The Truth About the Lordship of Christ

Author: John MacArthur
Genre: Theology, Christian Doctrine
Series: The Truth About
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Like the rest of the series, I have to say that this book was greatly refreshing. As a long-time Believer, it's easy for me to begin taking principles of doctrine and theology for granted. The Truth About series has taken me back to those too-often overlooked fundamentals and refreshed them.
In regards to this book in particular, I should mention that the title is a bit... well, not deceiving, but it made me expect something different than what I got. The basic mission and achievement of the book is a good, solid discussion of what it means and looks like to truly be a follower of Christ. I have no complaints. MacArthur walks his readers through a heavily referenced look at dozens of real-world applications of following Christ, as well as offering a no-holds-barred discussion of the problems and lies Christians can and have allowed to seep into the church and our lives.
As I said, this book and The Truth About series as a whole were deeply refreshing and I recommend them for anyone wanting or needing a trip back to the beautiful fundamentals that form the foundation of our faith.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for my review.

'The Truth About Forgiveness'

Author: John MacArthur
Genre: Christian Life and Thought, Theology
Series: The Truth About
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

I requested this book after reviewing (and loving) it prequel, The Truth About Grace. (Click to read my review.)
I don't know if I would say I enjoyed this book as completely as I enjoyed Grace, but it was still a very enjoyable study of core truths about something that we Christians tend to throw around as a byword very casually.
The parable of the prodigal son is one of the book's main focuses, and the author goes into explicit detail about what is both said overtly and implied in each tiny aspect of the story. Honestly, I'm still on the fence about whether I actually liked that or not. True, I'm not an expert on ancient middle-eastern cultures, so the detailed explanations of what even the smallest detail implied to the Pharisees Jesus was addressing provided some interesting insight. However, I still get very nervous when people (no matter how much of an expert they may be) begin expounding in great detail on what is implied by, but not actually said in, a passage of Scripture. The fact that the author was simply trying to get to the bones of the story rather than trying to promote some radical new idea made me feel better, though.
Over all, this book is focused on God's forgiveness of humans and spends very little time discussing the forgiveness of one person to another. But that shouldn't be a problem, since the forgiveness God has extended to us is the pattern we use to forgive each other.
As I said of the prequel, The Truth About Forgiveness was a lovely, refreshing read that took me back to the basics while still challenging me to think in new ways about the incredible nature of God, and I would highly recommend it.

'The Truth About Grace'

Author: John MacArthur
Genre: Religion/Christian Life and Thought
Series: The Truth About
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this book up, but I was delighted with what I got. The Truth About Grace is not a cutting-edge, ground-breaking revelation like so many books flooding the market today claim to be. Instead, it is just what the title says: a straightforward look at the fundamental truths about grace as laid out in the Bible.
The book is heavily referenced, which I love. To make it even better, the references are all from scripture rather than from other theologians or scholars.
I wouldn't call this book a heavy-duty study, necessarily (although I do plan on re-reading it in the near future), but it made a wonderfully refreshing look into the founding principle of the Christian faith. And it's always good to revisit the basics of what we believe; otherwise it becomes very easy to get lost in the details. This is a book that will be staying on my shelf for a good while, I suspect.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for my review.