Resources · Recommended Reading
Recommended Books
Good books help us understand the Bible and live it out. These thirty-six were chosen from a traditional, Bible-believing viewpoint and are arranged in two reading levels, for beginning believers and for experienced believers, with five categories in each.
Read them with your Bible open.
For Beginning Believers
For Experienced Believers
About This List
Note: Scripture quotations and verse links on this site use the King James Version (KJV) because it is in the public domain, while most modern translations limit how much can be quoted online. Feel free to read along in the translation of your choice.
36 Books
16 for beginning and 20 for experienced believers
2 Reading Levels
Beginning and experienced believers
5 Categories
From classics to Bible study tools
Bible First
Every book points back to Scripture
About This List
How These Books Were Chosen
This list comes from the same fundamental, traditional Christian viewpoint as the rest of this site. No book replaces the Bible; each one is here to help you read it, understand it and live it.
Faithful to Scripture
Every book on this list treats the Bible as the inspired, trustworthy Word of God and teaches the historic gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Tested by Time
Most of these books have helped believers for decades, some for centuries. Newer books were included only when they teach the same old truths clearly.
Right for the Reader
Beginning Believers books are short and plain. Experienced Believers books go deeper and assume you already know the Bible’s story well.
Key Verse
Search the Scriptures Daily
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
Acts 17:11 (KJV)
Reading Level One
For Beginning Believers
New to the faith, or new to reading Christian books? Start here. These books are short, clear and warm, and each one will send you back to your Bible with fresh eyes.
Not sure where to start? Try these three first
Jump to a category:
Beginning Believers
Classics & Spiritual Formation
Time-tested books that shape the heart.
John Bunyan · 1678
Good for
Seeing the Christian life as a journey
The best-loved Christian story ever written. Christian leaves the City of Destruction with a heavy burden, loses it at the cross and walks the narrow way to the Celestial City. Every stop on the journey teaches something true about following Christ.
A. W. Tozer · 1948
Good for
A deeper hunger for God
A short, warm book about wanting God Himself more than anything He gives. Tozer shows that God longs to be known and calls every believer to seek Him with the whole heart.
Charles H. Spurgeon · 1866
Good for
Building a daily habit
Two short readings for every day of the year, one for the morning and one for the evening, each built on a verse of Scripture. A gentle way to begin and end each day with God.
Beginning Believers
Theology & Knowing God
Who Jesus is and why the gospel is true.
John Stott · 1958
Good for
Understanding the gospel clearly
A clear, short explanation of the Christian faith: who Jesus is, why He had to die, and what it means to turn from sin and trust Him. Many readers have come to faith through it.
Lee Strobel · 1998
Good for
Answering questions about the evidence
A former atheist and legal journalist interviews experts on the evidence for Jesus, from the Gospel records to the empty tomb. Helpful for new believers with questions and for sharing with friends.
C. S. Lewis · 1952
Good for
Thinking through why the faith is true
Lewis, once an atheist, explains the moral law every person knows, who Jesus claimed to be, and what it means to become a new person in Christ. Clear, memorable and loved by new believers for generations.
Josh McDowell · 1977
Good for
A short book to read and pass on
A plain-spoken look at the question of who Jesus really is: His claims, the reliability of the Gospels and the evidence for His resurrection. Easy to read in an afternoon.
Beginning Believers
Bible Backgrounds
The people, places and customs behind the text.
Henrietta C. Mears · 1953
Good for
Reading through the Bible for the first time
A friendly tour of all 66 books that explains what each one is about and how it points to Christ. A good companion for reading the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
Henry H. Halley · 1924
Good for
Quick answers to who, where and when
A classic one-volume handbook with notes on every book of the Bible, plus maps, history and archaeology. Keep it next to your Bible to answer questions as you read.
James M. Freeman · 1874
Good for
Making familiar passages come alive
Short entries, arranged in Bible order, explain the everyday customs behind the verses: homes, farming, travel, weddings, worship and more.
Beginning Believers
Christian Living & Discipline
Growing in holiness, habits and faith.
Jerry Bridges · 1978
Good for
Your first year of following Christ
A practical, Scripture-filled look at what it means to obey God: what God does in us and what He calls us to do, without falling into either rule-keeping or giving up.
Donald S. Whitney · 1991
Good for
Building godly habits
Bible reading, prayer, worship, fasting, serving, giving and more, each explained simply with practical first steps. It shows how these habits help us grow to be like Christ.
Corrie ten Boom · 1971
Good for
Trusting God in hard times
The true story of a Dutch Christian family who hid Jews from the Nazis, and of Corrie’s faith and forgiveness in a concentration camp. It shows what trusting God looks like when everything else is taken away.
Beginning Believers
Bible Study
Learning to read the Bible for yourself.
Howard G. Hendricks and William D. Hendricks · 1991
Good for
Studying the Bible on your own
The classic guide to Bible study in three steps: observation, interpretation and application. Full of simple exercises that build skills for a lifetime.
R. C. Sproul · 1977
Good for
Reading the Bible carefully
A short, readable introduction to studying the Bible: why every Christian can understand it, and plain, sound rules for interpreting it faithfully.
Kevin DeYoung · 2014
Good for
Confidence that the Bible is true
Why the Bible can be trusted: it is God’s Word, clear enough to understand, necessary for life and enough for every need. It builds confidence to read it and obey it.
Reading Level Two
For Experienced Believers
For believers who know the Bible’s story well and want to go deeper. These books take more time and thought, and they reward careful, prayerful reading.
Not sure where to start? Try these three first
Jump to a category:
Experienced Believers
Classics & Spiritual Formation
Older books that search the heart.
