Review: Timothy Keller’s Romans 8-16 For You

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Romans 8 saved me. The Spirit awoke my heart to the glories of God’s love for me. I had spent years wavering until that powerful chorus in chapter 8 sunk into my heart—no condemnation. Keller says the concerns addressed in this chapter are “the central question of the Christian life”—“Is there anyone or anything that can separate me from Christ’s love for me?” (Kindle Locations 717-719). He’s right!

The second half of Romans has some complex doctrines—election, Israel, the Church, women in ministry, and Christian obedience to name a few. Keller handles these complex doctrines with precision, clarity, and winsomeness. I love the balance as well with touching the hard truths, but still staying connected to the everyman voice of the For You series. This volume will be my go-to introduction for discussing these truths with new believers—especially election in Romans 9.

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Review: Stephen Witmer’s Eternity Changes Everything

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Stephen Witmer is a humble New England pastor and the coolest seminary professor I ever sat under. He recently published the book Eternity Changes Everything: How to live now in the light of your future. Written for those who believe, his thesis is simple—forever matters for you today.

The forever Witmer paints, using the Scriptures as his brush, isn’t filled with pink clouds, harps, and angel wings. Eternity with Christ is about a new heaven and new earth, a bodily resurrection, and the death of death itself. God’s final plan is to dwell with us and reveal moment by moment his infinite love to our finite beings. This may sound complicated, but Witmer’s writing style is clear and simple, and with it he helps his readers catch a glimpse of their future with God.

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Review: Tim Chester’s Titus for You

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Titus for You is an everyman’s commentary. The Good Book Co. has done an excellent job with For You Series, and Tim Chester is a great fit. His writing is engaging, approachable, and has depth. In describing Titus, Chester states early on, “The truth that creates a good life is the gospel. That is the truth that brings life and then changes life” (9). So it’s not just truth Chester is after, although he offers that by going through a book verse by verse, but he does so while engaging our affections, by appealing to our ideals of the good life—and showing how the Jesus is so much better than the good life we imagined apart from him (55-56).

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