19. The Goodness of God in the Gift of Scripture

19. The Goodness of God in the Gift of Scripture. Uche Anizor. 2026. 224 pages. [Source: Review copy] [Christian nonfiction, theology, 5 stars]

First sentence: The twentieth-century pastor and writer A.W. Tozer famously wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us... Worship is pure or base as teh worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God." The shape of our worship and the course of our lives are dictated by our sense of what God is like. This conviction led Tozer to conclude that "the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like." I have often wondered if what Tozer said about our view of God is equally true regarding our view of Scripture, God's word. What comes into our minds when we think about the Bible?

In this book we have twenty meditations on the Word of God, on Scripture, taken from (inspired by) Psalm 119. 

Psalm 119 is AMAZING and wonderful and extremely practical and packed with insights and truth. Truly it is a love song to the Word of God. I highly recommend reading this Psalm often. It would be my hope that believers instead of "dreading" this long Psalm would come to LOVE it and see it for what it is. 

So let's unpack the title. Scripture is GOD-BREATHED. Here we have the very words of God Himself. We have his revelation. That revelation is a GIFT, the best gift, the truest gift. And this gift is one of an infinite amount of proofs that God is GOOD. He gave us HIS word so we would come to know him, love him, seek him, serve him, obey him, ENJOY HIM, glory in him. It is more than just "knowing" right from wrong. It is a GIFT of relationship. Scripture reveals the GIFTS the LORD has given us. So it isn't just one gift--but many--beyond what we can fathom. 

Chapter titles unpack the "gifts" of Scripture:

The Gift of Blessedness

The Gift of Purity

The Gift of No Shame

The Gift of a Wonderful Counselor

The Gift of Fear

The Gift of Salvation

The Gift of Fruitfulness

the Gift of Warnings

The Gift of Peace

The Gift of Understanding

The Gift of Sight

The Gift of Nourishment

The Gift of Strength in Addiction

The Gift of True Truth

The Gift of Freedom

The Gift of Life

The Gift of Joy

The Gift of Wisdom

The Gift of Righteousness

The Gift of Hope

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

83. Ryle on the Christian Life

83. Ryle on the Christian Life: Growing in Grace. Andrew Atherstone. 2025. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy, 4 stars, christian biography, theology, christian nonfiction]

First sentence: The Bible was the foundational text for Ryle's Christian life and public ministry. 

This one is part of Crossway's THEOLOGIANS ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE series.

It blends biography and theology, though heavier on theology. It is a topical approach instead of strictly chronological. 

J.C. Ryle was a Victorian pastor--a writer. He was a writer of tracts. Many if not most of his tracts were later rearranged and reused in [compilation] books. These books are still read. Readers might think of him as writing books more than tracts. But many books had their origins in his tracts. [Holiness is one of J.C. Ryle's greatest books.]

The chapters include:

Scripture's Supremacy

Sin and Salvation

Conversion

Sovereign Grace

Heart Religion

Fruits of Faith

Fighting for Holiness

Means of Grace

Preaching

Sorrow and Affliction

Facing Eternity.

The book, as I mentioned, is arranged topically. Plenty of biographical facts are shared as well--placing him within the context of HIS life, his times, his society, his works. Each chapter is topical. AND each chapter features Ryle in his own words mainly. I think that's wonderful. I'd rather read what Ryle has to say on a subject than to read a summary of what Ryle thought on a subject. I think this one would be a great introduction to J.C. Ryle! 

Quotes:

• Prove all things by the Word of God--all ministers, all teaching, all preaching, all doctrines, all sermons, all writings, all opinions, all practices--prove all by the Word of God. Measure all by the measure of the Bible. Compare all with the standard of the Bible. Weigh all in the balances of the Bible. Examine all by the light of the Bible. Test all in the crucible of the Bible. That which can abide the fire of the Bible, receive, hold, believe, and obey. That which cannot abide the fire of the Bible, reject, refuse, repudiate, and cast away. ~ J.C. Ryle
• Follow us so far as we follow Christ, but not a hair's breadth farther. Believe whatever we can show you out of the Bible, but do not believe a single word more. ~ J.C. Ryle

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

34. Cries from the Cross

34. Cries from the Cross. Erwin Lutzer. 2002. Moody. 170 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, christian nonfiction]

First sentence: Were you there when they crucified my Lord? As a child I wondered what those words could possibly mean. Obviously, the author of the hymn intended that we answer yes to the question. And yet, what could be clearer than the fact that I was not there when they crucified my Lord? 

Cries from the Cross is a wonderful book--whether you are reading it for the first time or treating yourself to a reread. In this one, Lutzer is examining Jesus' words spoken from the cross. There is a chapter for each of Jesus' seven statements or 'cries.' There's also a preface, introduction, and epilogue that help set the book into context. 

Do you know what Jesus' seven cries from the cross were? Have you considered how they can speak into your life--how they relate to you personally? If you haven't--or even if you have--it's worth pondering (again). I know that 'pondering' or 'meditating' or 'reflecting' takes time and that the average person prioritizes just about everything else over silence or quiet--but at what costs to our souls? 

Here they are in the order in which he writes about them:

• A Cry for Pardon: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
• A Cry of Assurance: "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)
• A Cry of Compassion: "Dear woman, here is your son...Here is your mother." (John 19:26-27)
• A Cry of Anguish: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
• A Cry of Suffering: "I am thirsty." (John 19:28)
• A Cry of Victory: "It is finished." (John 19:30)
• A Cry of Submission: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)

Lutzer clearly and passionately shares the gospel message--that old, old story--that gospel message that when empowered by the Spirit--through the Spirit--can transform lives and take people out of darkness and into the light.

