Books

Not everything that occupies me revolves around the so-called “women’s question.” Here you will find my other books. Many of them you can download free of charge as PDF; some are available in bookstores or as Kindle eBooks on Amazon.

Anyone who writes over many years grows in understanding – and convictions change along with it. So it may be that the older books in particular no longer reflect exactly what I think today on certain points. If so, feel free to ask: Send me an email, and I will tell you how I see it today.

Available in Bookstores

Rapture – Heaven – Eternity (“Entrückung – Himmel – Ewigkeit”)

End-times theses questioned and rethought
VTR 2015 · 310 pages · ISBN 978-3-95776-021-0

The future has already begun. Since Jesus Christ died, rose again and was exalted to the right hand of God, the days of this age are numbered. What is our hope, and what does heaven mean for the Christian? Is there a rapture, and when will it take place? Is an end-time tribulation still to come, and will Christians go through it? What significance does Israel have in the future, and how does it relate to the church? These and other exciting, sometimes controversial questions are thought through in this book and answered with proposed solutions.

Fantastic Heavenly World (“Fantastische Himmelwelt”)

The teaching and life of the heavenly world in Ephesians
VTR 2016 · 101 pages · ISBN 978-3-95776-045-6

In the invisible heavenly world there are not only good beings but also evil and destructive ones – and that world is very close to ours. Powers of wickedness want to stop God at any price. God has only this one answer to that: his Messiah Jesus, raised from death and crowned at his right hand. Paul knew that Christians are already now united with Christ in heaven – that is the unique message of the letter to the Ephesians. Not just waiting for heaven, but living even now under an open heaven, is the theme of this book.

Out of Print – Now Free as PDF

These two books are no longer available in bookstores. You can read them here in full and free of charge.

Changing Sides (“Seitenwechsel”)

From the old to the new self
CLV 2011 · 288 pages · ISBN 978-3-86699-310-5

A complete change of sides: from death to life, from Adam to Christ. How this change happens, what it brings with it, and how it can shape our everyday life – starting from Romans 5 and 6, this book unfolds step by step what it means to be a new person.

And Yet the Dead Live (“Und die Toten leben doch”)

The immortality of the soul
CLV · 240 pages · ISBN 978-3-89397-227-2

Do the dead live – or is death the end of all existence? Does a person fall into soul sleep, or is there consciousness beyond death? Questions that concern every human being. To answer them and at the same time to offer hope is the aim of this book, with the immortality of the soul as its central theme. The Bible resolves the paradox: death is not the end, but the beginning of a life that never ends.

Retold, Explained, for Today

Biblical letters paraphrased in my own words and rendered with explanations – as a help to understand the text better. These renderings do not replace the Bible; always read the letters in a classic translation as well.

Book cover: God Speaks. – John, James, Peter, Jude, Hebrews, Revelation

God Speaks. (“Gott spricht.”)

John · James · Peter · Jude · Hebrews · Revelation
Retold. Explained. For today. · 184 pages

The general letters of the New Testament and Revelation, retold with explanations – in one volume. It is not the original text but a rendering in my own words: I put myself in the writers’ place and convey the content briefly and concisely, about two to three times as long as a Luther Bible or the Einheitsübersetzung (German Bible translations). Intended as a help to understand these texts better – especially for those who do not know the Bible at all yet. A reading experience: get to know the heart of God.

The Gospel according to Mark

Paraphrased, explained, for today
German edition: 1st edition 2019 · 150 pages · ISBN 978-3-9820715-1-0

The Gospel of Mark is rather shocking. It begins with the hairy, baptizing prophet John and ends with the bloody crucifixion and the astonishing resurrection of Jesus. Places full of demons, explosive conflicts, amazing miracles, Jesus’ power over the forces of nature – encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Mark is a bit like an adventure novel: action-packed, profound and full of images that leave you breathless and full of questions. The biggest question is: Who in the world is this man?

The Letters of John

Paraphrased, explained, for today
German edition: 50 pages

The three letters of John paraphrased in my own words and rendered with explanations. They are about light and darkness, about the love that God himself is, and about the question of how you can tell that someone is truly born of God – simple words with a lot packed into them.

To the Hebrews

Paraphrased, explained, for today
German edition: 1st edition January 2026 · 87 pages · ISBN 978-3-9826027-0-7

This extraordinary letter is like no other in the New Testament. Like a “missing link,” it stands between the Old and the New Testament: it takes up the history and the sacrificial worship of Israel and compares them with the far better reality of redemption through Jesus Christ.

