I put together a list of the ten most meaningful books I’ve read for Tim Challies. He has asked a number of individuals to do this in the hopes that the lists will serve other believers looking for good material to build up their faith. I decided that I should post on each of these books at some point.
I want to start with a book that is not very well known, though it should be. Tom Wells has been a pastor near Cincinnati, Ohio for over 25 years and has written a number of books, including A Vission for Missions and Come to Me! The former shows a zeal for missions often lacking in American churches, and the latter is the best call to repentance and faith in Christ I have ever read. I wish every non-Christian in my life could read it.
Wells clearly and winsomely explains difficult concepts. For example, in Come to Me! he discusses how the call to Christ is both a command of God and the best possible offer for man. But this post is about his book A Price for a People: The Meaning of Christ’s Death. Put simply, it is the best book I know at explaining the controversial doctrine called definite atonement (the “L” in TULIP). Wells gives a compelling, biblical presentation of the doctrine of definite atonement. It is clearly laid out and very readable. Wells defines and explains concepts such as redemption, reconciliation, and propitiation. He helpfully shows the Old Testament roots of these concepts. Details are explained in footnotes and appendices. Wells also examines some of the hard texts, and winsomely responds. Finally, the book has helpful chapters on how an understanding of these truths effects how one preaches and explains these matters to unbelievers. There is something remarkable about a pastor who has served in one church for a long time, can write winsomely to unbelievers about matters essential to salvation, plead with Christians to have a heart for missions, and write the best book on definite atonment in the 20th century.
By comparison, the gem by John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, is more exhaustive (exegetically) and a lot more work to read. So if you want to read on definite atonement, and don’t have the tenacity or time to tackle Owen, A Price for a People is the book for you.