This should be one of the first books that any new Christian should read. In this book, Lundgaard takes John Owen’s classic observations on doing battle with sin and puts them into a readable book with short chapters that don’t overwhelm the reader. Sincerely, I wish I had read this in my first year as a Christian.

Before we can meditate upon what it means for us to be holy, we ought to begin with God and what it means when we say that He is holy. Sproul’s book is a classic for a reason. I recall as a teenager reading this book and being blown away. Before I read The Holiness of God, I was used to glib, light, friendly teaching about God. After I read this, I found it difficult to take God lightly.

John Owen’s book, in many respects, is the definitive instruction manual for Christians on doing battle with sin (it’s a tossup between this and Gurnall). This book is a modernized version of three Owen books combined into one. If you read The Enemy Within and find yourself wanting more, I would absolutely bring you to this book next.

Unlike the previous books listed above, this is an academic (and at times polemic) work intended to open up the doctrine of sanctification. What does it mean to be holy as God is holy? In what ways does God sanctify his people? What role does our sanctification play in our salvation (if any)? Allen’s work here draws upon the best in the Reformed tradition, including Calvin and Herman Bavinck.