Kevin DeYoung’s Taking God at His Word is one of the most practical books about the Bible that I’ve ever read. Immensely specific in its applications, the book gives the believer added confidence in trusting, depending on, desiring, knowing, and studying God’s Word.

In a culture that is lost on the sea of relativism, DeYoung presents the Bible as the soul’s anchor—keeping the believer tied to the Rock of our salvation and to the eternal truths established by our sovereign God.

Because the Bible is inspired by a sovereign, holy, and good God, it is necessarily authoritative. We should swallow our pride here. The Bible brings us to a place of dependence and submission because it is the very Word of God and He has all rights over his creation.

Of the many helpful take-aways from the book, I found the sufficiency of Scripture to be the most convicting and comforting: convicting in the sense that I have relied too often on a plethora of programs to gimmick people into the church or to “bring them” to salvation. But I haven’t valued God’s Word as sufficient. He not only governs the ends, but the means. He has already prescribed the appointed means of grace by which he both saves and sanctifies his people.

But the sufficiency of Scripture is also incredibly comforting precisely because of this reason. We don’t need to spend through the roof looking for the latest and greatest “keys” or “tools” for growing buildings, budgets, and bodies—his Word is sufficient!

I also love DeYoung’s emphasis on the necessary nature of the truth of Scripture: there is no salvation apart from the gospel message contained in the pages of the Bible. The only proper way to view our world—philosophy, history, poetry, science, marriage, children, worship, money, etc.—is through the spectacles of Scripture. Make no mistake: God’s Word is absolutely necessary for all things pertaining to faith and life.

For these reasons, I highly commend Kevin DeYoung’s Taking God at His Word.