have a peace that passes understanding and will not have prolonged misery without a joy and contentment. We can feel that all is well and experience this peace by deciding to trust God and resting on His fatherly care for all our cares. Worry is not a means of grace we are to use. If you would like to have this experience for the rest of your life that He has provided us, you just need to know what this preacher teaches us about why things happen to Christians and why how they are really good for us. Continual peace is a great blessing available for all Christians while others must fret and suffer through life. You can struggle and worry through life or you can read this book and have peace.
The Bruised Reed & The Smoking Flax ~ By Richard Sibbes
Sibbes is referred to as the Heavenly Doctor & Spurgeon says, “ he never wastes the student’s time, he scatters pearls & diamonds with both hands”. Certainly in this classic work on the scriptural promises of comfort to the believer bruised by sin & discipline from the Lord, he reminds us of the love & gentleness & acceptance God still has for us no matter how weak we are. He helps motivate you to continue to press on against sin & temptations of the flesh by learning dependence on the Spirit in every area of our life. He shows you Christ’s comfort from scripture, in the midst of pain or grief & regret, so that you fall not into depression or despondency & hopelessness. Yet he is extremely balanced that those who have no right to the comfort & are not truly bruised, might not think themselves partakers of the Lord’s kind mercies, & comfort to His smoking flax. He teaches us not to confuse stinking firebrands for smoking flax & that none claim mercy more than those most deserving of severity. He helps us see the difference between infirmities of the flesh & a carnal person who still enjoys even one area of sin or lust to remain in his life. But he upholds the fearful & sad, as they see the occasional act of sin or rise of passion still occur, with the sweet comforts & mercies of Christ to even the weakest of His true converts. He shows why the enemy seems to prevail, but reminds us of Christ’s ultimate victory & our right to it, as we are being prepared to behold all His glory. If you want to be more comforted and less afflicted of conscience & your love to Christ to grow, become one of Sibbes’ patients comforted with his Balm from scripture.
The Christian – Following Christ as Lord ~ By William Webster
A short easy to read book that became one of my all time favorites as soon as I read it.
It takes us through the Christian life and experience from the Pre-eminence of Worship as a purpose for our lives to the fact we should experience victory over sin not just a struggle with it. He points out how Justification established Lordship over our lives and that a carnal life is not the experience of a true Christian. He shows how the new covenant gives us the ability to keep the law and obey Christ’s word. He shows that conversion results in marks like our desire to know, love and obey Christ. This work gives a clear distinct trumpet call of the grace of God in the gospel and its work in the true believer. He points clearly that the Christian is one who follows Christ as Lord and what this looks like in life. Good practical concepts that will likely impact your life. You may want to give this book out over and over to others as well as re-read it. A good one to have more than one copy on hand.
Dispensationalism : Rightly Dividing the People of God. Keith Mathison, P&R pub
This easy to read book with short chapters was written by a man who studied for 2 years at Dallas Theol. Cemetery then transferred to Reformed Theol Seminary. He writes in a brief simple fashion but has enough evidence to solidly establish any reformed person as well as cause any serious thinking dispensationally inclined minister to have to re-study the issues. He deals predominantly with the errors of mainstream evangelicals surprisingly covering more than just dispensationalism itself. He shows how modern dispensationalism involves many other errors besides covenants and the church. He has chapters on their Arminian views of salvation, justification, regeneration, the 5 points, absence of Lordship salvation and even end time issues; Pre-trib Rapture and Pre-mil eschatology. He shows how you can refute these from scripture. I strongly encourage all believers to read this work to become solid and unwavering in their awareness of the severe errors of the whole system of thinking in dispensational evangelicalism today. You may then be able to help turn others from the error of their way. Ja 5:20. Bible verses are listed but not written out in many cases; so you need to have a Bible handy to look them up for most effect. But he has a great bibliography of books for more in depth proof of the issues and refutation of the errors held by most dispensationalists. He does not do a strong job in explaining the covenant of Works and Grace and that all people since the garden are under grace. This knowledge helps explain the misconception some dispensationalists have in thinking Israel was under the covenant of works for salvation rather than grace.
The Israel Of God, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow ~ by O. Palmer Robertson
A most Vital work on a subject we all need to understand clearly. We are Israel; we always were intended to be Israel. This glorious truth, which has been hidden from most of professing Christendom today by the errors of modern Dispensational teaching, grants us a view into the history of redemption at its broadest point.
