The Big 5: Books on Sin & Temptation

It permeates your life.  You were born with it, live with it, and die because of it.  It's in your thoughts, words, and deeds.  You do it far more than you admit and you think others do it way more than you.  Even your humble admission of how much you do it makes you feel sinfully proud of your humility.  We need to learn more about it so we can kill it, avoid it, hate it, stomp on it, run from it, and rip it out.  So...

What are your Big 5 books on sin & temptation?

These can be books on the doctrine of sin, specific sins, overcoming temptation, etc.  In general these should be books about understanding and avoiding sin.  These books should not have forgiveness as its main focus, though it very well may play a role in the book.  Go!

Comments

[Jason]

One that I've just begun reading with my wife, but that has already been helpful:

1. Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: a Breviary of Sin, Cornelius Plantinga

Of course,

2. John Owen on the Mortification of Sin

and one I've had on my shelf and have been trying to get to (I've heard many great excerpts from):

3. The Sinfulness of Sin, Edward Reynolds

[kim davidson]

1. Mortification of Sin - Owen
2. Respectable Sins - Bridges
3. Breviary of Sin - Plantinga

[Joe Holland]

1. Mortification of Sin - Owen
2. On Temptation - Owen
3. Indwelling Sin - Owen
4. Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices - Burroughs

[Caleb Land]

Not a big fan of repetition, but Mortification of Sin by John Owen is simply the best. I would also say that When I Don't Desire God by Piper is a great book on sin because it presents the best remedy to sin, Desiring God.

[Steve McCoy]

Repetition is important here Caleb. The more the same book is mentioned the more weight it will hold as a recommendation. Good lists so far all.

[Jay Risner]

The Bondage of the Will - Luther

Freedom of the Will - Edwards

Overcoming Sin and Temptation - Owen (the one J. Taylor did a couple of years ago)

When Good Men are Tempted - Bill Jenkins

Respectable Sins - Bridges (didn't read this yet, but my wife did and we've spent hours discussing it)

[joe lee]

looking forward to read john piper's new book "Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ".

[Rob]

Concerning temptation, no one has mentioned "The Screwtape Letters"? Of course, this is much more artistic by no means a systematically theological or exhaustive work.

[cavman]

1. John Owen's 'trilogy' Indwelling Sin, Temptation & the Mortification of Sin (huge cheat there!)
2. Kris Lundgaard's adaptation thereof The Enemy Within
3. Fight to the Death by Wayne Mack
4. Precious Remedies for Satan's Devices, I believe it is Thomas Brooks, not Jeremiah Burroughs
5. Future Grace by Piper

[Aaron]

I guess I just haven't see a lot of books on this topic (unless we are also talking about books on holiness- which is certainly avoiding sin). I have read a handful and strongly recommend 3 of them.

1. Owen's volume 6 on sin and temptation (J.I. Packer said this book saved his life.)
2. Lundgaard's The Enemy Within (Lundgaard has rewritten a couple of Owen's books, this being one of them. If you can deal with the language though, read Owen.)
3. Joshua Harris' Not Even A Hint (the best book I've read with specific regard to understanding and fighting lust)

[limpdance]

The screwtape letters - C S Lewis

The great divorce - C S Lewis

These give a good understanding of sin.

[Ken in Virginia Beach]

I've read far too few, I can tell already.

I agree concerning:

1. Owen, On Mortification - haven't worked all the way through it but will need a new highlighter once I do.

2. Lewis, Screwtape Letters - exposes that Satan works in far different and more subtle ways than we imagine (similar with "Great Divorce")

3. Bridges, Respectable Sins - very clever, if you deal with the "small sins" you'll find yourself dealing with the big ones too!

And I would add a dark horse:

4. Crabb, Inside Out - I was surprised to find that this is like a reverse "Desiring God." Crabb shows that our problems/sins stem from a failure to have our deepest needs met in our relationship to God. Excellent treatment of story of Job mixed in there too.

Thanks all for some other great recommendations.

[BK]

1. The Enemy Within - Kris Lundgaard
2. You can Change - Tim Chester
3. The Doctrine of Repentance - Thomas Watson
4. Not the Way it's supposed to be - Cornelius Plantinga
5. Not Even a Hint - Josh Harris

(Will probably find it hard to ever tackle an Owen book, so am glad for the above!)

[Nick]

Hello,

I am a Catholic who stumbled across this blog, but I think this is a very serious topic when it comes to talking with Catholics and Protestants. The issue of Original Sin, I think, is one of the areas we disagree on but most dont realize that it plays directly into our understandings of salvation, especially justification.

I don't want to toot my own horn, but I wrote about a 2 page long chapter regarding Original Sin on my Justification paper, it's in chapter 1:
http://catholicdefense.googlepages.com/article.htm

I wrote this because I have yet to see a major work discussing this. I don't claim to be a theologian by any means, but I presented it as how I see it. I'd love to see what other's think. I believe the major issue comes down to how nature and grace relate.

God Bless,
Nick

[email protected]

[Steve McCoy]

My list, and I admit I've only read a little of Owen. Not a complete book. I also haven't read Plantinga, though I've heard great things. Precious Remedies is my biggest regret.

The Enemy Within by Lundgaard - Owenish
Holiness by JC Ryle - I do think holiness books are acceptable here, and this is one of the best things I've ever read on sin
Future Grace by John Piper - so practical, so devotional, so relentless
Two on lust...
The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn
Not Even a Hint by Josh Harris

[Brian G. Hedges]

Overcoming Sin and Temptation - John Owen, ed. by Taylor and Kapic

The Enemy Within - Kris Lundgaard

How People Change - Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp

Fight to the Death - Wayne and Joshua Mack (though I've only spot read)

"Hacking Agag to Pieces" - chapter in The Vanishing Conscience, John MacArthur

[Marshall]

I'll second... or third... or whatever...

Not Even a Hint - Josh Harris

[Ken in Virginia Beach]

Did anyone ever mention Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress"? It occurred to me that the theme throughout that readable, memorable classic is the many variations of temptation on the way to the celestial city...

[cavman]

As I sit in my office I realize that I forgot ....
The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification by Walter Marshall
Rediscovering Holiness by J.I. Packer

Sorry to have exceeded my limit ;-)

[Dana]

God's Words, by J.I.Packer, has a marvelous, short chapter on mortification I take down and reread every so often. He dissents from "overheated" treatments of the subject.