October’s book of the month is Newton on the Christian Life: To Live is Christ by Tony Reinke. Crossway has published a series of books focused on various historically significant pastors’ and theologians’ approach to growing into faithful followers of Christ. I have read and benefited from several of them, but this book is uniquely good.

Who was John Newton?

Most Christians have a vague idea of who John Newton was because of the enduring popularity of his hymn Amazing Grace. Most people know that he was captain of a slave trade ship who converted to Christianity and eventually wrote the famous hymn. What most people do not know is that Newton was a pastor, prolific hymn writer, publisher of books and hymnals, and spiritual mentor to pastors and laymen alike. He was one of the most influential Christians in England for much of his life. It was not until after his death that Amazing Grace became popular. 

What this book is

This book is not a biography of Newton’s life. If you would like to read a biography, I would recommend Jonathan Aitken’s book John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace. Instead, it is a book that seeks to capture the heart of Newton’s pastoral ministry. The hope is that we learn from a skilled soul physician how to live the abundant life Christ redeemed us to have. Newton was a skilled letter writer. These letters serve as the primary source for the book’s explanation of how we live the Christian life.

Why I love the book

There are a lot of concepts thrown around in Christian circles that we can get very familiar with without truly experiencing them in our daily lives. Terms like born again, grace, abiding in Christ and walking by the Spirit are things we can define yet not know the transforming power of God in the experience of them. Talking about them is not the same thing as internalizing them.

I picked this book up in a season when I was weary and my relationship with God was not as intimate as it could have been. It was an instrument of God’s grace to me at the time. Newton helped me understand God’s grace better. He strengthened my walk and taught me more about what it means to abide in Christ. The book introduced me to a pastor who thought of himself as a physician for sick souls. His gentle yet courageous way of speaking truth into struggling people’s lives was instructive to me as a pastor.

I try to be a discipled and consistent reader. It is rare for me to read a book more than once, and it is even less rare for me to say that a book has made my list of top five books to affect me most. Yet I have read this book three times. Each time it has ministered to my soul. I have recommended it to others who gave similar reports. It is definitely in my list of top five books. I trust you will be blessed by it too if you choose to read it.