I love, love, love, love, LOVE this one. It is a thrilling read. This was my second or perhaps third time to read it.

Quotes:

To stand at the foot fo the cross is to witness the purpose for which God created the world. Here we see the attributes of God on display; and if we look carefully, we will see ourselves, with all of our needs, sins, and self-deceptions. Thankfully, it is at the cross that God chose to remove His wrath from those who would humbly trust Christ as their sin-bearer. (11)

The cross properly understood exalts no one whom it first does not humble; it gives life only to those whom it first "puts to death." The cross exposes the futility of our self-righteousness; it reminds us that we are sinners, incapable of bringing about our own reconciliation with God. Before the cross we can only stand with bowed heads and a broken spirit. (16)

Unless we see ourselves as deserving of the verdict that Pilate gave to Jesus, unless we see ourselves as worthy of hell, we will never understand the Cross. Someone has said that it is difficult for us to embrace the cross in a day when personal enjoyment is king. Contrary to popular belief, the central message of Christianity is not the Sermon on the Mount or Jesus' parables about love toward one's neighbor. The message that changed the first-century world was that human beings are guilty, helplessly guilty of sins for which they cannot atone. The cross shatters all pride and undercuts the ultimate value of self-effort. The cross stands as proof of God's great love but also reveals our own ugliness. (17)

The church can only live and breathe at the cross; without it, there is no life and no reason to exist. Properly proclaimed, it is "the power of God unto salvation." (19)

Jesus' suffering was terrible for the simple reason that our sin is terrible. (20)

No one can experience the eternal favor of God if they bypass the cross. (25)

Christ was forsaken that we might not be; He experienced hell that we might experience heaven. (28)

Forgiveness sounds like a marvelous idea until you are the one who has to do it. (33)

Words of forgiveness came from His lips when the nails were being driven into His body, when the pain was fiercest, when the jolts of anguish were the sharpest; He prayed as the cross was lowered into the hole with a thud. It was then, when His nerves were yet the most tender, when the pain was the most unfathomable, He who was the victim of history's greatest crime prayed for the criminals. He could forgive because He was about His Father's business. (36-7)

God never lowers His standard of justice to the level of our ignorance. Sins committed in ignorance are still sins. The guilt of those who crucified Jesus was real and objective regardless of how much they understood or did not understand. (41)

We have no idea of the greatness of our sin because we do not understand the greatness of our God. But we have fewer excuses today than ever; we have no reason to turn away from the savior who left us powerful witnesses to His authenticity. (42)

The prayer was not for those who did not want to be forgiven, but for those who would seek it. (45)

Are some sins "unpardonable"? The answer is no, for if the murder of the Son of God was "forgivable" for those who sought forgiveness, then all sins can be forgiven. (46)

There is no unpardonable sin for those who come to Christ for forgiveness. For those who refuse Him, all sins are unpardonable. (46)

He who needed no forgiveness died for those of us who are condemned without it. (47)

Although God forgives us because of Christ, it is neither His job nor His obligation to do so. He forgives us because of undeserved mercy toward us whose just punishment is hell. The cross is the bridge of redeeming love; on it, we walk across the chasm to God, who graciously provided forgiveness for those who believe. If we do not understand this, we do not understand the gospel. (47)

At His birth He was surrounded by beasts, and, now in His death, with criminals. Let no one say God has stayed aloof from the brokenness of our fallen world. He descended that we might ascend with Him to newness of life. (54)

Helplessness is not a curse if it draws us to the only One who can help us. Indeed, if we are not helpless, we cannot be saved. (56)

Jesus was numbered with the transgressors so that you and I could be numbered with the redeemed. Though personally sinless, He was counted as a transgressor by both God and man. He got what He didn't deserve, namely, our sin; and we got what we didn't deserve, namely, His righteousness. (66)

Warren Wiersbe points out that this man was not saved at his last opportunity, but at his first opportunity. (68)

The thief's forgiveness reminds us that there is more grace in God's heart than sin in our past. (69)

If we had been there, how close would we have stood to the cross? Nearby or at a comfortable distance? Would we have been intimidated by the mob, or would we have gladly let the angry rabble-rousers know that we were followers of the Man hanging on the middle cross? Would we stand nearby even if the cross cost us as much as it cost Christ? (82)

Christ did not die to make the Father loving, for He loved us from the foundation of the world. (89)

The first purpose of the cross was not for us, but for God. Yes, Jesus shed His blood for us, but it is even more true to say that He shed His blood for the Father. When the blood was sprinkled on the doorposts of the houses in Egypt, it was put there for the benefit of the families, but it was also put there for God. Jehovah said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). (100)

Let us remember that He was forsaken by God that we might be accepted by Him... Jesus went through darkness that we might have light. He was cursed that we might be blessed. He was condemned that we might be able to say, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). He suffered hell for us so that we can enjoy heaven with Him. (103)

Either Jesus bears our sin, or we do. If the Father turned His face away from His beloved Son when He was regarded as a sinner, we can be sure that the Father will turn away from every sinner who stands before the Judgement Bar on his own merits. We are either saved by His rejection, or we must bear our own rejection for all of eternity. If those who are in hell should cry, "Why have You forsaken me?" heaven shall remain silent, for they receive the just recompense for their deeds. (103-4)

