Five Books Every New Calvinist Should Read

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23).

Our great sovereign God is always teaching us.

In this epistle to the church at Thessalonica, the apostle Paul writes to his beloved brothers and sisters to encourage them. His words of encouragement are given to rest in the assurance of the return of Christ and to have faith in the Lord. Paul writes to them, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely” (1 Thess. 5:23).

Whether we leave this world by our bodies giving out and passing away, or we are taken up in the rapture of the church, for a true born-again disciple in Jesus Christ, we are always being sanctified.  

In our sanctification, we are always learning and growing in Christ. We will always be learning and growing until we arrive in Heaven. Like a plant that needs sunlight or water to grow, the Lord uses trials and His Word to teach us. The teaching and growth in His Son Jesus Christ is not so we can be puffed up with pride and brag about how smart we are, but sanctification is instead how God teaches us to grow in holiness like Christ (Rom. 8:29).
John the Baptist said it best, when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). It is always the desire and will of God for Christians to grow and be conformed to the image of Christ.

Embracing the doctrines of grace, for many, is almost like a second conversion. To many Reformed brothers and sisters, God opens our eyes to how He operates in our salvation process in ways we never saw before. Embracing these doctrines certainly made me more humble and thankful that God would save a wretch like me. While there is a stage we need to avoid when we become a new Calvinist, called “cage stage Calvinism,” we should avoid the traps of falling into this stage of pridefulness and arrogance, and instead pray and ask God that we would carry these truths with humility.  

This is what I had to learn right off the bat. After a year of personally studying the doctrines of grace, I fully embraced and believed these truths, and had a short time I was looking down on other Christians. I quickly prayed and asked God to not let me enter this “cage stage” and to keep me faithful to Him in humility.

Of course, the Bible should be the main book we read, day and night, to learn the truths of God, but there are many excellent resources written by some faithful Christians to help us guard our hearts against pride and keep us from sounding unloving as Calvinist Christians.  
If you are a new Calvinist, I want to share five books that helped me when I embraced the doctrines of grace. Some of these books I found myself, but some of these books were recommended to me by fellow Calvinist brothers, who reminded me that we are still to love and show grace like the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.  

“Calvinism in the head will puff you up. Calvinism in the heart will build others up” (pg. 19).

An excellent book warning us that we can fall into the trap of pride by being puffed up with head knowledge. Guard your heart.

“Calvinism, then, is more than the Five Points. It is a way of looking at everything in the world. It is a way of thinking about everything. The Calvinistic way of thinking is rooted in the confidence that God is in control of everything and everyone and that he is controlling everything according to his good and perfect purpose” (pg.23).

Calvinism is Biblical Christianity. But there is more to the Christian walk than Calvinism. There is our infinite sovereign God. This book does an excellent job of explaining that truth.

“It should be noted that God calls sinners to Himself by grace through the Holy Spirit who brings about a response to the gospel. This is a work of God-and not one trend or gimmick will share in God’s glory of saving sinners” (Ch. 1).

An excellent book that challenges us on whether what we believe is authentic or a mere theological fad.

“The danger is that, while we may begin with Reformed theology as the framework by which we more coherently understand and appreciate our faith, over time it can become the substance of our faith. At that point, daily living is more about mastering Reformed doctrine than being mastered by Jesus and his total claim over every area of life” (pg. 23).

Some new Calvinists make the mistake of promoting Calvinism instead of Jesus Christ. If we are not careful, we can push people away, and therefore not win them to Christ, by our love of theology more than the Savior Himself.

“Being a Calvinist means living in the fullness of joy that Peter expresses in this passage, by embracing its full meaning and all the implications of that meaning for doctrine, piety, and life. Defending Calvinism means defending that fullness of joy by defending that full meaning” (pg. 18).

You will find people who will criticize you for becoming a Calvinist. Some of those critics may even be in your own church, or maybe in your family. This can bring heartache, but be encouraged, there is joy to be found in Calvinism. Why? Because it is the truth of God.

BILLY JACK SMITH
1689 Federalism | Dispensational Premillennialism
In 2009, Billy Jack Smith embraced Jesus Christ as his Lord. He currently resides in Hudson, Texas, with his wife Ashley and their two sons. Billy Jack was licensed to the ministry by Harmony Hill Baptist Church in Lufkin, Texas, on September 25, 2011. He was later ordained by Chestnut Drive Baptist Church in Lufkin, where he served as both Associate Pastor and Pastor for five years. An alumnus of BMA Seminary in Jacksonville, Texas, Billy Jack holds an Associate of Divinity degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion.

In April 2023, Billy Jack embraced the doctrines of grace, which led to his respectful resignation from Chestnut Drive Baptist Church in September 2024 due to doctrinal disagreements. He and his family are now members of Keltys First Baptist Church in Lufkin. Billy Jack actively participates in the nursing home preaching ministry and provides pulpit supply, all while awaiting God's call to pastor a church again in the future.