April 2009’s Resource of the Month ["Christless Christianity" by Michael Horton]

I would second this recommendation

Adler, Mortimer J. & Charles Van Doren – How To Read A Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading(G)(346pgs) This was a helpful book but I probably could of given it a better reading, I found much of it helpful but it will be difficult to apply much of it but I see how it could be really good for people to read like they teach to read in this book.

Anyabwile, Thabiti M. – What Is A Healthy Church Member? (G) (120pgs) This book is short but very helpful and would be a great book to have members read and maybe study as a small group or as a church together.

Barnes, Peter – Open Your Mouth for The Dumb: Abortion and the Christian (G)(28pgs) This is a great booklet for understanding some about abortion and its background and how a Christian ought to view it.  It shows that the scriptures are not silent on this topic.  I would highly recommend it especially since it says so much clearly in a short work.

Bennett, Arthur – The Valley Of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions(G) (223pgs) This is a great book to use for devotions.  Seeing how these men prayed is a neat experience.  There are some great parts that just stir you up and help you to focus on Jesus.

Ensor, John – Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart (G)(160pgs)  This is a great book on biblical relationships.  It hits a lot on the different roles of men and women and gives a lot of great practical examples.  Great for preparing for marriage and I would think even for married couples.

George, Timothy – The New American Commentary vol. 30 Galatians (G) (443pgs) This was not a boring read but a rather devotional commentary.  I learned a lot and enjoyed reading this book.

Harris, Joshua – Stop Dating The Church: Fall in Love With The Family of God (G) (129pgs) (great book for getting thinking about the importance of the church with a few things to look for in a healthy church)

Harris, Joshua – Sex is not the problem (lust is): Sexual Purity in a Lust-Saturated World (G) (182pgs) (great book on sexual sin.  Really helpful for understanding this and how the Gospel relates and practical wisdom for dealing with this sin.)

Harvey, Dave – When Sinners Say “I Do” : Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage (G) (189pgs)

Hulse, Erroll – The Story of The Puritans: Who were they? What did they accomplish? Why should we listen to them today? (G) (30pgs) (Chapel Library www.mountzion.org) This was a nice little short history of the puritans more than anything, at the beginning it also gives reasons why the puritans are relevant to us today which were convincing reasons.  This made the puritans even more interesting to me and helped me with my history.  The puritans were always a minority but what a powerful witness to how God can work through a small group of men. I recommend this booklet.

Metzger, Will – Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel, to the Whole Person, by Whole People; A Training Manual on the Message &Methods of God-Centered Witnessing (G) (259pgs) (really good book that encourages, motivates, and gives solid practical instruction.  The appendixes are very helpful, this can be read alone or for a group study, has study questions.  Very helpful book)

Owen, John (Edited by Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor) – Overcoming Sin and Temptation: Three Classic Works (G) (407 pgs) (very difficult read but some really solid material)

Wells, David F. – The Bleeding of The Evangelical Church (G) (13pgs) (insightful)

Books for Trinidadian Pastors

Imputation is the Heart of the Gospel. (WHI – 2of4)

How important is the doctrine of imputation to your ministry?

Robert P. George has written an excelent must read article regarding Obama’s radically “pro-abortion” stance.  Read it here

Imputation

Simply, to credit or reckon. Through Adam, the guilt of sin is imputed to all men; through Christ, righteousness is imputed to believers (Rom 5:12-21). On the cross, Christ exchanged his righteousness for man’s sinfulness (2 Cor 5:21) by means of imputation. The sins of believers were imputed (credited) to Christ on the cross, and the righteousness that belonged to Jesus Christ was imputed (credited) to believers. Thus, believers possess an “alien” righteousness and can stand before a righteous God.

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/newsletter/terms.htm#imputation

This righteousness of the Surety is conveyed unto us by imputation.

[This] is abundantly plain from many places of Scripture, particularly Romans

4:6, 11, 12, 23, 24. Now, this imputation of the Surety’s righteousness runs

principally upon these three things: (1) Upon the eternal transaction between

the Father and the Son, wherein the Son of God was chosen and sustained as

the Surety of an elect world. Then it was that He gave bond to the Father to

pay their debt in the red gold of His blood saying, “Sacrifice and offering thou

didst not desire . . . Lo, I come . . . I delight to do thy will” (Psa 40:6, 8). (2) It

is grounded upon the actual imputation of our sins unto Him: “The L

ORD

hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6). There is a blessed exchange

of places between Christ and His people: He takes on our sin and unrighteousness,

that we may be clothed with the white robe of His righteousness:

“He was made sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness

of God in him” (2Co 5:21). (3) This imputation goes upon the

ground of the mystical union between Christ and the believer. When the poor

soul is determined in a day of power to embrace the Lord Jesus in the arms of

faith, Christ and he in that very moment do coalesce

1 into one body. He

becomes a branch of the noble Vine, a member of that Body whereof Christ is

the glorious Head of eminence,

in fluence, and government. And being thus

united to Christ, the long and white robe of the Mediator’s righteousness is

spread over him, whereby he is not only freed from condemnation, but for

ever sustained as righteous in the sight of God: “But of him are ye in Christ

Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifi-

cation, and redemption” (1Co 1:30).

The Whole

, Vol I, reprinted by Free Presbyterian Publications.

http://www.mountzion.org/PDFs/irigfg.pdf

Imputation, so far from being an exceptional case with regard to the righteousness of Christ, lies at the very bottom of the entire teaching of Scripture.  How did we fall, my brethren? We fell by the imputation of Adam’s sin to us.  Adam was our federal head: he represented us.  And when he sinned, we sinned representatively in him; and what he did was imputed to us.  You say that you never agreed to the imputation.  Nay, but I would not have you say thus, for as by representation we fell, it is by the Representative system that we rise.  The angels fell personally and individually, and they never rise.  But we fell in another, and we have therefore the power given by divine grace to rise in another.  The root of the fall is found in the federal relationship of Adam to his seed; thus we fell by imputation.  Is it any wonder that we should rise by imputation?  Deny this doctrine, and I ask you — How are men pardoned at all? Are they not pardoned because satisfaction has been offered for sin by Christ?  Very well then, but that satisfaction must be imputed to them or else how is God just in giving to them the results of the death of another unless that death of the other be first of all imputed to them?

From C.H. Spurgeon’s sermon preached June 2, 1861 Online Copy

you can order this sermon in the form of a small booklet for free here titled Jesus Christ Our Righteousness

find other great Spurgeon titles here

As for him who, conscious of unfitness to draw near to God by reason of personal imperfection, is willing to be represented by the Son of God and to substitute a divine claim and merit for a human; let him know that God is willing to receive him with all his imperfection because of the perfection of another, legally transferred to him by the just God and Judge; that God is presenting to him a righteousness not only sufficient to clear him from all guilt and to pay his penalty to the full, but to exalt him to a new rank and dignity such as he could not possibly acquire by the labors or prayers or goodness of ten thousand such lives as his own.
from The Everlasting Righteousness by Horatius Bonar

John Piper: Abortion Is About God