Recommended Books on the Fourfold State of Humanity

Human Nature in Its Fourfold State by Thomas Boston

Creation, fall, redemption, consummation is the basic story line of the Bible, and this classic book by Thomas Boston explores those four stages by describing what each says about the condition of human beings therein. Boston traces human and salvation history from our state of innocence to the state of nature to the state of grace to the state of glory, explaining the nature of human beings in each state. This book is essential reading on God’s work of salvation and what He is accomplishing for His people.

What Is Man? by A. Craig Troxel

This helpful booklet provides an overview of what Scripture means when it says that we are made in the image of God and yet fallen. It explains how this image has been marred, not lost entirely, and it points us to Christ as the only means of fully restoring this image in us.

The Hunger for Significance by R.C. Sproul

Within each human being is a deep hunger for significance that is a consequence of our being made in the image of God. In this book, Dr. R.C. Sproul looks at the human desire for significance and how we can find true meaning and purpose in our lives.

The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther

This work by the great Reformer Martin Luther is one of the most important treatments of human freedom ever penned. Luther considers what it means to be slaves to sin and to Satan since the fall, reminding us that only the sovereign work of God in Christ can set us free.

The Life and Theology of Paul by Guy Prentiss Waters

This introduction to the life and theology of the Apostle Paul considers the key events of His calling and ministry and the core theological themes that pervade his letters. It is a great distillation of the basics of biblical theology.