Divine Inspiration of the Bible
Doctrine – Theology by
A.W. Pink
Are Christians a company of fanatics who thinks that they are always right? Or are they people who desire to be corrected if they are mistaken? Is the Bible a work of divine inspiration? Or is it merely a work of a poetic or an intellectual individual?
For the past century, there have been assaults made against the Divine origin of the Bible in the name of scholarship and science. Sadly, some who stand in the pulpit even claimed to defend the truth but sow seeds of doubt to those they minister.
In this book, A.W. Pink tackles why the Bible is divinely inspired. He laid out some reasons such as (1) the honesty of writers for not concealing their folly, (2) the timeless truths for what is true back then is still true today, (3) the fulfillment of its prophecies, (4) the unity of the scripture despite diverse authorship in various timelines, and many more. The book contains only 71 pages. If you want to deepen your knowledge without getting intimidated by the thickness of the reading material, this book suits you.
Studies on Saving Faith
Doctrine – Theology by
A. W. Pink
“What must I do to be saved?” man’s typical question.
“Accept Christ as Lord and Savior,” Christian’s typical reply. But is accepting Christ in our head enough to be saved while our ‘heart is in love with sin’?
“No one can receive Christ as his Savior while he rejects Him as Lord,” wrote A.W. Pink. One of the diseases of this age is that many professed believers bark up the wrong tree by seeking to be saved from hell instead of being saved from sin. That’s why many thought they are ‘bound for heaven but wake up in hell’.
In this classic work, A.W. Pink encouraged us to look at the two sides of the same coin with equal dedication to see the scripture for what it is. He tackles how those who teach about Christ had sugarcoated the gospel without teaching about remorse for sin. He also tackles how those who claim to be saved brag about their salvation without genuine repentance. This book was written in the 1930s. But it is still relevant today, or rather, especially today. Let’s cast out the glazed teachings about the gospel and apply to our lives the genuine ones, so that we may live our lives according to His purpose.
Thus Saith The Lord
Doctrine – Theology by
Octavius Winslow
What if your wounding and healing came from the same hands? How come that separation from the world doesn’t mean being monkish but being with people despite being different? How does taking revenge differs from seeking justice? How did those paradoxes arise in the first place?
The Scriptures are being attacked by both affirmed enemies and sworn friends. However, the most dangerous enemies are among those who profess the faith but twisted His teachings. They add or subtract something from what He said that led to the misinterpretation of what He truly meant.
In this classic work, Dr. Octavius Winslow took misused verses and explained them in the context of His divine love. This writing may be a century old, but it shed light on teachings that are commonly misread. Let us learn from a man who experienced hardships from childhood and struggled throughout his life, but clung to what the Lord had said and lived his life on it.
On Calvinism
Doctrine – Theology by
C. H. Spurgeon
“There was a natural hatred in my soul of anything holy and good.” Had you ever felt that way before? Are you a bad person if once upon a time, you did feel that way? That was a confession from Charles H. Spurgeon, the Prince of Preacher. As a youth, he listened to preaching and found himself not believing any word he heard because he did not see the grace of God on it. But as he continued his walk, he found out that even if he ran away, he was being chased by His grace—the kind of love who never let him go.
This classic contains Spurgeon’s retrospection of his conversion and reflections of his life’s mission. In this compilation of sermons, he cleared away the misinterpretation of Calvinism. He said that as believers, we should begin our faith with a good solid foundation to bring much fruit during our lifetime and hopefully, this book may help clear the way.
Doctrine of Election
Doctrine – Theology by
A.W. Pink
The great Architect predestined everything to work for the good. He made a plan he didn’t keep secret but made known through His Word. The conclusion on the conflict between good and evil had long been determined. But whether we will be part of those who will be saved or not depends upon our free will. God wants to reveal His Word to His people, but the Truth has to be bought. The cost requires your devotion, a task not for the faint in heart. However, are you willing to pay the price?
In this book, A.W. Pink discussed a topic not recognized by many, for there are things that the mind can understand, but the heart cannot just accept. The doctrine of election is not easy to absorb if the heart does not sync with the mind. It presents humbling truths that may be hard for a man’s ego to welcome. But if we humble ourselves and grasps that Truth, it will be worth more than we could imagine and hope for.
Divine Covenants
Doctrine – Theology by
A.W. Pink
God is not a deity to be worshipped passively but someone who chose to interact with us. Throughout history, God chose men and women to bring goodness to earth. He didn’t make a choice randomly, but He selects the best. But what does it take to be chosen by God for such a critical mission? In this book, A.W. Pink discussed how God made covenants to different people like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. In each story, we can see how He seek partnership with humans to accomplish a goal and how He blessed the world through these people. These narratives showed that God loves the world and has a plan for us. But whether it will get fulfilled or not depends on man’s willingness to meet Him halfway. So, let’s take time to know His character and what captures His heart through His covenants with the fathers of faith, in the hopes that we may also capture His heart so that He can use our lives to bring Heaven upon Earth.
Profiting From The Word
Doctrine – Theology by
A.W. Pink
What can you gain spiritually from reading and studying the Bible? Does reading the scriptures make you a better person? Or does this store of knowledge increase your pride to look down on others who are more ignorant than you? What is your motive for taking up the word of God?
People read the Scriptures for various reasons. Some read to satisfy their literary pride and brag about it. Some read to satisfy their sense of curiosity. Some read to argue to those who differ from them and prove that their belief is the right doctrine. How about us? What is our motive for reading the Bible? How does the Scripture truly benefit our soul?
In this A.W. Pink’s classic work, he discussed the relationship between the Scriptures and several topics of the Bible such as sin, prayer, good works, obedience, promises, joy, etc. He also provided seven main points for each chapter that explains how we can profit from reading the Scriptures or what must we do for our soul to profit from it.
Your Sanctification
Doctrine – Theology by
Charles H. Spurgeon
How could we know if God chooses us? What is our position on His sight? What does it mean to be set apart? Does it mean that we have to be blameless first before He can choose us? Or can He still use our lives despite our imperfections?
Sanctification is a word that Spurgeon had taken a long time before he could clearly understand its meaning. He examined the three implications of sanctification in the Old Testament – to set apart, to declare holy, and to make holy. He also explained the beginning and end of the process.
In this 30-pages work, Spurgeon shared what he thought was the connotation of sanctification after hours of meditation and seeking illumination from the Holy Spirit. We can see that even if we are flawed as human beings, we can still serve Him. We are sanctified not because we are holy but because He chose us.