For me personally, one of the saddest results of the flood which ruined our home (alongside all our neighbours) was the loss of my library. I had invested money in building the library, but I’m much more sentimental about the time which I invested in many books that had become ‘friends’.
Without the library, how should I start again? Christian publishing is pouring out books steadily, but many of these books will not be the kind of classics which will last beyond a decade. Older books are available in public domain digital format. As a person thinks about books to acquire, to read and to absorb, you have to also remember the wisdom of the Preacher:
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Ecclesiastes 12:11-12
This is where a list of essential books comes in. Long before Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism became popular, John Newton argued that there are four essential books which every Christian should own and master. The books of the Bible, Creation, Providence and the Heart.
The Book of the Bible
These days we are finding ourselves less and less familiar with the language of Zion. The Old Testament narratives are not understood well. The New Testament is selectively known well, but hardly mastered.
To know the Scriptures well is to immerse ourselves (1 Tim 4:15) in the biblical world, biblical thought, biblical language and biblical priorities. Newton spoke of the language of the bible in this way:
The language of the Bible is likewise clothed with inimitable majesty and authority. God speaks in it, and reveals the glory of his perfections, his sovereignty, holiness, justice, goodness, and grace, in a manner worthy of himself, though at the same time admirably adapted to our weakness.
Works of John Newton, Vol 1, Letter XV
Mastering the bible ought to be the ongoing goal of every Christian. Even pastors must make extra effort for this. As Sinclair Ferguson stated in his Preacher’s Decalogue, the first commandment is “Know Your Bible Better”.
The Book of Creation
The second book that everyone can possess and read is the book of creation. Christians must continue to master this book, since many people today wish to misuse it or discard it in an attempt to discredit creation’s Author.
Yet even those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ are beginning to see that the expansive complexity of created things exposes our ignorance. As David Berlinski notes in an interview, the ability to understand the human cell is a goal that is “receding” as more layers of complexity are uncovered.
When binary sexes are being denied in favour of magically fluid genderless categories, the book of creation has been abandoned. Of course this should not be surprising since Paul spelled out the way that humanity “suppresses the truth in unrighteousness”, denying the full reality that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Ro 1:18,20).
Newton recognized that the book of creation is only used properly by those who see it with the book of the bible in their hands, minds and hearts. He wrote:
The Lord has established a wonderful analogy between the natural and the spiritual world. This is a secret only known to them that fear him; but they contemplate it with pleasure; and almost every object they see, when they are in a right frame of mind, either leads their thoughts to Jesus, or tends to illustrate some scriptural truth or promise. This is the best method of studying the book of Nature; and for this purpose it is always open and plain to those who love the Bible, so that he who runs may read.
Works of John Newton, Vol 1, Letter XV
So in the library, these two books will always be paired right beside each other, for the second is interpreted by the first.
The Book of Providence
In the ruling care which God exercises over all creation, with special attention to his people, Christian believers can “read” of this care as a sort of book of Providence. Newton wrote:
What we read in the Bible, of the sovereignty, wisdom, power, omniscience, and omnipresence of God, of his over-ruling all events to the accomplishment of his counsels and the manifestation of his glory, of the care he maintains of his church and people, and of his attention to their prayers, is exemplified by the history of nations and families, and the daily occurrences of private life.
Works of John Newton, Vol 1, Letter XV
Many Christians make it a spiritual discipline to keep a journal in order to record the events of God’s providential care for them each day. Whether written on paper or in our memory, we can read and see that God has been caring for us. By reading the book of Providence, we can come to know “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Ro 8:28).
The Book of the Heart
The last book which Christians should have in their library is a studied understanding of the book of the Heart. Recognizing what is common to human nature, namely the wonders of being made in the image of God, yet the horrors of a nature corrupted by sin— understanding this will give us insight into ourselves and others.
Calvin made the observation that there is a reciprocal knowing of God and ourselves which occurs for the believer. He said:
Again, it is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God’s face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself
Institutes, 1.1 (Battles trans.)
As we pursue this other knowledge, namely knowing God, we will get a clearer reading of the human heart. Unlike the world’s religions the book of the heart is not read in isolation, or as an inward journey of discovery by itself. Such a practice only leaves the searcher lost and ignorant. This knowledge of human nature can only be read, by reading the first book, the Holy Scriptures. Newton wrote:
The heart of man is deep; but all its principles and workings, in every possible situation, and the various manners in which it is affected by sin, by Satan, by worldly objects, and by grace, in solitude and in company, in prosperity and in affliction, are disclosed and unfolded in the Scripture.
Works of John Newton, Vol 1, Letter XV
Study of the Scriptures makes the believer a sage in reading the heart. As David put it in his psalm, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation” (Ps 119.99).
Four Books
These four books are not the literal replacement for my lost library. But the study of the bible, creation, providence and the heart will afford a lifetime of learning. The lesson can be summed up by that collecter of wisdom Quoheleth who said:
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
These four books provide a library that can’t be lost, but can only be left unread.
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