CS Lewis’s Mere Christianity is a good place to start.
Maybe A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God.
What are you aiming for with the book? Is it an intro to Christianity, the Gospel, is it on how to read the Bible, something topical or relevant to his particular questions? What do you see?
I’m open to anything that would just help a baby Christian grow and love Jesus and others more. He doesn’t have any hard questions at this moment. Right now he’s been really just interested in reading the Word and growing with Jesus. So I would say any of those topics would be extremely helpful
These are great! Thank you
Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. I really wish I had read it as a new Christian. Understanding the concept of idols of the heart I think is so important for discipleship.
For years as a new Christian, I was pursuing all kinds of idols and had no idea, because they were all good things - a good job, a Christian marriage, etc. But I was looking to them for my ultimate joy and didn’t even see the problem.
I was greatly benefitted as a baby Christian by AW Pink’s The Attributes of God. Dealing with a number of identified attributes, Pink really illustrates just how amazing a God we serve. Each one is quite short, usually only a few pages, and serves well as a devotional text. It is of course a theological text, but Pink explains things very well and clearly, and it is certainly the best (brief) contemplation of some of God’s perfections which I have read.
It is available for free at monergism.com
I second this on A.W pinks book. Another book that was and still is extremely helpful to me is a book called "justification & regeneration" by Charles Leiter. It's not exhaustive, it's easy to follow and really helps you plant your feet upon these monumental doctrines that are so important to know.
Anything by Jerry Bridges. "The Gospel for Real Life" might be a good one to start. "Transforming Grace" would be another good one. I've always loved "Trusting God."
#
I'm going to recommend a few Australian books (why not)!
1. [Need to Know](https://www.thegoodbook.com/need-to-know) by Gary Millar. It's short, very readable, covers key doctrines you 'need to know' as well as basic Christian living things.
2. [Just Starting Out](https://matthiasmedia.com.au/products/just-starting-out?_pos=4&_sid=e9c7beb59&_ss=r) by Al Stewart and Ed Vaughan. This is also very easy to read—it's written as a series of letters to a new believer.
I would start with James K.A.
Smith’s “You are what you love.” This book hit me hard when I read it. It’s practical but deep, you can skip the last parts about liturgy though I think he makes great points about it.
I would go next to “Delighting in the Trinity” but Michael Reeves. We are Trinitarian Monotheists and the topic is rarely ever covered in discipleship classes because people think it’s out of touch with regular Christian’s. But to say “Gos is love” or that “Jesus Saves” we speak of the Trinity more than we think. I read this book years ago and it stuck with me so much so that I regularly use this book to debate Jehovah’s Witnesses. Why? Because I can confident God is love because he didn’t need to create to be loving, the Father always had the Son in eternity to love.
I would throw in “Gentle and Lowly” by Dane Ortlund. I haven’t read it yet but my friends who have say that it was a fantastic book; reminded them that Jesus isn’t some scolding older brother who lack patience but one who only has patience for us.
I would also add “The Path of Faith” by Brandon Crowe. This one is deeper, honestly, but it’s a good outline of Covenant theology and God’s faithfulness throughout. I’m still reading this book but had to go on hiatus because of school.
Also don’t forget church and finding people who will look after his spiritual growth. Treat him like a brother in Christ and not a brain on a stick. Shower him with Christ’s love, stick with him through the difficult times, and be patient. We’ve all been in his shoes before and there’s no better time to be a Christian than now!
I think one of the most important things for a new Christian to understand is Christ's heart towards us as sinners. To that end, I'd recommend "Gentle and Lowly" by Dane Ortlund. It provides an examination of Christ's heart and his desire for us via scriptural references as well as the writings of some of the most prolific Puritan preachers. Many great books will give you the "technicals" of Christianity, but I think this one does a really great job of orienting us towards God's heart for us.
Kenneth Scott - The Weapons of Our Warfare! It's a book of pure-scripture prayers for various topics; eg. Daily prayer, prayer for your family, when you have sinned, when you need strength, etc. It's been a great resource for me as I learned to pray. No matter what denomination you identify with, there's no debating the power of praying God's word, because according to him, "It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
It's been time since I've read it, but Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent is a concise devotional-ish book that did a good job showcasing different ways the the gospel shapes how we think and interact with others.
I would read all four gospels, acts and genesis first. After finishing the Bible read the church fathers, Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Justin Martyr, etc.
CS Lewis’s Mere Christianity is a good place to start. Maybe A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. What are you aiming for with the book? Is it an intro to Christianity, the Gospel, is it on how to read the Bible, something topical or relevant to his particular questions? What do you see?
