This week the blog is sponsored by Reformed Free Publishing who invites you to check out their new book Doctrine According to Godliness.
Doctrine is important. That was the case at the time of the Reformation, and it’s also the case today. As Christians, we need to have a real understanding of the Scriptures’ teachings on justification by faith alone, the means of grace, and who and what the church is, just to name a few important doctrines.
But books on doctrine can be daunting. Perhaps you’ve picked up a book on doctrine before with good intentions. You began reading it each night before bed. But a week or two in, you realized just how long it would take you to finish at the rate you were going. You admitted to yourself that you weren’t even sure you understood everything you had read so far.
Rev. Ron Hanko, a retired Reformed pastor, has written a book that will help you take a fresh look at doctrine. Doctrine According to Godliness is a collection of over two hundred easy-to-read explanations of Christian theology.
4 Good Reasons To Read Doctrine According to Godliness
1. Each section is short. The title of this post includes the word bite-sized because there really isn’t a better way to describe this book’s approach! From “God’s Grace,” to “Justification and the Atonement,” to “The Signs of Christ’s Coming,” Rev. Hanko explains each section of doctrine in just one and a half pages or less.
2. Each section is clear. Rev. Hanko served as a missionary for years. He knows the importance of using easy-to-understand language to teach the truths of the Christian faith. Consider his explanation on the personal union of Jesus’ two natures: “[Jesus] is, as a person, the Second Person of the Trinity…. [This] means that the only begotten Son personally suffered and died on the cross and that the person who said, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ was God Himself. What an awesome truth!”
3. This book is comprehensive. Each explanation of doctrine in Doctrine According to Godliness might be short and simply explained, but this book is by no means simplistic. Over the course of the book, Rev. Hanko builds on the truths he has taught in previous sections. Taken as a whole, this book serves as an excellent manual of Christian doctrine.
4. This book is warm and personal. Rev. Hanko’s style is clearly that of a pastor who cares for God’s sheep. Listen to the way he applies the truth of the Trinity to each one of us: “When we need to know the love of God, we think of Him and pray to Him as children to a Father. When we think that there is no one who knows our needs and understands our trials, He reminds us that His Son has come in the flesh and has been touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Heb.4:15)…When we feel far from God and from all peace, His Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are children of God.”
Doctrine According to Godliness is divided into six parts:
- God and His Word
- Man and His World
- Christ and His Work
- The Covenant and Salvation
- The Church and the Sacraments
- The Return of Christ and the Last Things
Click here to preview this book!
Did you know you can get Doctrine According to Godliness and every other book you purchase from Reformed Free Publishing for 35% off the retail price and enjoy free shipping on every order? Join our book club today and grow your religious library!
