Reformers Recommends: Books about God

 Click Here to download a printable PDF version

What will you be doing in the new heavens and new earth?

You won't be fighting sin. You won't be trying to work out how to relate to other people. You won't be worried about becoming a better person.

Many Christian books are about topics that will be done away with in heaven.

In the next life you will be gazing upon God. I want to encourage you to start being amazed at the richness of God's being right now. Consider it practice for heaven.

One way you can do this is by reading books about God. Here are some of my recommendations. This list gets progressively deeper as you go down so if you want a short, introductory read, start at the top; if you want something to chew on, head down to the bottom.

The Blessed and Boundless God

by George Swinnock

If you want to dig deep into a topic, the Puritans are a great place to go. In this very small book, Puritan George Swinnock opens up the doctrine of God. In 45 very short chapters (2-5 pages each), Swinnock mediates on God's attributes, his works, his words and the provides some thoughts on application. This is an excellent place to start if you haven't read about the attributes of God before but is equally an excellent resource for prayer and daily meditation.

God Is

by Mark Jones

This devotional provides 26 meditative thoughts on the attributes of God. Similar to Swinnock, these thoughts are short - 5 to 10 pages each. The highlight of this book, however, is that each chapter has three sections - Mark expounds on a particular attribute of God, then shows you how that attribute is pre-eminently displayed in Christ and finally leaves you with a point of application.

None Like Him

by Jen Wilkin

Publishers tend to make theology books look masculine (even though they can and should be read by both men and women), but in None Like Him author Jen Wilkin has written a book on God specifically for women. She rightly picks up on Proverbs 31:30 - "A woman who fears the LORD is to be praised" - and wants to encourage women to fear God. The best way to fear God is to get to know him, and so Jen delves into 10 of God's attributes. Study questions at the end of each chapter make this an ideal book-club book.

The Holiness of God

by R.C. Sproul

Where other books on this list seek to explore some of God's attributes, in this book Sproul just digs into one attribute - the holiness of God. R.C. was dominated by this aspect of God's being and this classic book is where you can walk along with R.C. and find out why. Sproul's warm writing will draw you in to be amazed at a God who is entirely different to us.

None Greater

by Michael Barrett

This book is a more in-depth discussion of the attributes of God but Michael Barrett has done a great job in making it engaging and in approachable language. Barrett's style is reminiscent of R.C. Sproul in that regard. Read None Greater and have your heart lifted up in worship as you marvel at who God is.

The Identity and Attributes of God

by Terry Johnson

Building on the work of past theologian giants, Terry Johnson’s work is a rich exploration of the attributes of God. One of pastor Johnson’s founding principles is that the study of God is a practical venture and this comes out throughout this book to make it both informative and encouraging.