C. I. Scofield Books: A Guide to All Six and Where to Start
Bible StudyHoly SpiritProphecySermons
C. I. Scofield (1843–1921) is best known for the Scofield Reference Bible, but he wrote and preached a good deal more than notes in a margin. TheWay Library has six of his books, all free to read: addresses on the inner life, a short study of the Holy Spirit, nine addresses on prophecy, two collections of sermons and Bible readings, and a book of his answers to readers' questions. Most of them take only two to five hours to read. For his life story, see who was C. I. Scofield.
Where to start
If you're new to Scofield, start with The New Life in Christ Jesus. It's short, warm and practical, and it shows the side of him that people who know him only as a prophecy teacher miss.
After that, choose by what you want:
- The Holy Spirit: Plain Papers on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
- Prophecy and the last things: Addresses on Prophecy.
- Short readings on Bible stories: No Room in the Inn.
- Sermons: In Many Pulpits.
- Quick answers to hard questions: Dr. C. I. Scofield's Question Box.
Every quotation below is checked against the book it comes from. For more, see our collection of C. I. Scofield quotes.
The Christian life and the Holy Spirit
The New Life in Christ Jesus (1915)
Nine addresses on the believer's inner life, each on one text. Scofield starts with Job, a good man who saw God and abhorred himself. He moves through the life Christ gives, the struggle of Romans 7, deliverance, the "larger" Christian life, the Spirit-controlled life, Christ's joy, consecration and daily cleansing by confession. It traces the road from defeat to victory and joy in about two hours.
Have you ever observed that the nearer Jesus came to the cross, the more He spoke of His joy?
The New Life in Christ Jesus, The Joyous Life
Read The New Life in Christ Jesus.
Plain Papers on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (1899)
Scofield's short study of the Spirit, written when the subject was much discussed. He shows from Scripture that the Spirit is a divine Person, traces His work from the Old Testament through Pentecost, and then draws his main line: every believer is indwelt and baptized by the Spirit, but the filling with the Spirit must be sought, and it is indispensable. It takes about an hour. The text comes from a scan and has some misread words.
Do not try to think of the Spirit; think of Christ as the bestower of the Spirit.
Plain Papers on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, The Filling with the Holy Spirit
Read Plain Papers on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. For more on this subject, see our list of the best books on the Holy Spirit.
Prophecy
Addresses on Prophecy (1914)
Nine addresses that lay out Scofield's dispensational view of prophecy in plain terms. He begins with Daniel to show that prophecy strengthens character. Then he explains God's purpose in this age, which is to call out the church, not to convert the world. Three addresses on Israel's past, future and Messiah follow, and the book ends with the great tribulation, the millennium and the eternal state. If you want to know what Scofield actually taught about the end times, in his own words, read this.
Dear friends, salvation is not away off yonder at the gates of heaven; salvation is at the cross.
Addresses on Prophecy, Influence of Prophetic Truth upon Character and Conduct
Sermons and Bible readings
In Many Pulpits with Dr. C. I. Scofield (1922)
Twenty-six sermons he preached in churches around the country, published the year after he died. Some defend the deity of Christ, the resurrection and the Bible. Some are gospel appeals, like Barabbas or Christ. Others are practical, on waiting on the Lord, prayer, true spirituality, joy and what he called the demon of worry. The last, The Loveliness of Christ, is one of his best. The scan has scattered misread words.
Grace is more than mercy; grace is more than love; grace is the largest word in the Bible.
In Many Pulpits, Is Life Worth Living?
No Room in the Inn, and Other Interpretations (1913)
Twenty-six short pieces chosen from Scofield's writings by an editor for busy readers. Each explains a familiar passage: the first Christmas, the first sin, the new birth, Lazarus, the atonement, the resurrection, Saul's conversion, then David and Goliath, Joseph and David and Jonathan. They're short enough for a daily reading or for a teacher getting ready for a class.
The barrier between Christ and a human heart is never human sinfulness, but human self-sufficiency.
No Room in the Inn, and Other Interpretations, The Daughter of Jairus
Questions and answers
Dr. C. I. Scofield's Question Box (1917)
For years students of his Bible correspondence course and readers of a Christian magazine sent Scofield their questions. This book gathers his answers under thirty-five headings in alphabetical order, from apparent contradictions and assurance to the rapture, tongues, the tribulation and woman's ministry. The answers are brief and full of Bible references. It's the quickest way to find what Scofield thought about a particular question.
They have lost the sense of the grace of God and are living under law; but falling from grace is not falling from salvation.
Dr. C. I. Scofield's Question Box, Assurance
Read Dr. C. I. Scofield's Question Box.
A book about Scofield
The Life Story of C. I. Scofield, by his friend Charles G. Trumbull, tells his life from his Michigan birth to the making of the Reference Bible. It's admiring and leaves out the troubles of his early years, but it gives a close view of the man.
Why read Scofield today
You don't have to agree with every part of his prophetic scheme to profit from Scofield. He writes clearly, he keeps the Bible open, and he never lets grace slip. Start with The New Life in Christ Jesus, then read Addresses on Prophecy to understand the teaching that made him famous. All his books are on the C. I. Scofield author page.