The clear explanation of the teaching in this book restores to us an understanding so that we can enjoy much more the glory of the plan of redemption God designed. We are able to see the covenant for one church throughout history, the one body and the gospel taken to the ends of the earth to gather all true members of spiritual Israel from all nations. We can understand that national Israel was only intended as a temporal picture with all its types fulfilled in Christ and pointing to His true heavenly Israel the Kingdom of God with all the elect. Robertson masterfully removes the veils of the mystery of the hardening of the Jews and the grafting in of Gentiles as he shows what God intended with the Land, the People, True Worship and The Kingdom, each being chapters. Holding incorrect views of redemptive history have an impact on many important areas of our lives, from international policy errors, to baptism, to sanctification from sin and obedience to the Law.
Enjoy the blessing of ” going on to spiritual maturity” as you experience a deeper insight into realizing Abraham was not a Jew, and Israel was never a race, but a group of people in covenant to worship and bring the Messiah to the world. If you think that you may never have fully freed yourself from the clouds of dispensational influences, a vast clarity awaits. Or if you want to be able to show others from scripture that there was only one plan of redemption, one covenant for all, one body of Christ and clear the error of thinking that there will be another way of salvation for Jews in the last days with a restored priesthood, its all here!
Life of God in the Soul of Man ~ By Henry Scougal
A commendation of this book by George Whitfield who was raised by the Methodist Wesleys in his early years of religion, makes ever so clear the need and use of this book. He says, I never knew what true religion was until God sent me this excellent treatise. Though a short easy read you may want to linger with it and peruse it over and over as the cow chews the cud. For it distinguishes clearly the regenerated life from that of more common religious experience and teaching that seeks to get people to conform to a lifestyle by effort and restraint. So many feel that Christianity is a set of rules and that we have to obey the commandments and restrict ourselves from what we would rather enjoy. Scougal points out that, that is not the Spiritual life of a regenerated person to whom all things have become new and the law is written on their heart. They delight in the law and find themselves inclined to live in accord with the word; seeing it as a wise and preferable way as well. Their thinking, being regenerated as well as their desires, they are consumed by their love to be with and live like Christ. The minister who performed Scougal’s funeral said of this book, that the importance of the book is that it contains a clear representation of the life and spirit of true religion and its graces, the proposals for the most effectual motives for attaining to it… If you would like a vision of what a deeper experience in your life can be like, as you are enticed to fall more in love with Christ you will enjoy reading these short sections; which could be read as a daily devotional. The excellencies of Christ’s life are pointed out as examples, along with the means and duties we enjoin to enter this freedom and enjoyment of a holy life. Agreeing with the principal of King’s college who said he blessed God for it and wished it a place in every family; I encourage you to see what God brought forth from the mind and experience of a 27 year old author.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/scougal/life.html
The Peacemaker by Ken Sande
An excellent work on resolving conflicts and restoring relationships. It points out that our duty and the way Christians interact with one another on the covenant according to Matt. 18. Many examples of successful situations as well as suggested scripts of the kinds of things you can say to another person to begin a conversation about an area of conflict or a sin observed are provided. If you hold back and fail to be obedient in the area of confrontation or would even just desire being more free and better at it, you will find this book a very practical support. Jesus told us to love one another and restoration is one of the ways we show this love. To leave a brother or sister in sin because you feel you may be inadequate to discuss the matter with them is not an excuse. This book can give you the preparation and confidence to be a peacemaker and serve many others in the church as well as your own family. This may even help you to save yourself from sad situations or even lawsuits, simply by having ideas of how to Biblically resolve a matter. Christ says these are the words and actions He will bless; do we wonder why we lack blessing and usefulness among the covenant people? Perhaps our neglect of following Christ by being a peacemaker and part of the solution is the reason why. Problems just don’t go away if we ignore them, they get worse. This is why God has told us how we can live peaceably with all men, Christian and non alike. Part 4 Go & Be Reconciled, is an excellent demonstration that we must forgive others as God forgives us. How would we like it if God said, I forgive you but I don’t want to be friends anymore? In other words, are you forgiving others as Christ forgave you? If not this book may be a vital stimulation to the most important area of your life. Remember Matt 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. NKJV
