Why you should read Christian biographies (and 21 you should consider)

Joshua Wester

This Sunday I preached from Hebrews 12:1-3.

I’ll never forget hearing Pastor Matt Chandler tell a story once of preaching on these verses early in his ministry career. He said he delivered a passionate and challenging sermon that connected well with his audience. But afterward a godly, older saint gently approached him and asked if he had ever seen the connection between Hebrews 12 and the previous chapter, Hebrews 11.

Oops.

According to Pastor Matt, he preached his entire sermon without connecting the “cloud of witnesses” in 12:1 with the 16 Old Testament saints mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” of Hebrews 11.* Thanks to Pastor Matt, I have been deeply interested in the connection between chapter 11 and chapter 12 ever since.

In Hebrews 12:1-3, the author of Hebrews (whoever he is) is intentionally connecting our pursuit of Jesus to the faith-filled lives of the saints who have gone before us.

Why?

Because he knows we can draw tremendous inspiration from them.

Have you read the Old Testament lately? It isn’t filled with people who always got it right. In fact, it’s often filled with people who often got it wrong. But that’s pretty much the point. Every Christian I know who takes their faith seriously is simultaneously doing two things: struggling and striving to follow Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews knows that you are fighting right now to throw off distractions and kill the sin in your life (just read 12:1 again). And he also knows that the lives of other saints can inspire you.

God has graciously given us myriad examples from the lives these saints in his Word, both in the Old and New Testaments. And in addition to that, we’re coming up on the 2000th anniversary of the church. The history of Jesus’ church is also filled with the remarkable lives of godly and faithful (though sometimes brutally flawed) followers of Jesus.

Their lives are supposed to inspire you too. Meeting them through books, learning their stories, and seeing God’s work in their lives is a powerful way to become a more fully devoted follower of Jesus yourself.

So, with all that said, here’s a list of great Christian biographies you should consider. (You can also check out the 150+ biographies available via Cornerstone’s library.)

My Top 5

George Müller: Delighted in God – An amazing story about the power of prayer and relying on God to meet your needs.

To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson – A missionary biography (on the longer side) that you will remember forever.

The Hiding Place – The courageous faith of Corrie Ten Boom and her family brought them face to face with the evils of Hitler’s Nazi regime.

Spurgeon: A Biography – I think of Charles Spurgeon as my pastor from another century. This is a great introduction to his life and incredible ministry in England.

The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones – Ian Murray is a master biographer. Here he introduces us to the life of “the Doctor” and famed Welsh pastor, Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

3 Books for Kids

Ten Who Changed the World – Shorter profiles of 10 Christian missionaries. (This book isn’t written for children but parents can use it to introduce these heroes to their kids.)

(For Boys) | Strong: How God Equipped 11 Ordinary Men with Extraordinary Power (and Can Do the Same for You)

(For Girls) | Empowered: How God Shaped 11 Women’s Lives (And Can Shape Yours Too)

A Few More Recommendations

One Cheat Code

If you want to meet a lot of these Christians without the expense or hassle of buying and reading multiple books, you should take a look at this single volume introduction to many of the names mentioned above by Pastor John Piper:

*Among other things, Chandler credited that oversight with birthing his commitment to expositional preaching.

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