As Matthew Henry put it, "The torments of hell are represented by a violent thirst, in the complaint of the rich man who begged for a drop of water to cool his tongue. To that everlasting thirst we had all been condemned, if Christ had not suffered on the cross." Hell is heightened desires with decreased satisfaction. Hell is the inflamed desires of the body, with no possibility of a drink. Hell is remembering the Living Water we could have enjoyed on earth that would have taken us to heaven. Hell is a lake of fire, a place of endless, unquenchable thirst. Thankfully, Jesus suffered parched lips that we might be able to drink from the wells of salvation. He endured the thirst of hell, so that its fires might be quenched for us. Of those in heaven we read, "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:16-17). (115)

Jesus drank from the cup of death that we might be able to drink from the cup of life. (116)

If your spirit does not go into the hands of God for sakekeeping, it will go into the hands of God for judgment. (146)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

18. Knowledge of the Holy

18. Knowledge of the Holy. A.W. Tozer. 1961/1978. HarperCollins. 128 pages. [Source: Book I Bought] [5 stars]

First sentence from chapter one: What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, justas her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech. She can never escape the self-disclosure of her witness concerning God.

I have read A.W. Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy four times now, I believe. I reviewed it in 2012, 2014, 2017,  2021, 2022,  2025. It is one of my all-time favorite books to read and reread. I always am struck by something new. I always find new quotes to share. 

Can a book be both theological and devotional? It's a tricky combination to pull off, I think. But A.W. Tozer's classic Knowledge of the Holy is one of the best examples I've ever read. It is both theological--of substance and depth--and devotional--written with the pure intent to make your heart love and love greatly your Lord and Savior. Why learn more about God? So you can love him more, so you can worship him in spirit and truth. Tozer is urging readers to meditate on God, to meditate on God's glory--his majesty. He's saying DELIGHT IN GOD.  

It is a short book that I'd recommend to just about anyone. It is a book EVERY Christian needs to consider picking up. Even if you're not typically a reader of theology.

Knowledge of the Holy is very reader-friendly. Each chapter is short--just three or four pages, which is why I think it would be a great choice for a devotional. The content has weight to it--it is a book ABOUT God how could it be anything else? Yet. At the same time, it is written in a style that is simple and straight-forward.  

  

Why read A.W. Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy?

Because…"It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is."

Because…"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Because…"Wrong ideas about God are not only the fountain from which the polluted waters of idolatry flow; they are themselves idolatrous. The idolater simply imagines things about God and acts as if they were true."

Because... "If we insist upon trying to imagine Him, we end with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts; and an idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand."

Because…"We can never know who or what we are till we know at least something of what God is."

Because…"It is not a cheerful thought that millions of us who live in a land of Bibles, who belong to churches and labor to promote the Christian religion, may yet pass our whole life on this earth without once having thought or tried to think seriously about the being of God."

Technically, all those reasons are reasons to read the Good Book, the Word of God, Holy Scriptures. But I think the Holy Spirit can and will use Tozer's words--long after he's dead--to inspire new generations to seek God.

Favorite quotes:

It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is.

Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech. She can never escape the self-disclosure of her witness concerning God.

That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us. Compared with our actual thoughts about Him, our creedal statements are of little consequence. Our real idea of God may lie buried under the rubbish of conventional religious notions and may require an intelligent and vigorous search before it is finally unearthed and exposed for what it is. Only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God.

Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them.

The idolatrous heart assumes that God is other than He is - in itself a monstrous sin - and substitutes for the true God one made after its own likeness. Always this God will conform to the image of the one who created it and will be base or pure, cruel or kind, according to the moral state of the mind from which it emerges.

A god begotten in the shadows of a fallen heart will quite naturally be no true likeness of the true God.

The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. It begins in the mind and may be present where no overt act of worship has taken place.

The idolater simply imagines things about God and acts as if they were true.

If we insist upon trying to imagine Him, we end with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts; and an idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand.

The study of the attributes of God, far from being dull and heavy, may for the enlightened Christian be a sweet and absorbing spiritual exercise. To the soul that is athirst for God, nothing could be more delightful.

An attribute of God is whatever God has in any way revealed as being true of Himself.

An attribute, as we can know it, is a mental concept, an intellectual response to God's self-revelation. It is an answer to a question, the reply God makes to our interrogation concerning himself.

The doctrine of the divine unity means not only that there is but one God; it means also that God is simple, uncomplex, one with Himself. He need not suspend one to exercise another, for in Him all His attributes are one. All of God does all that God does; He does not divide himself to perform a work, but works in the total unity of His being.

The divine attributes are what we know to be true of God. He does not possess them as qualities; they are how God is as He reveals Himself to His creatures. Love, for instance, is not something God has and which may grow or diminish or cease to be. His love is the way God is, and when He loves He is simply being Himself.

To meditate on the three Persons of the Godhead is to walk in thought through the garden eastward in Eden and to tread on holy ground.

Because we are the handiwork of God, it follows that all our problems and their solutions are theological.

The fact of God is necessary to the fact of man. Think God away and man has no ground of existence.

Sin has many manifestations but its essence is one. A moral being, created to worship before the throne of God, sits on the throne of his own selfhood and from that elevated position declares, "I AM." That is sin in its concentrated essence; yet because it is natural it appears to be good. It is only when in the gospel the soul is brought before the face of the Most Holy One without the protective shield of ignorance that the frightful moral incongruity is brought home to the conscience. In the language of evangelism the man who is thus confronted by the fiery presence of Almighty God is said to be under conviction.

The Christian religion has to do with God and man, but its focal point is God, not man. Man's only claim to importance is that he was created in the divine image; in himself he is nothing.

Unbelief is actually perverted faith, for it puts its trust not in the living God but in dying men.

