FOUNDATIONAL BOOKS TO ANY BAPTIST LIBRARY
Introduction. “The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.” (II Timothy 4:13). Books are important to any student of the Word of God, but especially to the preacher. Our calling is special and very serious. We are told to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15).
A preacher ought to have some books! No doubt about that! However, the books we use can either help us or harm us, so I have compiled a list of some basic books that every preacher needs to have in his library. If you have any comments or questions, please email me. I trust this will be a blessing.
The Bible. This may seem like an obvious point, but too many preachers are not preaching from the Bible anymore. You cannot expect the Lord to bless your ministry without the Bible. The only version of the Bible you need is the King James Version. Avoid wasting your money on any other version. When choosing your Bible, I personally recommend that you avoid buying most that are marked as a “Study Bible.” Some may disagree with me on this, but the problem with many study Bibles is that their notes are often wrong. I have also personally found them to be distracting during Bible study and preaching. Too often the temptation is to read from the “bottom up.” In my ministry, I have found the Thompson Chain Reference Bible to be the most valuable. You'll pay more for it, but if you can get it you will not regret it. But be sure that you buy the King James Version. Do not waste your time on any other version. This one is the tried and true version. Remember, it is God's Word. Prize it above all your other books. Consult your Bible first in your study, before you pick up a commentary or any other book in your library.
A Good Dictionary. Too many preachers stand in front of the
congregation without a good
understanding of the words they use. There are two that I have in my
library that I have found to be useful. One is Noah
Webster's
Dictionary of American English
(1828 ). This one is good to help you to understand
the English
words in the Bible. Make sure you buy the 1828 version. Another
valuable dictionary is Vine's
Complete Expository Dictionary of
Old and New Testament Words.
This is valuable to help you understand the words
in the original language that the Bible was written in.
A Good Concordance. While there are many different concordances available out there, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible is by far the best one you could own. I also have a Cruden's Concordance, and a Young's Concordance, but the Strong's Concordance has been more useful to me in my ministry. It is more complete than the others.
A Good Commentary. Again, there are dozens of commentators available to us at this present time. It is a great thing that we have so many authors to read from in this generation. When studying from a particular passage, I enjoy reading what other men have written about that same passage, always remembering that only the Bible is perfect, inspired Word of God. At this point in my minististry, I use John Gill's Exposition of the Old and New Testament, and recommend him to anyone. I do not find myself in agreement with every single word he wrote, but he is closer to what I believe than any of the other great commentators out there.
Other books that you should own:
Trail of Blood by J. M. Carroll
Conclusion. Over time, your library will grow. Do not get impatient and buy other books until you have these. If you have any questions, or need help finding a certain book please let me know. Also, you can save a lot of money if you buy used books. Nothing wrong with that. Fact is, about 90% of my library was used by someone else before me.