Soteriology Books

Death by Love: Letters from the Cross (Re:Lit)

Mark Driscoll, Gerry Breshears

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Real people. Real sin. Transformed lives. A compilation of heartfelt letters written from a pastor to his people that explains Jesus’ work on the cross.

Death by Love is a unique book on the cross of Jesus Christ. While many books debate the finer points of the doctrine of the atonement, what is often lost are the real-life implications of Jesus’ death on the cross for those who have sinned and have been sinned against. Written in the form of pastoral letters, Death by Love outlines the twelve primary effects of Jesus’ death on the cross and connects each to the life of a different individual.

Driscoll, one of America’s most influential pastors, and Breshears, a respected theologian, help readers understand, appreciate, and trust in Jesus’ work on the cross in a way that will transform their lives. Both deeply theological and intensely practical, this book shows how everyone can find hope through the death of Jesus Christ.

What's So Amazing About Grace?

Philip Yancey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 188 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Mention the word "grace" and what immediately comes to mind for most of us is a bagpipe wailing the solemn notes of "Amazing Grace."

The grace of which Philip Yancey writes is the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God. This grace seems a remote, almost sentimental concept, without a place in our lives or our society. It is a vague, slippery thing to us, probably because we seem to experience grace so rarely and have managed to leech the word of meaning. But Philip Yancey has set about to rescue grace in his book What's So Amazing About Grace?

This grace is the true message of Jesus. All faiths have virtues and creeds and justice and truth, but Jesus speaks merely of receiving the love that God has for us. Accepting it, not earning it or making ourselves worthy of it. And frankly, accepting something we have not earned or are not worthy of is not an easy thing for most of us.

In truth, grace is both utterly simple and utterly confounding. Little by little, Yancey guides us into a clearer understanding of grace by using stories, in much the same way Jesus did. We read stories of both grace and ungrace at work in people's lives. Sadly, it is stories of ungrace that are more prevalent today, the current culture wars painful acknowledgments of ungrace in our lives as Christians in this country. Yancey helps us understand that ungrace is that state of being in which self-righteousness and pride are a result of thinking that we have somehow earned God's approval and may now stand in judgment in his behalf.

Philip Yancey was awarded the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award for this book in 1998 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Readers concurred with this decision, making this book an immediate bestseller. Believers and nonbelievers alike should accept Yancey's challenge to become agents of grace rather than agents of vengeance or judgment or anger. In truth, we are each starving for grace, ready to grasp it tightly. And it is through grace that all other hungers--for justice, for righteousness, for love--are satisfied. Yancey opens his book by telling us that "grace" is the last best word, and in What's So Amazing About Grace?, he proves that he's right. --Patricia Klein

Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace

Cathleen Falsani

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

helpful, delightful and grace-filled 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

If along with most people you've ever wondered what God possibly could do to transform your pitiful attitudes and pathetic lack of alignment with the demands of the commands, this collection of stories from Chicago Sun-Times religion columnist Cathleen Falsani's recent peregrinations will give you hope and keep you keepin' on, since God lovingly reigns with showers of mercy-filled grace, no matter who, no matter what, no matter when.

On page 57 Cathleen cites a couple of "grace" examples that especially resonate with me: "Sometimes it's having the guts to rebuild, to take a chance, to follow your nose and your heart rather than your head." "Sometimes grace is finding out that your preconceived notions are dead wrong." "And sometimes it's a bowl of watermelon gazpacho when you were expecting Taco Bell."

Discussing the possibility of following precise recipes for spiritual and religious experience and renewal (there aren't any), Cathleen described herself as "rhubarb pie with pistachio ice cream," making me wonder how to describe myself in food, and maybe how I'd describe some of the people I've met.

Cathleen's book chronicles God's "audacious" grace, as she sometimes styles it; and in its free, elusive, characteristically unanticipated and unexpectedness, Grace is audacious, bold and wild. But just as much, grace often is physically tastable, audible, visible, aromatic and touchable: incarnate and enfleshed; in that case, where can grace lead us? What is our response in the Spirit to the Divine Image in which we've been created?

I predict you'll enjoy this book, you'll recommend it and you'll probably want to read it again!

Editorial Review:

Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve.

The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense

John Bevere

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Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

BAIT OF SATAN is a Powerful, Challenging Book that Every Christian Should Read ! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

When I first heard of this book, I thought, "What a weird title." Surely this book was just another of the Christian mystic genre that I had no interest in. But when I got into it, what I found was a gut-wrenching challenge to crucify my pride.

John Bevere's Bait of Satan challenges us to guard our hearts from holding on to grudges, emotional wounds, bitterness, and offenses. No easy task, this challenge strikes at the heart of our commitment to "forgive as we are forgiven".

