A Christian's Pocket Guide to Jesus Christ

A Christian's Pocket Guide

by Mark Jones

For many of us, the whole concept of Christology is as mystifying as a foreign language, yet Christians down the ages have fought to defend the person and work of Christ – seeing him and what he did quite rightly as a vital element of how we are saved. If we are to understand this subject we need to know the person of Christ; not just what he did (his work) but who he is (his person). Through this book we get to know the Son of God who indeed is God and not just a superman! He is the one who came from above and became fully human having a human body and soul. Being God enabled him to pay the debt owed for sin and being man enabled him to stand on man’s behalf for their sin. In straightforward and simple layman terms this book will explain the interconnectivity of the work and person of Jesus Christ and dispel any misconceptions you may have.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Rev. Dr. Mark Jones (PhD, Leiden Universiteit) has been the Minister at Faith Vancouver Church (PCA) since 2007. He is also Research Associate in the Faculty of Theology at University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. He lectures at various seminaries around the world and is currently writing a book titled, "Knowing Christ" (Banner of Truth, forthcoming).

He also blogs at Reformation21.org.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. I read this book this morning while flying to Gatwick; it covers all the major issues in Christology and vindicates the Reformed approach as the purest expression of Catholic Christology. I may re-read it on the return journey.

Edit: I re-read it again this morning on the train from Oxford to Gatwick. There was plenty of material I did not fully pick up on the first time; this one is worth reading and re-reading.

Additional edit: I have re-read this book again seven years later after someone mentioned it to me after church on the Lord's Day morning. It really is as good as I said it was back then. My only criticism would be that it does not adequately discuss Christology with reference to the covenant of grace. (Observe that the Westminster Confession deals with "God's Covenant with Man" prior to discussing "Christ the Mediator".)

[Andy Dollahite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb primer on Reformed Christology covering basic terminology and emphasizing the Person of Christ in order to begin to appreciate the work of Christ. Without too much distraction or debate, Jones outlines the basic points of agreement and divergence between the Reformed, Lutherans, and Roman Catholics.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. A small book but worth its weight in gold. The author focuses mainly on the relationship between the two nature's of Christ. He also considers in detail the growth of Christ in His state of humiliation.
This book deserves to be much better known. It is written as a basic primer in Christology but the material is profound. The author is an expert in his knowledge of the Puritans, and inevitably he draws upon John Owen's 'The Glory of Christ' in much of his book.
I was so helped by this little book that I've ordered his bigger book on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Excellent.

[mpsiple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. It's short ("pocket guide," just 76pp), but packed full. Jones provides a clear Christology without oversimplifying some of the thornier issues. Especially important for modern evangelicals, he shows the riches of the incarnation and the importance Christ's humanity both in his time on earth and on his throne now.

Recommended for anyone who's ever wondered, "why did Jesus pray?"

[Justin Dillehay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure gold! Jones is an expert in the Puritans, especially John Owen and Thomas Goodwin, and he has clearly mined them for biblical riches on the person of Christ. But besides being adept at historical theology, Jones is also firmly committed to biblical exegesis. At a mere 65 pages, this little book is a treasure that every Christian can sink his or her teeth into and come away with a deeper appreciation for who Jesus is.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent primer on Christology. I enjoyed reading it on this last Lord's Day of 2018. Who is Jesus? Why did God become man? How does his humanity relate to his divinity? How does his person relate to his work? I think we are too often satisfied with cursory investigation of Christ's person, and this book is a pretty good resource in exploring this eternally important subject further.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fine stuff. And it's also really succinct. He could hardly fit more beautiful theology into so few small pages. I will definitely be looking out for a copy of his larger book on knowing Christ.

Loved it.

[Felipe Sabino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma excelente introdução à doutrina de Cristo. Mark Jones é bíblico, escreve com clareza e a partir de uma perspectiva reformada histórica. Altamente recomendado!

[Alan Rennê · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente introdução à Cristologia!

[Enoch Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, short and yet in no way simplistic, guide to the doctrine of Jesus Christ! What Mark Jones does here is to help us, Christians, have a better more biblical understanding of the person and work of Christ according to Scripture. After reading this you will be moved to search deeper into the Scriptures and meditate on His beauty and the perfection of His work. Don't forget to move on to a larger more full and detailed work by the same author, "Knowing Christ".

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light book of fewer than 100 pages but heavy with truth. It deals with Christology, the doctrines about our Lord Jesus Christ.

The reader will be challenged to think deeply about the person of Jesus Christ and His ministry. The author will call the reader to live his life in the light of Christ.

This is a book that I want all Christians to read.

If your heart does not soar in reading this you may be spiritually dead.

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on Christology. This could have easily been an 800-page book and yet the author (Mark Jones) was able to distill it down without watering-down the content. Pastors, teachers, mature believers, or non-believers wanting to investigate the person and work of Christ would all benefit from this brief book.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but sometimes felt unnecessarily heavy, and on at least one occasion the author made a statement that was not qualified from the Bible. Overall, however, it is a fairly good, brief summary of Christology, even if some points seemed possible to reach only following a relatively long argument (and therefore were not so convincing!)

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The highest praise I can give a book on theology is that it enables me to return to Scripture with fresh insights and a renewed desire to mine the depths of the Word of God. After reading this book, I can’t wait to dig into the book of Hebrews with a renewed interest in understanding what it reveals about the person and work of Christ. This is a short but powerful book that I highly recommend.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focuses more on the person of Christ than his works as the author explains the former is more usually misunderstood. Having a correct understand of Jesus Christ is of course of utmost importance to the Christian religion, it will also change how we understand different parts of the Bible, especially when we understand the humanity of Christ in the right way.

[Andrew Hoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful primer on the person and work of Christ. While it is not a high academic work, a great deal of excellent theology is packed into this little book. Jones's treatment of the communicatio idiomatum is particularly insightful as well as his explanation of the unique Christological insights of the Reformed tradition.

[Joseph Abudar · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the Study of Jesus the Christ. Mark lays the foundation of Christology to whet the appetite of the reader into a further reading of the works of John Owen and Thomas Goodwin, to specifically the meditations on the person and the work of Christ.

[Craig Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous little book on Christology, but it’s small size does not mean that it is trite or dodges difficult topics. If you want to dive into some of the key issues in confessional Christology, this book is a great place to start.

[Tom Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very heavy for such a small book. It requires a good grounding in Theology or at least the desire to delve deeper into Theology. It is not a basic overview as the title would suggest. But what is discussed is sound and presented well

[Eva Yap-Todos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and concise. Knowing Christ expands on it.

[Ross H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding! Clear, concise, and extremely helpful!

[J Landon Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book crams an incredible amount of essential information into a short volume in a way that is both understandable and worshipful. Highly recommended. Give it to a new convert!

[Morgana Mendonça dos Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Li em português. Excelente!

Uma leitura desafiadora sobre quem Cristo é e sua obra, seus ofícios e seus estados.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to Christology.

[Austin Boudreaux]

Book study. The densest short book I’ve read.

[Zephan Silvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to christology, simple and yet so deep

[Steve Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel challenged by my limited understanding of this subject and although I've been enlighten and stretched through this little book, I'm sure it will take me several readings to benefit fully from this introduction.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Brief, but packs a punch. I plan on getting several copies for people at my church. Very helpful in bringing the early Church's trinitarian controversies down to a practical level.

Read again with friends March 2018.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief yet majestic. Wonderful introduction to Christ, both His person and His work.