the REDEEMER library
A list of suggested works from Josh, Phillip, and Stephen
Over the years, we collectively have been exposed to many great theologians, we have read many great books, and we have discovered numerous media resources that have helped us grow in our faith and fall in love more deeply with the triune God of the Bible. From study Bibles to reference books, to expository works, to Bible study tools, we've listed some of our favorite resources below. Regardless of whether you are a skeptic, a new believer, or a mature Christian, we've included resources for individuals at all stages. We hope that you find these resources useful and we hope that you love and glorify God all the more as you seek to know Him better. We've also included links to where you can buy these great works on Amazon. We'll likely add to this list, so please continue to check for new additions.
STUDY BIBLES
ESV Study Bible
Winner of the ECPA Book of the Year Award. The ESV Study Bible was designed to help you understand the Bible in a deeper way.
NIV Study Bible
The beloved NIV Study Bible features a stunning four-color interior with full-color photographs, maps, charts, and illustrations that bring the stories of the Bible to life.
The Ryrie Study Bible (NASB)
Charles Ryrie’s life work was to help people know and understand the Bible—a pursuit that encompassed church ministry, college professorships, and, most notably, his position as the Systematic Theology Chair at Dallas Theological Seminary.BIBLE STUDY METHODS
Searching the Scriptures
In Searching the Scriptures, respected Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll shows us how to dig deep into Scripture and uncover its profound truths for our lives. He outlines the principles of Bible study that will help you understand God’s Word, apply it, and communicate it clearly to those around you.
Methodical Bible Study
Inductive study compares related Bible texts in order to let the Bible interpret itself, rather than approaching Scripture with predetermined notions of what it will say. Dr. Traina’s Methodical Bible Study was not intended to be the last word in inductive Bible study; but since its first publication in 1952, it has become a foundational text in this field.
Basic Bible Interpretation
Why study Bible interpretation? Dr. Roy Zuck points out that it is essential for understanding and teaching the Bible properly, essential as a step beyond observation, and essential for applying the Bible correctly.
How to Read the Bible as Literature
If you want to rightly understand the Bible, you must begin by recognizing what it is: a composite of literary styles. It is meant to be read, not just interpreted. The Bible’s truths are embedded like jewels in the rich strata of story and poetry, metaphor and proverb, parable and letter, satire and symbolism. Paying attention to the literary form of a passage will help you understand the meaning and truth of that passage.
Living by the Book
With over 300,000 sold, this revised and expanded edition of Living by the Book will remove the barriers that keep Scripture from transforming your life. In a simple, step-by-step fashion, the authors explain how to glean truth from Scripture. It is practical, readable, and applicable.
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
Understanding the Bible isn’t for the few, the gifted, the scholarly. The Bible is accessible. It’s meant to be read and comprehended by everyone from armchair readers to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions and help you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your twenty-first-century life.UNDERSTANDING THE BIG PICTURE
Living God's Word: Discovering Our Place in the Great Story of Scripture
How does your personal faith journey relate to the big picture of the Bible? Christians often encounter various Bible passages through unrelated readings, studies, and sermons, making it difficult to grasp the progression of Scripture as a whole. Living God's Word surveys the entire Bible through broad themes that trace the progression of God's redemptive plan, focusing on how each portion of Scripture fits into the overarching narrative.
The Whole Bible Story: Everything That Happens in the Bible in Plain English
A seamless, straightforward, and chronological narrative of all the events in the Bible-- without commentary--from creation to the New Testament church.
The Bible Project
BibleProject is a nonprofit ed-tech organization and animation studio that produces 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, blogs, classes, and educational Bible resources to help make the biblical story accessible to everyone, everywhere.
From Moses to Malachi: Exploring the Old Testament
From Moses to Malachi: Exploring the Old Testament unlocks the Old Testament books and makes clear their central message and enduring value. It helps you to understand the importance of the Old Testament to the authors of the New Testament.
From Gospels to Glory: Exploring the New Testament
In From Gospels to Glory: Exploring the New Testament, author Kenneth G. Hanna provides a guide for discovering the enduring message and unique features of each book of the New Testament.CHRISTIAN BASICS
50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith
Those looking for a single resource that collects clear teachings on the most important doctrines of Christianity need look no further than Gregg Allison's 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith.
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith
For those who yearn for a deeper walk in faith, their journey can begin here. Dr. Sproul takes theology down off of the dusty shelves of theological libraries and expounds in clear and simple terms over one hundred major Christian doctrines.
