Book Recommendations: John 1-6
Preaching slowly through the Gospel of John has been good for my soul. It persistently turns my thoughts and affections away from the things of this world that feel so significant and back to the glory of Christ. There is no one like him! Nothing compares to him or satisfies the soul the way he does. Experiencing true life and knowing Jesus always go hand in hand.
John 20:31 says, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
If the Spirit has taken the Word and touched your heart during corporate worship, helping you to see the goodness of Jesus and the life that is found in him, praise God! But don’t stop there. Take that spiritual experience as an invitation from the Lord to dive deeper and chew a little longer on what you have heard. Reading a good book centered on the person and work of Christ will pay dividends. Here are a couple recommendations hitting on themes from John 1-6.
Delighting in the Trinity and Rejoicing in Christ
(Michael Reeves)
Michael Reeves has a knack for explaining complex truths about God in a simple way that makes me want to stop and sing. He knows theology (the study of God) should always lead to doxology (the worship of God) if it’s done rightly. John dives into the triune, interpersonal nature of God more than any other gospel. Both of these short volumes from Reeves will help you grasp and marvel at God’s excellencies.
Expository Thoughts on The Gospel of John
(J.C. Ryle)
There’s a reason I keep quoting from my favorite bishop during our John series. Though he lived over a century ago, the applications J.C. Ryle makes from John to the challenges and temptations of real life are just as relevant today. There is an incisive bluntness to his words, an ability to cut through the fog of spiritual abstractions and religious lingo and get to the heart of the matter. He is gracious, but never goes easy. If you’re reading John devotionally, Ryle provides a couple pages of meditation on every section that you can easily read in 5-10 minutes. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Finally Alive and When I Don’t Desire God
(John Piper)
You could probably find a John Piper book on just about every topic in John. These are two of my favorites. Finally Alive unpacks what it means to become a Christian, or in Jesus words from John 3, to be “born again.” When I Don’t Desire God is written to Christians who know in their heads that Jesus is the bread of life and the living water that quenches the soul, but that’s not their present experience. Maybe you want to be satisfied in God, you want the joy you see in other Christians, yet no matter what you do, you still feel dead inside. Piper gently guides you from Scripture in how you should respond.
Biblical Theology
(Roark & Cline)
John loves to take passages from the Old Testament and help us see how they point to Jesus. If that’s a new concept, or you want to grow in your ability to see Jesus on every page of Scripture, Roark and Cline’s short explanation of how all 66 books of the Bible are part of one big story will help you.
A Quest for More and Awe
(Paul David Tripp)
So often we don’t want to come to Jesus on his terms. We want him to get behind the goals and priorities of our little kingdoms. We’re more interested in using him than following him. We get angry when he fails to deliver something we want in this life, forgetting he came to give us something so much better. We need consistent reminders that Jesus is not our spiritual sidekick or self-esteem booster. He is our Sovereign Lord and King who knows what we really need. Both of Tripp’s books expose the litany of false gods we readily worship instead of Jesus and provide practical encouragement for keeping him first in the desires of your heart.
Growing Your Faith
(Jerry Bridges)
John repeatedly highlights the distinction Jesus made between a faith that is genuine and a faith that is false. In an area of the country where cultural Christianity continues to thrive (especially among older generations), we desperately need to know the difference. But what should you do if you recognize your faith is genuine and weak? Or maybe John has exposed some areas of your life where unbelief is calling the shots. Is there anything we can do to help our faith grow? Jerry Bridges introduces a variety of spiritual disciples well-suited to exercising the muscle of faith.
What is Reformed Theology?
(R.C. Sproul)
Jesus’ teaching on the divine origin of faith, that it’s ultimately a gift from God and not something we create for ourselves, is humbling. It also raises all kinds of questions about the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Do I have to choose to follow Jesus? Or do I just wait around for God to give me a desire to do so? How can I strive to obey Jesus with my confidence firmly fixed in his work, not mine? R.C. Sproul’s short volume explains how the Bible navigates the paradox, illuminating some of the most important passages in John 6.
All of these resources are available in the KingsWay bookshop for the same price you will find them on Amazon. If you’re looking for copies in Spanish, Shawnee Rozier, our bookshop manager, is happy to help!