Gospel Basics
Andrew A. Bonar
Banner of Truth Trust
162 pages, £6.50
ISBN: 978-1-84871-123-5
Star Rating: 3
If you do not know much about Dr Andrew Bonar then this book’s opening chapter by D M McIntyre gives us a taste of the man as a preacher. It is clear that he was an understanding preacher of his day. His language was simple, he had a soaring imagination and he was a master of constructing sentences. His preaching was clearly Christ centred; his insistence on Christ as the object of faith was one of the impressive characteristics of his preaching and writing.
This book is a collection of pieces written by Bonar at different times throughout his ministry and is generally written to meet particular circumstances, therefore each piece has a history of its own. His writing, like his preaching is Christ centred and many of these written pieces feel like sermons that were once preached. The subjects covered are varied and sometimes unusual. Subjects like the judgement of God; the Holy Spirit; the unpardonable sin; holiness and victory over sin are all covered biblically and expounded with clear application.
In his article called ‘Angel workers’ his imagination shines through as Bonar imagines the thoughts and words of various angels as they served God’s people throughout biblical history. This is a fascinating chapter which will help to fire our own imagination when reading the various verses highlighted. The more unusual topics covered are entitled ‘a little wine’ and ‘the cloak left at Troas.’ These are excellent little pieces that cover areas of God’s care for us that we rarely think about. Overall this is a worth while book and the publisher has done us a great service in making it available at a reasonable price. It will warm your heart and encourage you to think of Christ and any book that does that is worth while buying for ourselves and others.
Noel Ramsey,
Leyburn