For every man it must be Christ or eternal tragedy. 

Abounding sin is the terror of the world, but abounding grace is the hope of mankind.

The Christian witness through the centuries has been that "God so loved the world . . ."; it remains for us to see that love in the light of God's infinitude. His love is measureless. It is more: it is boundless. It has no bounds because it is not a thing but a facet of the essential nature of God. His love is something He is, and because He is infinite that love can enfold the whole created world in itself and have room for ten thousand times ten thousand worlds beside.

God cannot change for the better. Since He is perfectly holy, He has never been less holy than He is now and can never be holier than He is and has always been. Neither can God change for the worse. Any deterioration within the unspeakably holy nature of God is impossible. Indeed I believe it impossible even to think of such a thing, for the moment we attempt to do so, the object about which we are thinking is no longer God but something else and someone less than He.

In God no change is possible; in men change is impossible to escape. 

God never changes moods or cools off in His affections or loses enthusiasm. His attitude toward sin is now the same as it was when He drove out the sinful man from the eastward garden, and His attitude toward the sinner the same as when He stretched forth His hands and cried, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

God will not compromise and He need not be coaxed. He cannot be persuaded to alter His Word nor talked into answering selfish prayer. In all our efforts to find God, to please Him, to commune with Him, we should remember that all change must be on our part. "I am the Lord, I change not."

We can hold a correct view of truth only by daring to believe everything God has said about Himself.

We do God more honor by believing what He has said about Himself and having the courage to come boldly to the throne of grace than by hiding in self-conscious humility among the trees of the garden.

Hell is a place of no pleasure because there is no love there. Heaven is full of music because it is the place where the pleasures of holy love abound. Earth is the place where the pleasures of love are mixed with pain, for sin is here, and hate and ill will. In such a world as ours love must sometimes suffer, as Christ suffered in giving Himself for His own.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

15. Truth Unchanged, Unchanging

15. Truth Unchanged Unchanging. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. 1951/1993. Crossway. 128 pages. [Source: Bought] [4 stars, apologetics, lectures, christian nonfiction, 1947]

First sentence: What is man? Any true consideration of man and his problems in the modern world must answer that question. If the basic idea of what man is is a mistaken one, so of necessity will be the view of his troubles and what can be done for him. 

Truth Unchanged Unchanging began its life as a series of lectures given by Martyn Lloyd-Jones in 1947. It was first published in book form in 1951. Crossway republished it in 1993. The lectures have an apologetic vibe. The lectures address basic questions that "universal man" is asking and seeking answers to. It is very much written with a twentieth-century view, and perhaps slightly older than mid-century philosophy. That is not at all to say--not even a little bit--that the answers are any less relevant or any less true. Just that the specific questions and the arguments against Christian answers will have shifted and changed. Particularly the arguments against. The suppositions/presuppositions will have perhaps changed as well. Again, Lloyd-Jones' arguments FOR Christianity are ever-relevant, ever-true. At the end of almost every chapter, his writing becomes more emphatic, more persuasive. He always ends his arguments strongly. 

Chapter titles include:

• What is Man?
• What is Wrong with Man?
• Sincerity versus Truth
• The Simple Gospel
• Is the Gospel Still Relevant?

Quotes:

Man cannot rehabilitate his true self. He cannot find God. Man can lose his own soul, but he can never find it again. He can kill and destroy it, but he cannot create it anew. And were it not for one thing he would go inevitably to the eternal fire of Hell. But, thank God, there is that one thing. "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10). Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, came down to earth and lived and died and rose again in order to save. He has borne the punishment that we deserve on account of sin and for spoiling and marring the image of God upon us. But more, He restores our soul to us. He gives us a new nature and fills us with power that will enable us to express this new and true self even as He expressed it Himself. (35)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

13. Christ Crucified

13. Christ Crucified: A Theology of Galatians. Thomas R. Schreiner. 2024. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy] [christian nonfiction, theology, bible commentary, 4 stars]

First sentence: Galatians heralds the truth of the gospel, and this gospel stands as the authority over all people everywhere.

Who is this book for? Who is this book not for? I feel that the casual bible reader with little to moderate experience with scholarly deep-dives will struggle with this book. Primarily for two reasons: first, Galatians is a weighty book to unpack. It covers some of the same topics as Paul's letter to the Romans, however, it is less general, more specific, and more layered. You have a LOT of decoding context to do before you even get to the theological bits. Second, the book is scholarly. This in and of itself is neither good nor bad. It is what it is. This is not something that can be read, understood, comprehended, mastered by a casual read-through. It requires YOU the reader to engage in complex, weighty theological ideas and concepts so that you can keep up or follow along with the author. If your understanding begins to weaken, if things begin to slide right on over your head, there is no "catching up" and "muddling through" and hoping that the next chapter will clarify. For those more experienced with [weighty] theology and are used to reading scholarly books--textbooks even--then this one will prove an easier go. 

One thing that I was able to appreciate was its clarity. You might be confused. Didn't I just say this one was too complex for the average reader? (And I am definitely in that grouping with this one. I struggled.) The book is clearly laid out and organized. It tells you what to expect in each part or section, each chapter. Each chapter has a CONCLUSION which sums up the main points of the chapter. If nothing else, the conclusions help clarify some of the arguments. If not for the conclusions, then I might have given up all hope of finishing this one. 

What I did read and understand--there were some bits--I found thought-provoking. I appreciated that he was trying to put the book into context and piece together WHAT Paul's opponents actually-actually believed instead of just diving into the Scripture itself. If Paul is arguing THIS in response, can we figure out more clearly WHAT position(s) were being held. At one point it was like theological algebra--solving for x. The discussion on circumcision, for example, brought up some points that I had not considered. 

