A few days ago I was meeting with brother Tim to spend our weekly “theology talk” time together on Wednesday evenings and I was joyfully showing him a new book I was reading.  He commented that I must have some bottomless resource for book collections.  :-)  I must say that after the Lord regenerated me one of the many things that drastically changed in my life is my love for reading His Word and solid books written by Godly people that glorify God in the face of Christ Jesus.  (Before the Lord saved me I hated to read!)

“What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace” by Richard Phillips is just one of those magnificent books.  At only 97 pages is a quick read but full of Reformed goodness.  Phillips is no stranger to good writing.  Sitting on my bookshelf in my study is another book by Phillips entitled, “Jesus the Evangelist” and is also an excellent read studying the methods Jesus used in evangelism.

Richard Phillips is senior minister at Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC and hold his theological degree from Westminster.  Not only is it wonderful to have someone writing such a great book who resides not one our from me, another excellent Reformed minister here in Columbia, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson (First Pres. in Columbia, SC) eagerly endorsed this book…

Richard Phillips has an unbounded love for the doctrines of grace and writes about them with an enviable simplicity and clarity… Here in persuasive exposition of Biblical teaching that captures the thrill of knowing a sovereign God.”

The main drive behind “What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace” is a breakdown of the five points of Reformed Theology or the Reformed doctrines of grace known as TULIP (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited (or Particular) Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints).  Granted, I have read my fair share of books on Calvinism.  Phillips has a wonderful way of writing that captivates the reader through non-technical theological terms but also going deep enough to truly appreciate the facets of these doctrines.  (And yes, he rightly defends and accurately describes what he calls the “black sheep of the TULIP family” … the ‘L’.)

This book is an excellent read for anyone who wants to know more about the tenants of Reformed Theology.  It’s written for those who know little about the Reformed doctrine of grace as well as the seasoned Calvinist.  In addition, it’s also a great book for those in the Arminian viewpoint to see clear, Biblical explanations for each of the points of the Reformed doctrines of grace.

I normally have a few “I wish they would have covered this or that” when reading a book carefully.  This is one of the few books I have read that I would say fully covers all the bases and puts all the focus on the glory and sovereignty of God in the face of Christ Jesus through the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. This book, along with Sproul’s “What is Reformed Theology” are a must have and a must read!

Head on over to Monergism Books and order your copy today!