What Spiritual Christian Books Should I Read?

In our previous article we defined what we mean by Spiritual Books and you can read that here.

Here are a few practical considerations and safeguards which can help lead us to read the proper Christian books.

3 Outward Safeguards

1. The books should be based on the Bible and align with the truth in the Bible. Reading spiritual books should never replace the Bible. This also means the beliefs of those writing should align with the genuine faith that is common to all believers [Titus 1:4]. If you are interested, you can read our statement of faith here and the items that it includes.
2. They should be focused on God, God's eternal purpose [Eph. 1:9; 3:3-4], knowing God’s will, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
3. We should be led in application; a proper spiritual book should lead us to apply the truth so that we may experience Christ in our daily life [Col. 1:6, 10].

3 Inward Sensations

1. Reading results in life [2 Cor. 4:12], grace [2 Cor. 1:15; 4:15; 6:1] and peace [Col. 3:15].
2. Reading causes us to love the Lord more [2 Cor. 11:2-3].
3. The proper expounding of the truths in the Bible results in our receiving light [Psa. 119:130].

3 Negative Results of Improper Content

1. We need to be careful that divisions between us and other believers aren't created [Rom. 16:17].  We should have the standing on the common Christian faith.  We may have different interpretations of the Scriptures than others, but these differences shouldn't divide us or cutoff our fellowship with others.
2. We shouldn't be distracted from Christ to other things.  Christ should have preeminence [Col. 1:18]. He is the focus of the Bible and in our reading of spiritual books, He should still be the focus.
3. Our reading shouldn't result in many questions about many things. By reading, we should be infused with faith and not questions [1 Tim. 1:4].  Having many questions is different from reading something new for the very first time and our inner sense will lead us to distinguish.

May the Lord lead you in your pursuit of Him.  We have found that this series of books have helped us the most to know the truths in the Bible in a deeper way, to know God's eternal purpose, and His will for us.  They are freely available so please take this opportunity to start reading.

Continue reading our next article for some ways you can benefit from reading spiritual books.