I decided to rate four stars because I think most likely what is here is solid theologically, I just couldn't quite understand it well enough to fully engage and benefit from it. Perhaps ministers and teachers could benefit more from it because it was written more on their level. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

58. The Eclipse of God

 58. The Eclipse of God: Our Nation's Disastrous Search For a More Inclusive Deity (And What We Must Do About It). Erwin W. Lutzer. 2024. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars] [christian living, culture, theology]

First sentence from the foreword: Any Christian living in this present age knows we are facing an epic crisis. That crisis is moral, but not merely moral. It is cultural but not merely cultural. It is ideological, but not merely ideological. At its heart, our crisis is theological. 

First sentence from chapter one: C.S. Lewis wrote, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." But what happens when there is an eclipse of the sun? The moon comes between the earth and the sun, blocking the sunlight from reaching the Earth. As for the sun, it shines as brightly as ever, but its light is obscured. 

The Eclipse of God is one of the best books I read in 2024. I highly recommend EVERYONE read this one. Will everyone who professes the name of Christ love it? Maybe. Maybe not. I could see how it might step on some toes here and there because it's very straight-forward, no nonsense. 

It addresses the past, the present, and the future. How did we end up in this "epic crisis"? The book does a deep dive as to WHY we are in this huge mess. It explains everything so clearly, so succinctly that things start to make a LOT of sense. Plenty of books try to tackle the present problems facing society and culture without really taking the time to explain the evolution of ideas, of ideology, of all the isms. 

The book doesn't dwell on the past to the exclusion of the present and future. It isn't so focused on society (and culture) that it isn't properly theology. 

I underlined SO many passages. There were chapters that were so good I kept going back to reread them. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

57. Gentle and Lowly

Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers. Dane Ortlund. 2020. 224 pages. [Source: Review copy] [3 stars] [christian nonfiction, theology, devotional]

First sentence from introduction: This is a book about the heart of Christ. Who is he? Who is he really? What is most natural to him? What ignites within him most immediately as he moves towards sinners and sufferers? What flows out most freely, most instinctively? Who is he?

I read this book twice--back to back. Why???? This is not typical for me, at all. Mostly I reread it because I spent so much time confused. Confused about if any particular sentence (or paragraph, or chapter) was true or false, biblical or unbiblical. Perhaps that might sound a little harsh. Often when people talk about distorting scripture they mean it's really been stretched and twisted and warped and is completely off. I think what I mean about this one is much more subtle, demure even. I think in some places certain scriptures are becoming the whole prescription through which the author views the whole Bible. And no one verse is really supposed to have that much hold that you don't take a more grounded big picture approach to all of Scripture. This book also seems to push a few extremes. The narrative has a shock factor to it. Which also puts me on edge slightly. If this book offers something so new and life-changing and shocking, it implies that Christians have been getting it wrong for thousands of years. 

Perhaps this book uses a shocking approach to wake people up--to engage with readers in a way that most other theology wouldn't. To wake and shake the mental slumber, to get readers to think and consider, to ponder. 

This book is heavy on Puritans and the Word of God. The book seems to hold an incredibly high view of Scripture. It is not dismissive of Scripture. Which makes it even more confusing because you naturally want to believe that their interpretation of Scripture is correct. I imagine that there are many places where they do in fact get it right. But still there's something unsettling about a few of their positions, interpretations, takes.

So the one verse that they use as a prescription to interpret the entire Bible--Genesis to Revelation is Matthew 11:29. I love that scripture in context. It's a wonderful passage of scripture. But to view the entire Bible and say that that one verse sums up everything--EVERYTHING--that the Bible has to say about the heart of God is a bit too much for me. The author says something to the effect that the Bible only talks about the heart of God [of Jesus] in one place. And again that doesn't sit right with me because I strongly disagree. SO much about God is communicated throughout all of Scripture. And this one verse is far from the only place where Jesus' heart is on display. 

The topic of this one is how does Jesus feel about sinners and sufferers. I think the answer to this is revealed in many, many, many places. Of course the book doesn't just cover Matthew 11:29. Each chapter focuses on a single verse or single passage. OR perhaps in certain cases a particular book by a Puritan (when the Puritan is covering one passage or verse). 

Again, I think there are probably many true statements in this one. But there are a few that have me uncertain and questioning. If it was just a matter of easily discerning THIS is true THAT is false, the book would not be confusing. It's this weighing doubt where I truly don't know if my instincts are right or wrong. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

55. Daily Doctrine

Daily Doctrine: A One Year Guide to Systematic Theology. Kevin DeYoung. 2024. 432 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [theology]

First sentence from the introduction: This is going to sound over the top but writing this book has been a dream come true.

First sentence from day one: The aim of Christian theology is to know, enjoy, and walk in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

This systematic theology is meant to be digested one day at a time. The book allows for five days a week. So not 365 days of systematic theology. It builds in some grace days each week. It is written from a Reformed perspective.

From the introduction, "I endeavor on every page to be biblical. A big part of systematic theology is learning the proper terms and debates and distinctions. I make no apology for teaching these things. But the overarching goal in all this learning is to understand what the Bible teaches, defend what the Bible teaches, and enjoy the God whom the Bible reveals."

He goes on to say that the book can be enjoyed as a daily devotional, a reference book, or a "mini" systematic theology. 

It is well organized. Each reading is a building block. 