J. C. Ryle · 1877
Good for
A serious call to godliness
A bishop’s searching call to real holiness, rooted in Scripture. Ryle writes with plain, strong words about sin, sanctification, the fight of faith and the cost of following Christ.
John Owen · 1656
Good for
Fighting sin in the Spirit’s power
The Puritan classic on Romans 8:13, “if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Owen shows how believers put sin to death by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Puritan Paperbacks edition is abridged and easier to read.
E. M. Bounds · 1907
Good for
Those who teach and lead
A short, searching book on prayer and on the life of the one who prays. First written for preachers, it speaks to every Christian who serves others.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer · 1937
Good for
Counting the cost of following Christ
Written in Nazi Germany, this study of the Sermon on the Mount warns against ‘cheap grace’, grace that asks nothing of us, and calls believers to obey Christ whatever it costs. Bonhoeffer was put to death by the Nazis in 1945.
John Calvin · 1559
Good for
A complete summary of Bible doctrine
The great Reformation summary of the faith: God the Creator, Christ the Redeemer, the work of the Holy Spirit and the church. Long, but clear and deeply devotional. The McNeill and Battles translation (two volumes) is the standard English edition.
Experienced Believers
Theology & Knowing God
The character of God and the doctrines of the faith.
J. I. Packer · 1973
Good for
Knowing God, not just knowing about Him
A modern classic on the character of God: His majesty, wisdom, love, grace, justice and faithfulness, and what it means to know Him personally as Father. Deep, yet warm and readable.
A. W. Tozer · 1961
Good for
Worship rooted in truth
Short chapters on God’s attributes, such as His holiness, eternity, wisdom and sovereignty, each opening with a prayer. Tozer shows why what we think about God matters most of all.
Charles C. Ryrie · 1986
Good for
A one-volume reference on doctrine
A systematic theology in plain language covering God, the Bible, Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church and last things. A trusted reference for study and teaching.
R. C. Sproul · 1985
Good for
Seeing God as He truly is
Beginning with Isaiah’s vision of the Lord high and lifted up, Sproul shows what God’s holiness means, why it humbles sinners, how it is satisfied at the cross and how it should shape our worship.
A. W. Tozer · 1997
Good for
Going deeper after The Knowledge of the Holy
Sermons on God’s infinitude, immensity, goodness, justice, mercy, grace, presence and holiness, each one leading from knowing about God to worshiping Him.
John MacArthur · 1988
Good for
What Jesus taught about saving faith
What does Jesus mean when He says ‘Follow Me’? MacArthur works through Jesus’ own teaching on salvation to show that true saving faith turns from sin and submits to Christ as Lord.
Experienced Believers
Bible Backgrounds
History, archaeology and the trustworthiness of Scripture.
F. F. Bruce · 1943
Good for
Confidence in the New Testament
A careful scholar answers whether the New Testament can be trusted, from the manuscripts and the canon to the evidence of history and archaeology.
Eugene H. Merrill · 1987
Good for
Old Testament history in order
A full history of Old Testament Israel from the patriarchs to the return from exile, written from a high view of Scripture and following the Bible’s own dates, with the exodus about 1446 B.C.
Gleason L. Archer Jr. · 1964
Good for
Each Old Testament book in depth
A thorough introduction to every Old Testament book: its author, date, setting and message. Archer answers the critics and defends the Bible’s trustworthiness, including Moses as author of the Law.
Experienced Believers
Christian Living & Discipline
Maturity, humility and serving others.
Jerry Bridges · 2007
Good for
An honest look at the heart
A frank look at the ‘acceptable’ sins Christians often tolerate, such as pride, anxiety, anger, impatience, jealousy and an unthankful heart, and how the gospel helps us fight them.
Andrew Murray · 1895
Good for
Becoming more like Christ
A short classic that calls humility the root of every grace, seen perfectly in Jesus. Murray shows how pride is overcome as we depend on God for everything.
J. Oswald Sanders · 1967
Good for
Pastors, teachers, parents and anyone who leads
A classic on the qualities of a godly leader, drawn from Scripture and from the lives of faithful servants of God.
Experienced Believers
Bible Study Tools
Methods and reference books for deeper study.
Roy B. Zuck · 1991
Good for
The next step after Living by the Book
A clear textbook on reading the Bible in its plain, normal sense, with chapters on grammar, history, figures of speech, types, parables and prophecy.
James Strong · 1890
Good for
Word studies in the King James Version
Every word of the King James Version and every place it appears, with numbers that link each word to its Hebrew or Greek original. The basic tool for word studies.
W. E. Vine and Merrill F. Unger · 1940
Good for
The meaning of Hebrew and Greek words
Explains the meaning of important Hebrew and Greek words, listed by their English words, with no knowledge of the original languages needed. A perfect partner to Strong’s.
Reading Tips
How to Read These Books
Keep Your Bible Open
Look up the verses a book mentions and test what it says by Scripture, as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11).
Read Slowly
A chapter at a time is enough. Underline what helps you and write down your questions.
Read With Someone
Share a book with a friend, your family, a small group or a Sunday school class, and talk about each chapter.
Put It Into Practice
Ask God for one thing to believe, obey or change from each chapter, and pray about it that day.
Questions
Questions About This List
Do I have to read these books in order?
Is everything in these books right?
Which edition should I get?
Are the Goodreads links ads?
Where do the book covers come from?
Keep Studying
Related Studies
Creation, the Exodus, King David, the Crucifixion and more, topic by topic.
Book cover images courtesy of Open Library. Book links go to Goodreads.
Continue Your Study
Scripture quotations and verse links are from the King James Version (KJV).