I am a big fan of the books in the 9Marks series. Each is so very helpful and accessible. I was happy to recently pick up the new release from Greg Gilbert entitled Who is Jesus? It attempts to interact with one who is investigating the biblical claims of who Jesus is. However, I believe the potential impact of a book like this is much broader. The way Gilbert answers this question ensures that this book will be helpful for those familiar with Christianity but not committed to it, those who are new Christians, those who are mature Christians, and evangelists or teachers who can use sharpening/refreshment on this topic.
Let me give you a few ways in which this book broadly serves the church.
It is clear. Gilbert writes in a very accessible manner. It is a joy to read and fairly easy to understand.
It is theological. The clarity is not because he sacrifices content. He doesn’t. There are helpful definitions of theological terms such as the Trinity. What’s more, he passes my personal test on all books that purport to be evangelistic: Does the author make justification by faith alone clear? Yes.
It tells the story. In a book about Jesus the book is not limited to the New Testament. Thankfully, the book shows how Jesus is at the center of the Bible’s story from Genesis on. By demonstrating how Jesus is what and who the Old Testament was looking toward, it helps to put the Bible together.
It is interactive. The author talks to the reader like he is sitting in a coffee shop with him. There is plenty of back and forth. In addition to drawing you in as the reader it is ideal for evangelistic or discipleship meetings. Good questions help move the ball downfield.
It is clear about authority. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but aside from a couple of references by way of illustration I don’t think I saw a quote of anyone (not that footnotes are bad). Here is a book that just points to the biblical authority and clarity concerning Christ.
It is a testimonial. By this I mean it gives God the mic to talk about Jesus. The Bible has plenty to say about Christ, here we have Scriptural teaching about who Jesus said he is and why he came.
It honors Christ. This is my favorite. Jesus is the hero of this book. It puts him on display. His name is in lights. He is seen to be infinitely glorious in his incarnation and powerful in his sin-atoning, serpent-crushing, wrath-satisfying death!
The book is short (133 or so pages) but good. If you are looking for a book to read with someone that you want to be more impressed with Christ–this is a good one to pick up. As I said earlier, it needn’t be used exclusively for evangelism, it’ll do for revival as well.
Discounted copies of Who is Jesus? are available at Amazon.