This topic is largely neglected in Christian writings and preaching, so (in my humble opinion) Bevere's work has earned its place as necessary reading in basic Christian living. It is well written, easy to read, but difficult to digest. It deserves to be read once a year. This is how spiritually challenging it is. It is one of those books you have to pray through while reading it. And don't forget your highlighter!

I ususally yawn when I hear people say, "Next to the Bible, you need to read this book." Yet after reading it, that is exactly how I feel about BAIT OF SATAN. Next to the Bible, its the most challenging and spiritually practical book I've studied. You won't be disappointed.

The Meal That Heals: Enjoying Intimate, Daily Communion With God

Perry Stone

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Awesome Revelation 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is filled with details and research on how the Early Church took communion every day and it proves healing is available through the Lord's Supper. It contains great hebraic research, word studies and history. I believe this is one of the greatest books ever written!

The Key To Living A Long Life 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a must read for every believer who wants a relationship with Christ, not a religion. Understanding the depth of His forgiveness for every mistake we have made and will make is key to enjoying a long life. The Meal That Heals walks you through the power of forgiveness and the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits everyone can expect to experience if they choose to operate in the love of forgiveness.

Editorial Review:

The Meal That Heals explains the power of the Communion experience to bring physical and spiritual healing to the life of a believer. It answers common questions about the act of Communion and explains the difference between the Catholic Mass and Protestant Communion. It reveals biblical secrets about the parallels between the manna in the wilderness and Christ's own experience in Gethsemane. It shows the power of receiving daily Communion, which allows the life of Christ to work in your body, driving out every sickness, disease, and weakness that hinders your life.

The Discipline of Grace

Jerry Bridges

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Holiness and Grace 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This book is written as a marriage of two of Jerry Bridges' earlier books, The Pursuit of Holiness and Transforming Grace. In this volume he takes the two seemingly opposite concepts of the believer's responsibility to be holy versus the work of God's grace in the believer's life and welds them together, showing how they are both complimentary and necessary to the Christian experience. His theme in this portion of the book is that "you must learn to preach the gospel to yourself" - a refrain which embraces the scope of the entire work. Once he has established both the necessity of dependence upon God's grace and the necessity of engaging in spiritual disciplines, he turns his focus to the latter theme and sets forth six spiritual disciplines to which believers are called to pursue. They are (1) a discipline of dependence in which the believer trusts while he also labors, (2) a discipline of commitment to the cause of Christ, (3) a discipline of convictions in which the believer bends his mind to the Word of God, (4) a discipline of choices in which the believer puts his fleshly desires to death while putting on Christ, (5) a discipline of watching in which the believer recognizes his weaknesses and plans to avoid those pitfalls, and (6) a discipline of adversity.

This book is eminently practical as it sets forth, not only the basis of Christian growth as being rooted in the cross, but also in specific personal disciplines in which every Christian needs to partake. Bridges gives an excellent reminder of the importance of a gospel-centered ministry, not only with regard to evangelism of the unsaved, but the use of the gospel as it relates to the ongoing Christian life. He calls us to preach the gospel to ourselves - to run to the cross and to live constantly under its shadow and thereby find both forgiveness as well as motivation and strength for living a holy life.

As I read through the book, I found myself returning time and time again to the cross. The use of his disciplines provides a "nuts and bolts" approach to taking these teachings out of the classroom and applying them in a very personal way.

Editorial Review:

If you’ve struggled with the difference between your role and God’s role in your growth as a Christian, this book and study guide is for you. Learn to rest in Christ while pursuing a life of holiness.

The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith?

John MacArthur

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 91 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

One of the most important books in the past 20 years 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I first read this book when it was published in 1988. It countered the easy believism, self-delusional evangelism pervasive in my then-independent Baptist circles and confirmed the serious gospel of God's grace. I read several of the one-star reviews, and they typically represent a gross misunderstanding of grace that provides comfort to Christians whose children made decisions and then departed from the faith in adulthood.

The Bible commands us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and speaks much about the pursuit of obedience as evidence of true faith. Obedience does not save, but the truly converted person will seek, however imperfectly, to obey his Lord. There is no salvation, only delusion, in a "gospel" which divorces obedience from faith. As the book of James aptly states, "Faith without works is dead."

Those who denounce MacArthur as mixing works with grace misrepresent the author. This is a serious book for those serious about following Christ. I would give it ten stars if that were an option.

Editorial Review:

What does Jesus mean when he says, “Follow me”?