Some entries ARE accessible. Some have a truly must-read aspect to them because the entry is so central, so foundational, so essential to understanding the Christian faith. Because they are so essential, so core, these do have a more practical aspect to them. A certain thrilling aspect to unpack, a HOW CAN IT BE, ISN'T IT WONDERFUL. Entries that lead to gratitude, rejoicing, peace. 

For example, the chapters on the atonement are absolutely WONDERFUL. And that's just one example. There are, of course, many, many more.

Other entries are less accessible. I will say that ALL entries are intellectual in nature. But some are extra scholarly and dry. These daily entries are more difficult to comprehend and unpack, and, on the surface at least they seem to have less of an impact on the day-to-day lives of Christians. There are certainly chapters where the vocabulary is challenging. I have read many theological books through the years, so I thought I would have a fair grasp of the material. I was wrong. This isn't a bad thing. Just to say that there may be entire weeks where a reader is struggling to make sense of the text AND to put the pieces of the puzzle together in terms of so what. Why does knowing this impact me right here, right now. 

Again, there were plenty of days that were impactful and accessible and relevant. But I had imagined in my head a book where every day would be incredibly nourishing and amazing. There are plenty of rewarding days. There are. But this book will require effort. It may require rereading passages. It may require looking up unfamiliar vocabulary. It may require some extra research to see if you can find easier explanations of some concepts. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

46. Tracing God's Story

Tracing God's Story: An Introduction to Biblical Theology. Jon Nielson. 2024. 384 pages. [Source: Review copy] [christian nonfiction; theology] [5 stars]

First sentence: Biblical theology is a discipline that seeks to discover theology (truth about God and his work) through the gradual and progressive revelation of his saving plan in the story of the Bible. This is often done by tracing certain themes or ideas through Scripture from beginning to end--Genesis to Revelation. The core conviction of those who practice the discipline of biblical theology is that the Bible is a unified work--a book inspired by one divine author (God) and given to human beings to help them understand his broad saving plan, which ultimately was accomplished through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. 

Tracing God's Story is one of three books in an introductory theology series. Two have been published so far. The first book, Knowing God's Truth, I reviewed last month. It was an introduction to systematic theology. Though written by the same author, the approach, of course, is different. 

The book "traces" the big picture story of the Bible in eight scenes:

1) God's creation and a crisis

2) God's promise of a people

3) God's people grow

4) God's kingdom--rise and fall

5) God's people--captive and coming home

6) God's salvation

7) God's church

8) God's eternity

The tracing centers on redemption and salvation. It neither follows the structure of Genesis through Revelation nor a chronological approach. It is a blended approach. 

There are suggested memory verses for all sixteen chapters. Each chapter is broken into smaller sections or chunks. 

There are also suggested readings for each section of each chapter. These readings reminded me of the old school reading guides found in The Student Bible (and the like). It does not assign readers chapters from every book of the Bible. But it does at least assign chapters from all the major genres. 

The narrative style is accessible, well thought out, clear. 

I do think Tracing God's Story would be a good choice for curriculum. 

How does it compare to Knowing God's Truth???? Honestly, I like Knowing God's Truth better. Not necessarily because I love systematic theology more than biblical theology, but perhaps because I am personally already so familiar with the story of the Bible--reading it cover to cover--that I got less out of it. I do think it would still be great for almost every reader. The goal is not necessarily to have readers read every chapter of every book of the Bible in order to grasp the big picture. It picks a few chapters here and there from all the major categories and then summarizes how they fit together. Of course, it encourages readers to go back and read more, more, more. Perhaps this is enough so readers can taste and see. Whenever I see reading plans that pick and choose which chapters from individual books to read, I always can't help thinking but you're missing out on this and this and this and this and this and what about that how can you skip that. But again, I think this is a me problem. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

43. Knowing God's Truth

Knowing God's Truth: An Introduction to Systematic Theology. Jon Nielson. 2023. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy] [5 stars]

First sentence from the introduction: This book is designed to help you think more deeply about the most important topic--the most important person--in the entire universe: God himself. 

First sentence from chapter one: What comes to mind when you hear the word theology? 

Knowing God's Truth is an introduction to systematic theology. Unfamiliar with theology? with systematic theology? No worries, this book was written for you. This book breaks everything down into basic building blocks so that anyone can understand the foundations of the christian faith. For those more familiar with theology and/or systematic theology, this one is a good refresher course. I'm guessing that even those with many years of study behind them have strengths and weaknesses. 

One thing that makes this one stand out is that it accessible, organized, precise, concise, logical. Each chapter is broken down into smaller chunks. Each chapter also BUILDS IN prayer time. I've never seen a book quite like this one that encourages readers to pray as they are reading/studying. It also includes summaries reviews at the end of each chapter. It is a thing of beauty in how simple yet uncompromising it is. 

There are twelve chapters. 

What is Theology?

The Doctrine of Scripture

The Doctrine of God

The Doctrine of Man

The Doctrine of Sin

The Doctrine of Jesus Christ

The Doctrine of Salvation

The Doctrine of Heaven and Hell

The Doctrine of the Church

The Doctrine of Angels and Demons

The Doctrine of Last Things

The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

My only small complaint--and it is by no means a deal breaker--is why save the Holy Spirit for last???? Why not place the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit either before or after Salvation? I do think one needs to study the Holy Spirit before one studies the doctrine of the Church. 

I would recommend this one to essentially anyone and everyone. I think it would be good for individual use. But I also think it would be excellent for group(s). I could see it coming in handy for private Christian schools as curriculum. I could see it being a great fit for Christian homeschoolers. I could see it being good for Sunday school classes or bible studies. I think it would work for small Christian book clubs. (Though I don't know how many small Christian book clubs read nonfiction.)  

