Understanding Scripture is a brief and accessible work that addresses many questions about how the Bible we have today came to be. Specifically, Understanding Scripture covers questions related to the canon of Scripture, the reliability of the biblical manuscripts, archaeology, and biblical interpretation. With contributions from J. I. Packer, John Piper, Daniel B. Wallace, Vern Poythress, and others, this book has proven helpful to both believers and unbelievers alike.

This book serves as a companion volume to Understanding Scripture and addresses questions related to redemptive history and the overall storyline of the Bible. This volume also provides an overview of biblical interpretation and the different literary genres that make up the Old and New Testaments. Finally, the final chapters include extremely helpful timelines of the Old and New Testaments as well as a timeline of the Intertestamental period.

Written by Thomas Schreiner, The King in His Beauty is an accessible but thorough biblical theology that provides an excellent overview of the storyline of Scripture. Consistent with the title of the book, Schreiner engages the storyline as it unfolds but emphasizes three major themes: God as King, human beings as those who are made in God’s image, and the place in which God’s rule is exercised.

Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology is simply the best and most complete survey of Christian doctrine. Grudem thoroughly addresses the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Scripture, and numerous other doctrines, but he does so in a way that is accessible to most readers and that always points back to Scripture.

As the book’s title suggests, this well-illustrated book by Tim Challies helps readers see what the Bible teaches about God and the Gospel, bringing about a deeper understanding of the doctrines (i.e., beliefs) set forth in the pages of Scripture.

One of the best introductory texts on biblical interpretation, Grasping God’s Word provides readers with a foundational understanding of how to rightly handle God’s Word. Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays explain that Scripture must interpret Scripture, meaning that we must seek to read passages in their proper context and submit to the meaning God has placed in the text through the inspired authors of Scripture.

How do you “delight” in the Trinity? When I first read the book’s title, I have to admit I laughed a bit. But when I came to understand the Trinity not as some theological concept but as the true nature of the God who created the world, I could genuinely see and believe that God desired to love me. If you are a Christian who struggles to believe that God loves you, please read this book. And if you do not believe in God but are willing to explore what the God of the Bible is really like, please read this book. It’s relatively short and will be worth every minute you spend.

The prosperity gospel is one of the most dangerous distortions of the Gospel that exists today, and it is much more prevalent in our churches (and in our own thinking) than many realize. In this short book, David Jones and Russell Woodbridge show from Scripture why the prosperity gospel is in error, highlighting some of the most well-known prosperity teachers so that readers can understand and escape this false gospel and embrace the true Gospel of Christ.

Timothy Ward’s Words of Life fills a void that can sometimes be lacking when interpreting the Bible. Even the best books on biblical interpretation can present an almost scientific approach to Scripture where the reader’s task is simply to draw out the meaning of the original authors. While understanding the author’s intention is essential to accurately understanding the Bible, we must never forget that the Scriptures are the living and active Word of God and that the Spirit still works today not only to bring us understanding of God’s Word but to change our hearts as well.