Twenty years ago, pastor-teacher and bestselling author John MacArthur tackled that seemingly simple question—and wrote a book that has since taken its place among Christianity’s classics. This 20th Anniversary edition of MacArthur’s provocative book has been revised and contains one new chapter.

Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive

John Eldredge

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Total reviews: 103 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Waking the Dead--lifechanging 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Here is my "book report" on Waking the Dead, by John Eldredge, a book which has played a pivital role in transforming my personal walk with God. He begins by making the point that we do not see our own situation clearly. There are two vital truths that we must wake up to. One is that God's intentions toward us are truly good. Because we were designed to give Him glory, God's happiness and our happiness are linked together.


The second truth is that we were born into a world at war. The new life God intends for us is being brutally opposed by the forces of darkness. Spiritual warfare does not consist merely of the occasional power encounter, and it isn't relegated to the mission field. It is the true nature of the reality in which we live. Recognizing this could naturally make us want to shrink back in fear. We don't want to become casualties of war, but we fail to realize a vital truth about who we really are and the role God designed us to play in this battle.

Eldredge makes a compelling argument that the heart of a believer is good. God has taken away our hearts of stone and given us new hearts of flesh. Our true nature has been transformed and redeemed. Though we still battle temptation, it does not originate from within our true identity as new creatures in Christ Jesus. When we are assaulted by the desire to sin, we need to tell ourselves, "This isn't coming from my heart because what my heart truly wants is to obey God." The fears that too often threaten to immobilize us come, not from our own hearts, but from the enemy who doesn't want us to realize our true potential as weapons in the hands of our God.



Eldredge goes on to discuss the means by which our hearts can be set free and we can reclaim the unique glory which God intended to reflect from the heart of each one of us. We must learn to trust our God enough to be weapons He can wield for His own glory. We must recognize that we were made for this purpose and to fulfill it is our hearts' deepest desire.

Editorial Review:

Waking the Dead leads readers to understand how to live from the heart, care for their hearts like the treasures of the kingdom, and give from fullness instead of emptiness. This message also shows how living from the heart can energize people to love God and others in a way they've never experienced, revealing to them life's purpose: fighting for the hearts of others.

How Good Is Good Enough (Six-Pack) (LifeChange Books)

Andy Stanley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Back Door Approach to Gospel 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is an outstanding, simple, short little booklet that gives a powerful, backdoor approach to the Gospel.
It's perfect to give to someone searching for the truth about heaven, hell, eternity, answers, Jesus....
Shares that it is only in Christianity...true Christianity..not religion...that heaven is a free gift. Salvation is free.
Pretty awesome.

GOOD ENOUGH! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I was very pleased and encouraged by this cd. It takes you down the path that all religions can't be right. Then it explains that most religions teach that being good and doing good deeds get you to the promise land. He explains how all these different religions have one common flaw, how good do you have to be? None of them can answer that question. However, there is one religion that teaches just the opposite. That one can be saved by grace, A free gift! The end of the cd explains exactly how to get this free gift. If you love Jesus or want to know about him, you will enjoy this cd. It's very simplistic, but tastefully done. I have listened to it 3 different times while driving and still love it. I did order extra copies and have given them to my friends, who say they loved the method of enlightenment.

Editorial Review:

Surely there's more than one way to get to heaven? Bestselling author Andy Stanley addresses this popular belief held even among Christians. But believing that all good people go to heaven raises major problems, Stanley reveals. Is goodness not rewarded, then? Is Christianity not fair? Maybe not, he says. Readers will find out why Jesus taught that goodness is not even a requirement to enter heaven - and why Christianity is beyond fair. Andy Stanley leads believers and skeptics alike to a grateful awareness of God's enormous grace and mercy. 6 pack of Paperback books.

One Heartbeat Away: Your Journey into Eternity

Mark Cahill

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Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Must read for EVERYONE 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

One Heartbeat Away discusses in clear and understandable terms not just about salvation, but why we need salvation. Mark Cahill's method of writing is not 'preachy' but conversational and interesting in how he weaves in stories of his conversations with famous people and atheletes. This is a perfect book for someone who is seeking to understand what the message of the cross is and why it should matter to you and me. I highly recommend this book and suggest getting one for everybody you know.

Editorial Review:

Based on actual conversations with lost people, this book will help you anticipate their questions and objections. Why have atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Catholics, prisoners, and soldiers all read One Heartbeat Away and become born again? As best-selling author Mark Cahill suggests, because once you know the truth about the Bible, creation vs. evolution, heaven and hell, sin, and the cross, there is only one logical decision to make. The truth does set you free! Get this book into the hands of family, friends, and strangers and watch the Holy Spirit work wonders in their lives.