I recently finished the book called “Taking God at His Word” by Kevin DeYoung (Published by Crossway, 2014), and in my opinion, this is a book that is well worth your time.
This book is about the Bible. It calls us to understand what we believe about the Bible, what we should feel about the Bible, what we should do with the Bible, and why we as Christians hold so tightly to its words. It is not a book that is intended for personal Bible-study methods or interpretation techniques. It is not a book about the history surrounding the text, nor is it a book about the philosophical or theological concepts found in the Scriptures. To put it simply, this is a book “unpacking what the Bible says about the Bible.” (page 23)
Now, lets be honest for a moment. We all have limited time and resources, right? Why should this book be a must-read? Why do we need to read a book about the Bible? Don’t you think we know enough about what we believe about the Bible? Why should I read a book like this?
I will give two of the biggest reasons why, in my opinion, this book is a must read.
- It is the clearest (and shortest) book that I have come across about the doctrine of Scripture. It is not too technical that it loses interest, and it is not so deep that it bogs down in non-essential details. Instead, this book is both clear and highly readable. We as Christians often assume that we understand what we believe about our Bible. However, often when we challenged with questions or differing opinions, we realize that we have assumed too much. It is critically important for us as followers of Christ to understand what we believe about our Bible, and this book is the simplest and clearest articulation of the doctrine of Scripture that I have seen.
- There are some books that I have come across that provoke a deeper love of God and His Scripture. There are some books that seem to stir my affections for Christ and His gospel. There are some books that give me a greater confidence in the character of God and in the Bible that I hold in my hand. This is one of those books. I echo the words of David Platt when he said, “My trust in God’s Word is greater, my submission to God’s Word is deeper, and my love for God’s Word is sweeter as a result of reading this book.”
Overall, if we are going to see our biblical literacy increase in our churches, then we need books like this. I highly recommend it!