There's so many books in our Christian bookstores today, but as the Church goes downhill so do the books. How do you know if a Christian book is truly worth reading (or any Christian teaching worth receiving)? Here are some things that come to mind:
1. The book must be centered on God's Word
God's Word is truly worth reading, therefore an easy way to start is to see if the book is founded on and saturated with Scripture.
This also means that the ideas in a book must be in complete accordance with God's Word. Scripture is our authority, and if a book claims that the Bible defines something as good or true it must be accurate. Building off of false truth means your foundation for Christianity is not solid. The ideas must be in complete accordance with God's Word. It can't just build off of one part of Scripture but off of Scripture as a whole.
Here's an example: God says in Matthew 7:7 to ask and He will give it to us. Hebrews 6:18 says that it is impossible for God to lie. Fact: God does not lie. Someone could make a case for why God doesn't give us everything we ask for. But to suggest that God goes against His Word would not be true, because God cannot lie. If you dig deeper in Scripture you'll also find verses like, "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Matthew 21:22), "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:14), and, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:3). So in conclusion, yes, God promises to give us what we ask for, but we must take Scripture as a whole, and not in part.
2. The book should be about God - not you
Much of the teaching in today's Church is about how Christ/Christianity benefits someone, but not how one must "deny himself and take up his cross daily" to follow Jesus Christ (Luke 9:23). It usually becomes obvious very soon in any book which point the author is coming from. If they are coming from the point of how Christ or "Christianity" benefits you, then the book is going to be about you. But if they come from the other perspective then they want to tell you all about who God is, and it will reflect the need to crucify the old-self with its passions and desires.
3. The book shouldn't satisfy you
The best Christian books I have ever read are those that got me so intrigued and excited about God and His Word that they inspired me to seek God more. Those authors didn't claim to know all the answers to my questions, problems, or needs, but through their book they point me to God and His Word. As a result I'm not only pointed to the One Who has every answer but I gain a deeper understanding of Who God is. Those books don't leave me satisfied. Instead they make me yearn to know God more deeply. They point me to the One Who satisfies.
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