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

35. The Justice and Goodness of God

The Justice and Goodness of God. Thomas R. Schreiner. 2024. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Why would anyone want to write on the final judgment? It might seem that anyone who writes on this theme is obsessed with the negative, with hate instead of love, with punishment instead of mercy, with crankiness instead of joy.

For a theological book, this was a short, quick, "little" read. The subject is the justice and goodness of God. How does God's goodness relate to God's justice? Would God be good if he wasn't at the same time just? The justice of God is not at odds with his attributes--obviously. A good, faithful, holy, loving, merciful God HAS to be a JUST God, a God of justice. This little book traces the justice of God throughout the Bible. He tackles this generally and broadly in the first few chapters. In the middle chapters, Schreiner focuses on justice in the New Testament. The book concludes with further implications of God's justice. How should we as Christians respond and live in light of God's justice AND goodness. The final chapter is "Salvation Shines Brighter," and indeed it does. Christians are done no favors when theologians--pastors, preachers, writers--pick and choose which of God's attributes to "allow" or preach upon. Christians need the whole counsel of the Word of God, and the Bible has a LOT to say about God's justice AND God's goodness. This book also speaks of God's holiness. 

Chapter titles:

• Only a Holy God
• The Ugliness of Sin
• Judgment in the Gospels and Acts
• Judgment in the Epistles
• Judgment in the Book of Revelation
• Living in Light of the Judgment
• Salvation Shines Brighter.

Quotes:

I am writing this book for missionaries, for pastors, for Christians in ministry, and for all Christians to remind us that judgment is fundamental to the message we proclaim so that we will not be ashamed of or neglect speaking about judgment. Indeed, I hope Christians will rejoice in judgment, not because they long for the punishment of others (since we pray and hope that all will be saved) but because judgment displays the holiness and goodness of God. Without judgment, God would not be good, and life on earth would be without meaning since our moral decisions would not ultimately matter.

The Lord loves justice because his very person, his very nature, is just. He doesn’t love justice as something outside of himself.

  If the Lord is righteous, loves righteousness, and rewards righteousness, then the converse follows as well. His love of righteousness also means that evil will be frowned on and punished.

Righteousness and goodness are compromised if evil is tolerated, ignored, and overlooked, especially when one has the power to resist wickedness. Even though judgment is often thought to be cruel, the opposite is the case. An authority who indulgently allows evil to occur without any consequence is not righteous but wicked.

As with holiness and righteousness, justice isn’t a virtue to which God conforms. Instead, God is just; he is intrinsically and inherently righteous so that justice constitutes God’s very being. Psalm 89:14 avers, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.” Because God is just, we are not surprised to read that he loves justice (Ps. 33:5) and that he delights in justice (Jer. 9:24), which is really another way of saying that the Lord delights in himself.

Judgment doesn’t take place in a vacuum; it is not arbitrary, whimsical, or capricious. As we saw in the previous chapter, judgment takes place for a reason, and the reason is human sin. Sin deserves judgment: it denies God’s lordship, deforms human beings, wars against truth, and destroys human community.

God set up the universe to function as he willed, and he isn’t absent from the world he created. He is always and ever the personal God, recompensing both the righteous and wicked according to what is right. We see here an example of retributive justice in that punishment and iniquity are bound together in a package.

When we feel and sense that we deserve judgment, the beauty and loveliness of God’s mercy stands forth in all its splendor. Forgiveness isn’t cheap or trivial but precious and costly. In forgiving sinners God does not compromise his justice. The justice of God is satisfied in the atoning sacrifice of his Son.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

19. The Bookends of the Christian Life

The Bookends of the Christian Life. Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington. 2009. March 2009. Crossway Publishers. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Most of us have experienced the difficulty of putting books on a bookshelf without having a set of bookends to keep them in place. You know what happens.

The Bookends of the Christian Life is one of my favorite books. I've read it three times now: once in 2010, once in 2013, and once in 2024. The bookends of the Christian life are justification and sanctification. These two fundamental, essential doctrines are incredibly helpful when understanding and applying the gospel. One can understand these doctrines without knowing the doctrine's name. It's not the fancy theological terms that make the doctrine wonderful. Some may be unfamiliar with these essential doctrines, however. Sometimes gospel presentations are more on the shallow end. Sometimes one thinks, well, I've heard the gospel once...I'm saved...I don't need to spend any more time thinking or studying the gospel. But the gospel is something that we need to live in, grow in, saturate ourselves with. The gospel is relevant and timely every single day of our lives. The authors encourage readers to preach the gospel to themselves daily. The book is in some ways a thorough going over the gospel--in all its wonderful glory, both simple and complex. 

From my previous review(s):

 The Bookends of the Christian Life is a) short b) straightforward c) relevant. It is written to be understood and applied. Though the subject is theological in nature, it is PRACTICAL theology. It introduces a way of thinking about your life by introducing the notion of bookends. If you don't want your faith to be a complete mess, you need bookends for your faith. One of the bookends is the righteousness of Christ; the second bookend is the power of the Holy Spirit. The book never assumes that readers know what "the righteousness of Christ" is. Or that readers understand what "the power of the Holy Spirit" is. It does not assume that readers have a working understanding of the doctrines of justification, imputation, or sanctification. It explains essential doctrines in a friendly non-condescending way. It is very refreshing. 

