Reviewing Charles Spurgeon's All of Grace

Charles Spurgeon, the "Prince of Preachers," was a Reformed Baptist preacher who lived from 1834 to 1892. All of Grace was his best-selling book and was written just seven years before his death. Although the wording in the 20-chapter book is clearly not that of today's American, All of Grace is a gospel presentation that can be easily understood. Despite being a believer for nearly 14 years, it was good for me to be reminded of how I am not saved by my works, but by the Father's grace alone. I must preach the gospel to myself on a daily basis, and Spurgeon helps with that. Spurgeon provides excellent illustrations, logic, stories, and Scripture in an effort to reach people for the Son of Man. I am thankful to have read this book and must do a better job of reading books that have stood the test of time. I wholeheartedly recommend this classic to both mature believers and inquisitive nonbelievers. Below are the chapter titles.

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

1. To You
2. What Are We At?
3. God Justifieth The Ungodly
4. "It Is God That Justifieth"
5. "Just and the Justifier"
6. Concerning Deliverance From Sinning
7. By Grace Through Faith
8. Faith
9. How May Faith Be Illustrated?
10. Why Are We Saved by Faith?
11. Alas! I Can Do Nothing!
12. The Increase of Faith
13. Regeneration and the Holy Spirit.
14. "My Redeemer Liveth"
15. Repentance Must Go with Forgiveness
16. How Repentance is Given
17. The Fear of Final Falling
18. Confirmation
19. Why Saints Persevere
20. Close

Reviewing R.C. Sproul's The Priest With Dirty Clothes

When I finished reading The Priest with Dirty Clothes, my seven-year-old daughter asked if I had other books like that. I think that is a clear indicator that she was a fan of this book. My daughter Rose, who is in the fourth grade, said this was a good book and that she enjoyed the whole storyline. After going over the 12-question study guide at the end of the book, we decided to check out other picture books at the Ligonier Ministries site written by Dr. Sproul. We definitely plan to read more of his books in the near future.

Dr. Sproul dedicates The Priest with Dirty Clothes to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Before he begins the story, there is a letter to the parents explaining the purpose of the book. The Priest with Dirty Clothes is based on one of Dr. Sproul's favorite passages from the Bible, Zechariah 3:1-5, and it is recommended that the passage be read with children prior to reading the story. The story starts off with a brother and sister coming home extremely muddy, and a grandfather telling them a story after they get cleaned up. The grandfather tells his grandchildren of a priest who got his special clothes muddy. Because of this, the priest was not permitted to preach before the king and was told to preach the next week with clean clothes. Unfortunately, the priest's clothes were permanently stained, so he went to the prince to get help. The prince told the priest to go to the king with his dirty clothes and to trust that the prince would take care of everything. The priest was confused as to how his clothes would get cleaned, but he did as the prince instructed. When the priest came before the king with muddy clothes, an evil magician and others shouted at the priest. At this time, the prince walked into the room and presented the priest with the prince's beautiful clothes. The priest put on the new clothes, and the prince put on the priest's dirty clothes. The priest was now allowed to stand before the king. He would go on to deliver his best sermon and would continue preaching about the prince and wearing the prince's clothes. The story concludes with the grandfather explaining how Christ washes our dirty hearts and creates clean ones - how Christ took our sin and gave us His righteousness.

It has been a blessing to have read a couple of Dr. Sproul's modern classics, Chosen by God and The Holiness of God. These books helped me to better understand predestination and God's holy nature significantly. In The Priest with Dirty Clothes, Dr. Sproul helps children (and adults) better understand another all-important topic, the imputation of Christ's righteousness. Although imputation is a weighty topic, The Priest with Dirty Clothes is not told in a manner that is above the heads of lower or upper elementary students. The plot is easy to follow, the words are age-appropriate, and the pictures are colorful and fun. The book has all of the elements needed to keep the attention of today's millennials. I have read many books to my girls over the years, and you are not going to find too many children's books that are as captivating while explaining themes of such crucial importance. My daughters and I heartily give Dr. Sproul's book, The Priest with Dirty Clothes, our Wickersham stamp of approval.

Although I will receive a free copy of this Reformation Trust publishing title as compensation for this review, a positive book review is not required.

Books I Read in February 2010

Why Johnny Can't Preach: The Media Have Shaped the Messengers by T. David Gordon - This is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Professor Gordon's book covers a topic that I have not come across, and I found it fascinating and straightforward. It is clearly evident to me why all 13 Amazon reviewers of Why Johnny Can't Preach gave it five stars. Professor Gordon explains the causes of the disappointing preaching that is found in many churches across America. What I really liked about the book is that it is not simply a book for seminarians and pastors, but it is a book for all Christians. Gordon tells us how we can be more effective communicators. I would like to improve my reading, writing, and speaking skills, and Gordon provides simple and clear answers to what we do and do not need to do. If you desire to direct others toward Christ in your speech, I recommend Gordon's analysis on the state of preaching in America and how the electronic media culture affects it.

How Sermons Work by David Murray - This e-book was written for four kinds of people - seminary students, pastors, elders, and non-preachers. Most of us do not fall into the first three categories, but if you worship at a local church, you can still benefit from this quick read. This book will only help us better understand the Word of God. How Sermons Work is just 64 pages long and is divided into ten chapters: preparation, selection, interrogation, variation, introduction, organization (I and II), application (I and II), and presentation. Reading this book helped me better understand all of the work a pastor does (or should do) to prepare his sermon and what I should do if I am led to preach one Sunday morning.

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper - After receiving The Roots of Endurance from a colleague of mine one year ago, I decided that one day I would read The Legacy of Sovereign Joy. Both of these books are part of a five-book series from John Piper called The Swans Are Not Silent. I have completed nearly a dozen Piper books, and each time I have come away having benefited tremendously. The Legacy of Sovereign Joy examines God's triumphant grace in the lives of three giants of the Christian faith - Aurelius Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. God used these men powerfully to teach his church what grace really means. Reading about these men reminded me that they certainly had their flaws and that I am to only exalt our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, these men had a white-hot passion for the sovereign joy of God, but it is God who put that in them. If you are interested in learning more about how God opened the eyes of totally depraved men, helping them to overcome their struggles to become God-glorifying men of the Word, I highly encourage you to read The Legacy of Sovereign Joy.

The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright by John Piper - I received The Future of Justification from a colleague a couple of years ago, and I finally got motivated and made a goal to finish the book this school year. This is by far the most academic of the Piper books I have read, and I had to take my time reading it. I read certain portions of the book more than once in order to gain a fuller understanding of what was being stated. Although the book was not one of the more enjoyable Piper books I have read, I realize I need to read more books like this. It covers a topic that I teach and a topic that all of us need to better understand. It is not surprising to see such a range in the reviews of this book, but I do feel that Piper is Christlike in how he responds to Wright and the `New Perspective on Paul.' Keep in mind that Pastor Piper read an 11,000-word response from Wright himself as part of the detailed critical feedback he received to improve the first draft of this book. The 240-page book is organized into eleven chapters and contains six self-standing appendices that were not written in response to the work of N.T. Wright. If you read The Future of Justification like many leading scholars have done, you will be taking a serious look at the biblical doctrines of justification and imputation.