Book cover: Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians

The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians

As High as the Heavens · Paraphrased, explained, for today
German edition: 1st edition October 2019 · 51 pages · ISBN 978-3-9820715-2-7

“As high as the heavens” – the motto of this letter is no empty phrase. Just as from a high mountain the view stretches in every direction to the horizon, this letter is a lookout point in all directions. Wherever you look, you encounter the grace and love of God in Christ. Without disparaging other texts, I would call this letter the high point of the New Testament.

Book cover: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

The Letter of Paul to the Galatians

Paraphrased, explained, for today
German edition: April 2020 · 69 pages

The letter to the Galatians paraphrased in my own words and rendered with explanations. In this letter Paul fights with all his might for the freedom of the gospel – against every attempt to make salvation depend on our own achievements after all.

More Books and Studies

God’s Good Gospel

What the good news is and what it means for us
Revised edition 2026 · 73 pages

The gospel in three words: Jesus is Lord. He is King. Over everybody and everything. What does that mean? Why do we need this news? And what does the cross have to do with it? Simple and clear, this book is about the big picture – for everyone who wants to discover the gospel anew or for the first time.

Book cover: Why Did Jesus Have to Die? What the cross has to do with us

Why Did Jesus Have to Die? (“Warum musste Jesus sterben?”)

What the cross has to do with us
1st edition 2026 · 33 pages

A man is executed, two thousand years ago. Later his friends say: That was for us. What is that supposed to mean? Can someone die for others? And what does that have to do with me? This little book explores the question step by step, in simple words, with no prior knowledge needed. For everyone who really wants to know.

Women, Forgive Us! (“Frauen vergebt uns”)

The role of the Christian woman in marriage, family and church
4th edition 2023, revised and expanded · ISBN 978-3-9820715-5-8

Can we really claim that everything Christendom has believed and practiced for nineteen centuries is exactly what God wanted? Is it biblical that women are subordinate to men – that they must keep silent in the worship service and may never teach or lead? This book rethinks the question on a biblical foundation. It is a plea for the equality of men and women in every area of life: manhood is not devalued, but womanhood is given its true value and set free for its calling. And it is a request for forgiveness for having assigned women a subordinate role.

A King Full of Splendor

The good news of Jesus, the Messiah
German edition: 2nd edition · 142 pages

A small, easy-to-read book about what it means that Jesus is King, how central this theme is in the Bible, and what it could mean for our lives. Originally a Christmas gift for the visitors to my website.

Title page: SBS study booklet on the letter to the Ephesians

The Letter to the Ephesians (“Der Brief an die Epheser”)

The unsearchable riches of Christ
SBS study booklet · Bühl 2010 · 40 pages

“The crown of Paul’s writings,” “the most royal of all letters,” “pure music” – that is how others have spoken of Ephesians. This study booklet from a Saturday Bible Seminar (SBS) explores the great questions of the letter: Where are the heavenly places? What are spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms? Election, adoption as sons, the five gifts of persons, the new man, principalities and powers, and God’s armor – with a look at the city of Ephesus and the recipients of the letter.

The Revelation of John (“Die Offenbarung des Johannes”)

Lecture notes · 23 pages

A compact introduction to the last book of the Bible: author, recipients, date, apocalyptic, theology, the various schools of interpretation, and structure and outline – an overview that gives orientation when reading Revelation.

Sermons

Written-out sermons and lecture series – as PDF to read along and pass on.

Title slide: The Book of Exodus – From Rameses to Sinai

The Second Book of Moses – Exodus

From Rameses to Sinai · Lecture series · 45 slides

A walk through the whole book of Exodus in six sessions: the choosing of the deliverer, Pharaoh and the ten plagues, the Passover and the exodus, the beginning of the wilderness journey, Israel at Sinai with the giving of the law and the covenant, and God’s sanctuary and its priests. Again and again it shows how Moses points to Christ.

The New Cosmos – Home Forever

Revelation 21 and 22 · Sermon · 9 slides

Our eternal future is not in heaven but on the New Earth – a material earth on which we will live in resurrection bodies. This sermon explores the New Jerusalem in seven aspects: the Most Holy Place, God’s throne, the names of the city’s inhabitants, life and work there, the building materials, God’s face, and praise.

The Ascension of Jesus Christ

Sermon · 5 pages

When Elijah went up to heaven, Elisha received a share of his power only because he watched closely and did not miss the moment. Today, too, it is worth not overlooking the Lord’s ascension: its significance is rarely emphasized, yet it has its place in salvation history just as much as the crucifixion and the resurrection.

Contact the author:
Hans-Jörg Ronsdorf
hj.ronsdorf@invento-deutschland.de
Phone 08376-929 643

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