The book is ALL about the gospel. But it also spends some time addressing three serious gospel enemies: self-righteousness, persistent guilt, and self-reliance. How can believers fight against these three enemies? By preaching the gospel to themselves every day. By leaning on the bookends of the faith. By relying on Christ's righteousness and the POWER of the Holy Spirit. This book is all about TRUSTING the promises of God. 

Favorite quotes:

What is the righteousness of Christ, and why do we need it as the first bookend? The word righteous in the Bible basically means perfect obedience; a righteous person is one who always does what is right. This statement assumes that there's an external, objective standard of right and wrong. That standard is the universal moral will of God as given to us throughout the Bible. It's the law of God written on every human heart. It's the standard by which each person will ultimately be judged. Our problem is that we're not righteous. (19)

We know we need a Savior, so we trust in Christ to redeem us from the curse of God's law. But though we believe we're saved as far as our eternal destiny is concerned, we may not be sure about our day-to-day standing with God. Many of us embrace a vague but very real notion that God's approval has to be earned by our conduct. We know we're saved by grace, but we believe God blesses us according to our level of perfect obedience. Consequently, our confidence that we abide in God's favor ebbs and flows according to how we gauge our performance. And since we sin every single day, this approach is ultimately discouraging and even devastating. This is exactly why we need the first bookend. (21-2)

At the cross, Jesus paid the penalty we should have paid, by enduring the wrath of God we should have endured. And this required him to do something unprecedented. It required him to provide the ultimate level of obedience--one that we'll never be asked to emulate. It required him to give up his relationship with the Father so that we could have one instead. The very thought of being torn away from the Father caused him to sweat great drops of blood. (Luke 22:44). And at the crescendo of his obedience, he screamed: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). The physical pain he endured was nothing compared to the agony of being separated from the Father. In all of history, Jesus is the only human being who was truly righteous in every way; and he was righteous in ways that are truly beyond our comprehension. (23-4)

Even though in ourselves we're completely unrighteous, God counts us as righteous because he has appointed Christ to be our representative and substitute. Therefore when Christ lived a perfect life, in God's sight we lived a perfect life. When Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, we died on the cross. All that Christ did in his sinless life and his sin-bearing death, he did as our representative, so that we receive the credit for it. It's in this representative union with Christ that he presents us before the Father, "holy and blameless and above reproach." (Colossians 1:22) There's an old play on the word justified: "just-as-if-I'd never sinned." But here's another way of saying it: "just-as-if-I'd always obeyed". Both are true. The first refers to the transfer of our moral debt to Christ so we're left with a "clean" ledger, just as if we'd never sinned. The second tells us our ledger is now filled with the perfect righteousness of Christ, so it's just as if we'd always obeyed.... The news of this righteousness IS the gospel. (26)

Faith involves both a renunciation and a reliance. First, we must renounce any trust in our own performance as the basis of our acceptance before God. We trust in our own performance when we believe we've earned God's acceptance by our good works. But we also trust in our own performance when we believe we've lost God's acceptance by our bad works--by our sin. So we must renounce any consideration of either our bad works or our good works as the means of our relating to God. Second, we must place our reliance entirely on the perfect obedience and sin-bearing death of Christ as the sole basis of our standing before God--on our best days as well as our worst. (28)

Every day we must re-acknowledge the fact that there's nothing we can do to make ourselves either more acceptable to God or less acceptable. Regardless of how much we grow in  our Christian lives, we're accepted for Christ's sake or not accepted at all. (29)

There's an important lesson here for all of us. Genuine love for Christ comes through 1) an ever-growing consciousness of our own sinfulness and unworthiness, coupled with 2) the assurance that our sins, however great, have been forgiven through his death on the cross. Only love that's founded on both of these foundations can be authentic and permanent. (34)

We need to intentionally bathe our minds and hearts in the gospel every day. (40)

Self-righteousness turns grace on its head because it views the sinner as deserving God's blessings rather than as undeserving. (43)

To the very end John Newton remembered both his sin and the gospel. On his deathbed at age eighty-two, he said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior." (59)

Thomas Wilcox put it like this: "The gospel is for sinners, and only for sinners." (68)

But it's not enough to merely see the righteousness of Christ as all-sufficient; we must see it as all-sufficient for us. Jesus was perfectly obedient in our place, as our substitute. Have we lacked purity? Jesus was pure in our place. Have we lacked patience? Jesus was patient in our place. In every area we see failure and sin, Jesus was successful at providing a perfect obedience that's credited to us. Whenever we see Christ's righteousness as all-sufficient for us, shifting our dependence to it should be almost irresistible. (70)

Although all of God's blessings are in Christ, they're distributed and applied to us by the Holy Spirit. (83)

As we look to the Spirit to work in us and enable us to work, we should realize that he uses various spiritual instruments, often called the "means of grace." They're the means by which we're "strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus."... We have a responsibility to respond to each means of grace the Spirit provides. We're to participate in using them to our spiritual advantage. The term spiritual disciplines is used to describe this process and to emphasize our responsibility. Through practicing the spiritual disciplines, we avail ourselves of the means of grace.... the disciplines themselves are not the source of spiritual power. Only the Holy Spirit is. The disciplines are his instruments to transmit his power. (99)

The Holy Spirit uses our growing appetite for enjoying our relationship with God as a powerful encouragement in our battle against sin... When we enjoy God more than sin, we give him an even deeper level of glorifying love, a level he alone deserves.  (117)

Just as by nature we assume we earn our salvation by our good works, so by nature we assume we grow spiritually by our own effort and willpower. What's wrong with this kind of self-reliance? Everything. (125)

John Stott described the best place to find the basis for such humility: "Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves...until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there at the foot of the cross that we shrink to our true size. (143)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible