Resources and References for Christians

About 35 years ago, I was browsing in a Christian bookstore when the owner of the store asked me if I could recommend a book to a young Jewish man who had recently become a Christian. He wanted something to help him grow in his faith. I recommended he start by reading the Gospel of John, since it was written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ” (John 20:31).

The Bible is our textbook, but we can benefit from other books, written by gifted teachers, that can help us in our understanding of the Scriptures. I have given away a few hundred books over the years and have downsized my library considerably. I still have more than 2,000 volumes.

Today, resources and references are in abundant supply, especially for the English-speaking world. In addition to all kinds of books, software and Internet sites offer a huge array of information. Logos Bible Software, for example, offers the Logos 5 package. You can buy whatever level you need: Starter, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Portfolio. Each level includes the previous offering. The Portfolio includes everything they offer: 2,585 resources. It sells for $4,232.96, but Logos says it is worth $78,000.

For those who like to read books, whether printed or digital, a basic library should include a Bible dictionary (Unger’s, Moody, Zondervan, etc.); a Bible encyclopedia like the two-volume Wycliffe set; an exhaustive concordance like Strong’s or the New American Standard; a general commentary on the Old and New testaments such as the “NIV Bible Study Commentary” (one volume), “Matthew Henry Abridged Commentary” (one volume), “Jamieson, Fausett, and Brown,” “A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical” (three volumes), or “The Bible Knowledge Commentary” (two volumes); biblical language books for English readers like “The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament,” “Nelson’s Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament,” “Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary,” “Practical Word Studies in the New Testament” (which includes five translations), “Word Studies in the Greek New Testament” by Kenneth Wuest (four volumes), or “Word Pictures in the New Testament” by A.T. Robertson (six volumes) ; and books on biblical customs, backgrounds and lands (like the “IVP Bible Background,” a two-volume set).

In addition, it can be very helpful to own specific commentaries related to what you are studying or teaching. My formula was to have at least 10 commentaries on a particular book of the Bible from which I was preaching or teaching. While I own several sets of commentaries, these books can usually be purchased individually. The “New American Commentary” by Broadman is very good, as are John MacArthur’s commentaries on the New Testament; the New International Commentaries; “Commentary on the Old Testament,” by Keil and Delitzsch; and William Barclay’s “Daily Bible Study Series (NT).” Barclay was more liberal in his theology, but his word studies and background information are helpful.

There are many books a person could accumulate. I could mention several others, but the ones I have stated above I believe are basic in building a good library.

Over the years, I collected the 63-volume set of C.H. Spurgeon’s sermons from The New Park Street Church and the Metropolitan Tabernacle, in addition to 50 other books by him or about him. He became my pastor-teacher of history.

Most of us will have our favorites, but, in building a library, we need to be sure to include books and references by solid and sound Bible-believing teachers and scholars. God gave to the church, according to Ephesians 4:11-12, “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”

Through the teaching and preaching of great leaders from the past, we can access their insights by reading their writings and apply what we learn to our time and culture.

With all of our reading of good books, it is still good to remember the warning of Ecclesiastes 12:12: “The writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion books is wearying to the body.” There are many good resources available today. They are tools to aid us in understanding Scripture. The Holy Spirit is our highest teacher and our foundational resource and authority is the Bible itself.