5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 And when they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 But Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have extorted anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:5-10 (LSB)
My personal library is fitted to my own personal tastes and needs. I doubt if most people would want to tackle most of my books, but they are treasures to me. I have several books about the English Protestant Reformation. That means I have quite a few books about William Tyndale for instance….
I have a couple of books written by John Owen. I also have books written by Martin Luther, a contemporary of Tyndale. There are times that after I pray for guidance about what to write here that I find myself back in my library. One book that has been very beneficial to me and my understanding of doctrine is John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. The following is an excerpt from the introductory essay for this book:
“The Death of Death in the Death of Christ is a polemical work, designed to show, among other things, that the doctrine of universal redemption is unscriptural and destructive of the gospel. There are many, therefore, to whom it is not likely to be of interest. Those who see no need for doctrinal exactness and have no time for theological debates which show up divisions between so-called Evangelicals may regret its reappearance.”
As I reread this book I am always amazed at how edifying it is for the Christian to read of the propitiatory work of Christ on the Cross specifically for his or her behalf, that is, to purchase them specifically by His blood.