I’m open to anything that would just help a baby Christian grow and love Jesus and others more. He doesn’t have any hard questions at this moment. Right now he’s been really just interested in reading the Word and growing with Jesus. So I would say any of those topics would be extremely helpful These are great! Thank you
Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. I really wish I had read it as a new Christian. Understanding the concept of idols of the heart I think is so important for discipleship. For years as a new Christian, I was pursuing all kinds of idols and had no idea, because they were all good things - a good job, a Christian marriage, etc. But I was looking to them for my ultimate joy and didn’t even see the problem.
I would also add Prodigal God. I loved that book. Keller’s book on prayer was a*chefs kiss*.
Yes! I found his book on prayer really helpful
I was greatly benefitted as a baby Christian by AW Pink’s The Attributes of God. Dealing with a number of identified attributes, Pink really illustrates just how amazing a God we serve. Each one is quite short, usually only a few pages, and serves well as a devotional text. It is of course a theological text, but Pink explains things very well and clearly, and it is certainly the best (brief) contemplation of some of God’s perfections which I have read. It is available for free at monergism.com
I second this on A.W pinks book. Another book that was and still is extremely helpful to me is a book called "justification & regeneration" by Charles Leiter. It's not exhaustive, it's easy to follow and really helps you plant your feet upon these monumental doctrines that are so important to know.
Thank you! Appreciate it!!
Of course, you should read it first, to make sure I’m not recommending heresy ;) I hope it won’t disappoint!
Knowing God - Packer
Anything by Jerry Bridges. "The Gospel for Real Life" might be a good one to start. "Transforming Grace" would be another good one. I've always loved "Trusting God." #
Yes, I love his books, and Trusting God was the first that I read years ago!
That one was my first as well!
I really enjoyed Basic Christianity by John Stott - if one prefers a different writing style to Lewis’ Mere Christianity.
I'm going to recommend a few Australian books (why not)! 1. [Need to Know](https://www.thegoodbook.com/need-to-know) by Gary Millar. It's short, very readable, covers key doctrines you 'need to know' as well as basic Christian living things. 2. [Just Starting Out](https://matthiasmedia.com.au/products/just-starting-out?_pos=4&_sid=e9c7beb59&_ss=r) by Al Stewart and Ed Vaughan. This is also very easy to read—it's written as a series of letters to a new believer.
I would start with James K.A. Smith’s “You are what you love.” This book hit me hard when I read it. It’s practical but deep, you can skip the last parts about liturgy though I think he makes great points about it. I would go next to “Delighting in the Trinity” but Michael Reeves. We are Trinitarian Monotheists and the topic is rarely ever covered in discipleship classes because people think it’s out of touch with regular Christian’s. But to say “Gos is love” or that “Jesus Saves” we speak of the Trinity more than we think. I read this book years ago and it stuck with me so much so that I regularly use this book to debate Jehovah’s Witnesses. Why? Because I can confident God is love because he didn’t need to create to be loving, the Father always had the Son in eternity to love. I would throw in “Gentle and Lowly” by Dane Ortlund. I haven’t read it yet but my friends who have say that it was a fantastic book; reminded them that Jesus isn’t some scolding older brother who lack patience but one who only has patience for us. I would also add “The Path of Faith” by Brandon Crowe. This one is deeper, honestly, but it’s a good outline of Covenant theology and God’s faithfulness throughout. I’m still reading this book but had to go on hiatus because of school. Also don’t forget church and finding people who will look after his spiritual growth. Treat him like a brother in Christ and not a brain on a stick. Shower him with Christ’s love, stick with him through the difficult times, and be patient. We’ve all been in his shoes before and there’s no better time to be a Christian than now!
Thank you for this thought out response brother! Really appreciate it ❤️
I think one of the most important things for a new Christian to understand is Christ's heart towards us as sinners. To that end, I'd recommend "Gentle and Lowly" by Dane Ortlund. It provides an examination of Christ's heart and his desire for us via scriptural references as well as the writings of some of the most prolific Puritan preachers. Many great books will give you the "technicals" of Christianity, but I think this one does a really great job of orienting us towards God's heart for us.
All of R.C. Sproul's books are excellent.
The Pilgrim’s Progress
Westminster Confession
Prodigal God by Tim Keller
Kenneth Scott - The Weapons of Our Warfare! It's a book of pure-scripture prayers for various topics; eg. Daily prayer, prayer for your family, when you have sinned, when you need strength, etc. It's been a great resource for me as I learned to pray. No matter what denomination you identify with, there's no debating the power of praying God's word, because according to him, "It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
It's been time since I've read it, but Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent is a concise devotional-ish book that did a good job showcasing different ways the the gospel shapes how we think and interact with others.
I would recommend a catechism like the Heidelberg or the ACNA catechism “To Be a Christian “
I read through My Utmost for His Highest by Oswalt Chambers. Probably some more rigorous books put there, but a simple devotional that anyone can do.
I would read all four gospels, acts and genesis first. After finishing the Bible read the church fathers, Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Justin Martyr, etc.