Please note: The following books may be helpful to your walk with the Lord. The mere listing of a book does not indicate full agreement with everything an author may teach or believe. Always measure everything by Scripture.  

In general, the books are listed in order of increasing difficulty (i.e., easier to understand are listed first, more challenging ones last).  Most of these should be readily available at www.ChristianBook.com or www.amazon.com.

Understanding What Jesus Has Done to Save Us (The Gospel):

• The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges
• Living the Cross Centered Life by C. J. Mahaney
• Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper
• The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
• The Cross of Christ by John Stott

Knowing God:

• The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer
• The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer
• The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul
• The Invisible Hand by R. C. Sproul
• The Sovereignty of God by A. W. Pink
• Knowing God by J. I. Packer
• The Doctrine of God by John Frame

Growing as a Christian:

• What True Holiness Looks Like:
• Humility by C. J. Mahaney
• Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald Whitney
• The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges
• Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges
• The Confessions by Augustine
• The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (both original and modern English versions)
• How to Grow as a Christian:
• The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
• I Really Want to Change…So Help Me God by James MacDonald
• Desiring God by John Piper
• Future Grace by John Piper
• Holiness by J. C. Ryle
• Developing a Consistent Devotional Life:
• Simply Your Spiritual Life by Donald Whitney
• The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges
• The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges
• When I Don’t Desire God by John Piper
• Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
• Devotional Tools:
• Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon, edited by Alistair Begg
• A Godward Life, Volumes 1 & 2 by John Piper
• For the Love of God, Volumes 1 & 2 by Don Carson
• Matthias Media Interactive Bible Studies (workbooks that teach how to study the Bible by studying the Bible) available here.

Theology/Bible Doctrine:

• Now, That’s a Good Question by R. C. Sproul
• Knowing the Truth by Bruce Milne
• Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem
• The Christian View of Man by J. Gresham Machen
• Foundations of the Christian Faith by James Montgomery Boice
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

Being the Church:

• Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris
• What is a Healthy Church Member? by Thabiti Anyabwile
• Why We Love the Church by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck
• Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church by Donald Whitney
• Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever
• Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches by John Hammett

Telling Others about Jesus (Evangelism):

• A Faith Worth Sharing by Jack Miller
• The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever
• Jesus the Evangelist by Richard Phillips
• Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer
• Tell the Truth by Will Metzger

Global Missions:

• Operation World by Patrick Johnstone
• Let the Nations be Glad! by John Piper
• The Church is Bigger than You Think by Patrick Johnstone

Defending the Faith (Apologetics):

• The Answers Book by Ken Ham
• More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell
• Reason to Believe by R. C. Sproul
• The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
• The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
• Kingdom of the Cults edited by Ravi Zacharias
• The Reason for God by Tim Keller
• Apologetics to the Glory of God by John Frame

How to Study the Bible/Bible Study Resources:

• Knowing Scripture by R. C. Sproul
• How to Study the Bible by John MacArthur
• How to Read the Bible for All it’s Worth by Gordon Fee and Doug Stuart
• How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon Fee and Doug Stuart
• The MacArthur Bible Commentary by John MacArthur
• The Message of the New Testament by Mark Dever
• The Message of the Old Testament by Mark Dever
• Hard Saying of the Bible by Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F. F. Bruce, and Manfred T. Brauch
• For a very helpful website listing hundreds of recommended evangelical commentaries on every book of the Bible, go here.

Prayer:

• When You Pray by Phillip Graham Ryken
• Prayer and the Knowledge of God by Graeme Goldsworthy
• Praying by J. I. Packer
• The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett
• A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D. A. Carson

Living as a Christian in a Non-Christian World:

• Relationships/Purity/Marriage:
• The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn
• Sex is not the Problem, Lust is by Josh Harris (appropriate for 13 year-olds and up)
• I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Josh Harris
• Boy Meets Girl by Josh Harris
• When Sinners Say “I Do” by Dave Harvey
• Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp
• Your Family God’s Way by Wayne Mack
• God, Marriage, and Family by Andreas J. Kostenberger
• Biblical Manhood/Being a Biblical Husband:
• Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes
• The Complete Husband by Lou Priolo
• Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God by C. J. Mahaney
• Fatherhood by Tony Payne
• Rediscovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem
• Biblical Womanhood/Being a Biblical Wife:
• Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney
• Heaven at Home by Ginger Plowman
• Womanly Dominion by Mark Chanski
• Rediscovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem
• Raising/Discipling Your Children:
• Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman
• Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
• Instructing a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
• Big Truths for Young Hearts by Bruce Ware
• Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell Moore
• Family Worship:
• Family Worship: In the Bible, in History, and in Your Home by Donald Whitney
• Family Worship by Joel Beeke
• The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
• The Building on the Rock Series (4 volumes of inspiring adventure and missionary stories for kids) by Joel Beeke and Diana Kleyn
• Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schooland
• Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle (great to read aloud during family devotions)
• Suffering/Grieving as a Christian:
• Grieving: Our Path Back to Peace by James R. White
• When God Weeps: Why Our Suffering Matters to the Almighty by Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes
• Suffering and the Sovereignty of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor
• How Long, O Lord by D. A. Carson
• Use of Money/Finances:
• The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
• Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn
• Business for the Glory of God by Wayne Grudem

Biographies:

• His Voice Shakes the Wilderness by Sophie Muller
• The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
• George Muller: Delighted in God by Roger Steer
• Through Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot
• Faithful Witness: The Life and Mission of William Carey by Timothy George
• To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson by Courtney Anderson
• Here I Stand by Roland Bainton
• Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dalimore
• George Whitefield by Arnold Dalimore
• Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography by Iain Murray
• John Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides by John Paton

Other good recommended reading lists – including more scholarly and technical books – are found here, here, and here.