Basic Theology
Everyone is a theologian of sorts. Theology simply means thinking about God and expressing those thoughts in some way. But sloppy theology is a problem.
CHRISTIAN LIFE & DISCIPLESHIP
Deep Discipleship
Everyone is being discipled. The question is: what is discipling us? The majority of Christians today are being discipled by popular media, flashy events, and folk theology because churches have neglected their responsibility to make disciples. But the church is not a secondary platform in the mission of God; it is the primary platform God uses to grow people into the image of Jesus. Therefore, as church leaders, it is our primary responsibility to establish environments and relationships where people can be trained, grow, and be sent as disciples.
Following The Master: A Biblical Theology of Discipleship
In the aftermath of the waves of discipleship programs that have swept over the church in the last 30 years, clergy, and laypersons alike are more confused than ever about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. What should a disciple of Jesus look and act like today?
To Follow Him: The 7 Marks of a Disciple
Most Christians know that Jesus commanded his followers to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." Yet many remain unclear about what Christ intended such a disciple should be or do. Recognizing that now, more than ever, believers need clear, biblical teaching on this all-important subject, author Mark Bailey provides a biblical measuring stick to help readers discern what it means to be the type of disciple Christ urges us to be.
Maturity: Growing up and Going On in the Christian Life
What are the most important lessons the New Testament has to teach us about being a Christian? Sinclair Ferguson shows that a deep-seated concern of the writers of the New Testament was to see Christians grow to spiritual maturity and if that was the concern of the first believers, then it should be our concern too.
The Grace Awakening
The Grace Awakening calls all Christians to wake up and reject living in such legalistic, performance-oriented bondage. The God of the universe has given us an amazing, revolutionary gift of grace and freedom. This freedom and grace set us apart from every other "religion" on the face of the earth.
The Meaning of Marriage
Based on the acclaimed sermon series by New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller, this book shows everyone—Christians, skeptics, singles, longtime married couples, and those about to be engaged—the vision of what marriage should be according to the Bible.
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
Christians are taught in their churches and schools that prayer is the most powerful way to experience God. But few receive instruction or guidance in how to make prayer genuinely meaningful. In Prayer, renowned pastor Timothy Keller delves into the many facets of this everyday act.
Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight
Merit Award, 2007 World Guild Christian Living Book. Praying is an action. Praying is an action that is of the essence of Christian existence. It involves our beliefs, emotions, values, hopes and fears, certainties and uncertainties, knowledge and ignorance. As J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom explain, this book "is a heart-to-heart affair, in which two Christians who try to pray and wish they prayed better share thoughts about what they are doing with people whom they envisage as being like themselves. . . . Our aim is not just to clarify Christian understanding but to foster Christian living.
If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil
Suffering is, in the end, God’s invitation to trust him.Every one of us will experience suffering. You may be in such a time now. We see the presence of evil in the headlines every day. It all raises questions about God—Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? How can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?
theology proper & trinitarianism
Knowing God
For half a century, J. I. Packer's classic has helped Christians around the world discover the wonder, the glory, and the joy of knowing God.
The Holiness of God
Central to God’s character is the quality of holiness. Yet, even so, most people are hard-pressed to define what God’s holiness precisely is.
Delighting In the Trinity
In this lively book, we find an introduction to Christianity and the Christian life that is from start to finish rooted in our triune God―Father, Son and Spirit.
APOLOGETICS: QUESTIONS WELCOME
Defending Your Faith
From the classroom to mainstream media, Christians regularly find their fundamental beliefs discounted by opponents who consider faith to be incompatible with reason. But in this apologetics primer, the late R. C. Sproul sets forth the core claims of faith to reveal just how rational Christianity truly is.
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
Timothy Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics, and even ardent believers, have about religion. Using literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and potent reasoning, Keller explains how the belief in a Christian God is, in fact, a sound and rational one.
Confronting Christianity
Christianity is the most widespread global belief system, and promises to remain so well into the future. But for many educated westerners, biblical Christianity is a dangerous idea―challenging some of their deepest beliefs. Channeling state-of-the-art research, personal stories, and careful biblical study, Confronting Christianityexplores 12 questions that keep many of us from considering faith in Christ.
Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
For two thousand years, Christianity has claimed to answer the mystery of human existence. Renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop N. T. Wright—the award-winning author Newsweek hails as “the world’s leading New Testament scholar”—argues that the Christian faith still holds the answers today.
Mere Christianity
In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith.