“Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:18-19)
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks decorating our hallway and stairs. It’s been a tiring job but the result is incredibly satisfying—especially because it looked so bad before I started. Typically, we only truly appreciate the new and improved “after” when we’ve experienced the inadequate and dissatisfying “before.”
In the second half of Romans 5, Paul uses a series of contrasts between Adam and Christ. His goal is to show that Christ’s obedience is far greater than Adam’s disobedience; that it is powerful enough to overcome the consequences of Adam’s sin. In verses 18 & 19, he summarises his argument and explicitly states the destiny-changing consequences of Adam’s disobedience and Christ’s obedience for those who belong to each of them. We get to see both the “before” and “after” of our life in Christ. As we consider these verses, they should lead us towards deeper humility and greater assurance.
From condemnation…
Paul returns to the comparison he started in verse 12: one man’s sin resulted in condemnation—death—for all people. As the head of humanity, what is true for Adam is true for each of us. We inherit his sinful nature. It’s not simply that we follow Adam’s example in trading God’s rule for self-rule—although we do. And it’s not only that his sin is attributed to us because he is our representative. Rather, our human nature changed as a result of Adam’s sin. We became sinners—unable not to sin. We may like to think of ourselves as good people who sometimes “slip up” but that’s just not true. We are sinful people who, because of common grace, sometimes do right.
This is a humbling truth. We are sinful at our very core—and there is nothing we can do about it. However hard we may try, we cannot change our nature. We can’t “unbecome” sinners, and we can’t avoid sin’s consequences. Our condemnation comes not from what we do, but from what Adam did. His trespass resulted in a change in human nature and condemnation for all people. But while this truth humbles us, it doesn’t leave us hopeless. Adam’s sin doesn’t have the last word.
To justification
Just as Adam’s trespass resulted in condemnation and death for all people, so Christ’s righteous act resulted in justification and life for all who are in him. At first glance it may appear that Paul is saying all those condemned by Adam’s sin will be justified by Christ’s righteousness, but that’s not what he has been arguing throughout the passage—or in the earlier part of the letter. No, Paul wants to show that, in Christ, we can be just as assured of justification and life as we were assured of condemnation and death when we were in Adam. Christ’s righteous act is sufficient to secure righteousness for all who belong to him—’those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift’ (v 17). The consequences of Adam’s sin are far-reaching—it impacts all humanity without distinction or exception. But Christ’s righteousness reaches just as far—he gives life to all who receive him (John 1:12).
All of us belong to Adam or to Christ and our destinies are determined by their actions. Those who belong to Adam live under the sentence of death because of Adam’s sin. But those who belong to Christ can be certain of eternal life because of his righteousness. Both Adam’s act of sin and Christ’s act of righteousness are eternally significant, but Christ’s act is far more powerful. It can overcome the consequences of Adam’s sin.
Paul fills out the details of these acts in verse 19. Adam’s trespass was not an accidental “slip-up” but a conscious act of disobedience. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of life in Eden, it was a deliberate act of rebellion against God’s command. In contrast, Jesus lived a life of obedience, culminating in his obedient death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). Adam disobeyed by eating from a tree, Christ obeyed by dying on a tree. Adam’s disobedience made us sinners—both in our status before God and in our nature. But Christ’s obedience guarantees that all who are in him will be made righteous—in our status before God (our justification) and in our nature when the Spirit completes his work of sanctification.
An irreversible transformation
It is humbling to grasp that this righteousness cannot be obtained through our own obedience (even if we could obey fully), but through Christ’s. It has to be this way. Because our condemnation comes not simply from what we have done but from what Adam did, so too our justification must come not from what we do but from what Christ—our new representative head—has done. We may be tempted to think that we can make peace with God by our own acts of righteousness, but Paul wants us to see that we are helpless sinners who must depend on the righteousness of Christ as our only hope of salvation.
But it is also gloriously assuring. In Christ, we are transformed from one humanity to another—there has been a change in our spiritual DNA. Even though we continue to sin in this life, our new status is irreversible. We are considered righteous—acquitted of all charges of disobedience. Christ’s obedience has secured our justification. His Spirit enables us to live out our righteousness as he transforms us day-by-day into the likeness of Christ. And one day, his work will be complete. We will live sinlessly forever—with our Champion and with all who have been transformed from one humanity to another.
(This article was first published at Servants of Grace)
I read several books about habits last year but didn’t discover this one until a few months ago – it was recommended by a few writers I enjoy. It’s easy to become over-busy, anxious and stressed as the demands of modern life and distractions of social media compete with our soul’s desire for rest and freedom. Justin Earley offers 4 daily and 4 weekly habits designed to reorient our hearts and minds towards the life of love and peace we were created for. Each habit is simple, ordinary and realistic – for example, spending an hour each day away from the phone, or a weekly conversation with a friend. But these simple practices form a pathway to personal transformation and deeper intimacy with God and neighbour. “Rule” implies restriction but, rightly applied, these habits are gifts that push us towards a richer enjoyment of life rather than resigned endurance. This is a book I’ll be returning to often.
29 reflections on Psalm 119 written by a diverse group of exceptionally gifted women – what a treat! This book is filled with wisdom, insight and honest conversation from godly women whose unique voices and experiences blend together beautifully as they offer praise to our great God. I love Psalm 119 and read it often, but reading through the eyes of these sisters, I saw things I have never seen before. I was moved by many of the personal stories the authors shared, but much more by the glory of the God they point to as they reflect on his word. It is humbling to witness the unwavering faith, certain hope and deep joy of women who cling to God’s promises through trials and suffering. It is a privilege to learn from them. This book will refresh and encourage weary hearts, and gently lead them back to the life-giving word of God. (And it’s not just for women!)
I know everyone is recommending this book, but there’s a reason why. Dane Ortland offers a work that is both deep and accessible, truth-filled and tender, inspiring and comforting. Starting with Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:19, and drawing heavily on Puritan writings, he aims to take his readers into the heart of Christ. To show how gentle, compassionate, patient and inviting he is. How tender-hearted towards his beloved brothers and sisters. How eager to forgive and welcome and comfort. These precious and beautiful truths are presented in language befitting of them. Dane Ortland is a skilled writer – he uses words and images that engage the heart as well as inform the mind. Reading this book was a deeply worshipful experience for me. It’s impossible to read it attentively and not be encouraged, refreshed and wowed by the heart of our Saviour. It’s definitely one to read slowly – and then read again and again!
If you struggle to read your bible with joy and anticipation, if your bible reading has become dry or routine, let Matt Smethurst help you. In short, easy-to-read chapters, he teaches us how to approach God’s word rightly – with hearts and minds that are prepared to hear and respond to God’s voice. This book is fresh, creative and packed with practical wisdom. Matt works through nine heart postures we should adopt before reading the bible, but these are not intimidating, or time-consuming. Rather, they lead us to read with expectancy and wonder. They help us connect with the bible in deep and thoughtful ways. They draw us into its truth and prepare us to be transformed by it. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. If you only read one from this list, make it this one!
Do you ever worry about what people think of you? I’d guess most of us do to some extent. Whether it’s a fear of under-performing in work or ministry, under-achieving academically, or under-whelming those we want to impress, it’s easy to be driven by fear. These fears often result in self-focus and introspection rather than joyful serving. Tim Keller’s solution is the gospel: “When a heart is truly captured by the gospel, the result is a life that is transformed from self-focused to one that is self-forgetful.” In this short, practical book he shows how the gospel grows humility and frees us to think of ourselves less – and others more. It frees us to care more about people – not just their opinion of us. And it leads to great joy.
This is not a guilt-inducing book. Rather, it is a refreshing reminder of the privilege of communicating with a loving Father whose favour is not increased or diminished by our consistency or confidence in prayer. Mike Reeves is honest about the problem of our prayerlessness. He identifies a false thinking: prayer is something we must do rather than something we can enjoy. And he shows how our prayer life reveals how we think and feel about God – how much we depend on him, how much we delight to be in a relationship with him. But, while it’s challenging to face up to our prayerlessness, this is a hope-filled book. Prayer is an expression of faith in Christ, so the way to grow in prayer is to look at him. Mike helps his readers to do just that. In particular, he reminds us how Jesus prayed. “Prayer is learning to enjoy what Jesus has always enjoyed.”
There are hundreds of ordinary activities we engage in every day – from food shopping to folding laundry, driving to work to drying dishes. How does the gospel impact these daily tasks? In a few short chapters, Tim Chester shows his readers how the everyday moments are opportunities to both serve Jesus and share Jesus. There should be no divide between the sacred and secular parts of our lives; each moment can be holy when the Holy Spirit infuses them with the presence of Jesus. We can reflect God and point to his goodness and grace as we work in the very ordinary spaces of life. And we can find joy in the most mundane activities when they are done out of love for God and love for others. This book will encourage you – even as you wash the dishes.
I’ve already written about this book 
Dan Darling pointed me towards this book which I’ve also written about in a previous 
Jamie Smith is another writer who challenges my idol of comfort in a humble, gentle and winsome way. This book is based on Augustine’s insight that we are shaped most by what we love most. Jamie Smith provokes his readers to ask, Do we love what we think we love? It’s an uncomfortable question as we are shaped by culture more than we realise. But Smith doesn’t leave us in our discomfort. With wisdom and insight, he helps us explore what it is we should love, and how we can learn to love what we should. The key is that we learn to love rightly through worship and liturgy – discipleship must be centred in and fuelled by our immersion in the body of Christ. He shows how the practices of Christian worship help us unlearn the habits of the rival kingdom, and acclimatise as subjects of God’s Kingdom. This is a book I will re-read regularly.
Hannah Anderson is one of my favourite writers. She is able to communicate deep truths in simple, yet beautiful, language. Her second book, Humble Roots, is one of my favourite “Christian living” books, so I had high hopes for this one. It didn’t disappoint. It’s easy to spot brokenness in the world. And it’s easy to despair. Hannah invites readers to join her in developing an instinct for recognising and embracing beauty. Weaving together story and scripture she teaches us how to look for God’s pure, lovely, redemptive work in his world. She shows how the good and beautiful things draw us beyond themselves to the greater reality of the One who is the source of all that is good. She offers a corrective to the popular teaching that discernment is simply about avoiding what is bad. The lost art of discernment is learning to embrace what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.
I think this is my favourite of Tim Keller’s books. He combines teaching on the theology of prayer with practical wisdom for deepening our prayer lives. He is realistic about the struggle to move from duty to delight in prayer, and honest about his own journey in learning to pray. He helps the reader work through the tension between relating to a holy God in awe and knowing intimacy with him as a loving Father. At the end of the book are a couple of simple prayer plans to help the reader practise praying in response to God’s word. My favourite quote: ‘When you struggle in prayer, you can come before God with the confidence that he is going to give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything he knows.’
This book is liberating. Bryan Chapell removes the burden so many Christians feel – that for our prayers to be effective we must know, desire and articulate all the right things. This book helped me understand the Holy Spirit’s role in prayer – stirring my heart to speak to the Father, and transforming my weak, limited prayers into prayers that transcend time and space to engage with the perfect will of God. It reminded me of his work in making me more like the Son so I learn to desire the things that are most pleasing to the Father. Bryan Chapell encourages his readers to “pray backwards” by taking the “in Jesus’ name” we tend to tag on the end of our prayers and placing it at the beginning. His point is not that we need to say the phrase in order to pray well, but that by recognising who it is we come through we are more careful to pray prayers are consistent with his nature, work and glory. This is one of the most encouraging books I’ve read on prayer.
I’m surprised I like this book as much as I do – it’s not the style I usually enjoy. But Paul Miller is fresh and inspiring in his approach to the study of prayer. With raw honesty, biblical wisdom, and genuine delight in grace, he applies the gospel to prayer. He helps his readers learn how to respond to the Father’s love in the everyday moments of life. He connects our small stories to the great gospel story, calling us to joy and intimacy in our relationship with the Trinity. In many ways this book is Paul Miller’s testimony – his struggles, his habits, his challenges, his encouragements. The book is full of personal stories and practical examples which help the reader see the blessings of a prayer-filled life. It’s definitely the book that has most radically transformed my prayer life and is probably the one I’d recommend first to someone struggling to pray.
I’ve been using this book to pray for my husband for a few years and I love it. Andrew Case has compiled a rich, deep collection of prayers based on the words of scripture to help wives pray thoughtful, beautiful prayers that resonate with the heart of God – they are his words! This book helps me pray consistently and passionately. It helps me pray big, kingdom-centred prayers that are not focused on my own small, selfish desires. These prayers have made me more thankful for the gift of my husband, and more committed to loving and serving him through faithful prayer. They have also made me more aware of my own sin, and grateful for God’s grace in giving me so much I don’t deserve.
This is a great guide for new Christians wanting to learn what prayer is and how to pray. It would also encourage those who struggle to be consistent and enthusiastic about prayer. I like that the book begins by focusing on the character of God. This is important because a healthy prayer life is not achieved by mastering specific techniques but by cultivating a relationship. The authors then explore what the bible says about why we should pray, and address the reasons we often don’t pray. There are a couple of chapters on what to pray for and what happens when we pray. This book is easy to read, practical and motivating. It encourages the reader to think rightly about God and about how he communicates with us through his word, so that we communicate with him in the way that pleases him.
I love this book! Hannah Anderson always writes beautifully, compassionately, winsomely. In Humble Roots, she invites her readers to know true peace and rest by learning to cultivate humility. Drawing on personal anecdotes and vivid metaphors from the garden, Hannah shows how a right understanding of our limits and our need for God frees us from our frantic, futile striving for earthly accomplishments. Rather, we learn to relinquish control, embrace our weaknesses, and joyfully depend on our heavenly Father. And in doing so, we find true rest for our souls. This book is packed with biblical wisdom. It’s message is simple and compelling. I plan to read it every year.
Friendships are often messy, difficult, disappointing. Deep and lasting friendships are rare. Many women feel insecure or dissatisfied in their friendships with other women because their hopes and expectations are unrealistic. Christine Hoover teaches us what the bible says about friendship. She offers a fresh, hopeful vision for friendship that is beautiful despite the messiness of life in a broken world. She reminds us that God has given us the gift of friendship. He calls us to enter into the adversity of others, to bear their burdens. With warmth, wisdom, honesty and insight, Christine helps us to understand friendship from God’s perspective. This is so helpful. It transforms the way we make and deepen friendships. It shows us how to give and receive the gift of friendship with gratitude and grace.
We’re often not quite sure what to do with the Psalms of Lament. In this short, practical book, Christina Fox shows us how we can use them to express our anxiety, confusion, disappointment, hurt – all the turbulent emotions we experience – to our loving, heavenly Father. She provides a biblical framework for understanding our emotions, and teaches us to bring them to God with honesty, trust and confidence. Rather than hiding our emotions or letting them control us, we learn how to use them to focus our hearts more fully on God’s grace. We find hope in the gospel, rest in our Saviour. We find we are able to worship, even in the midst of trials and heartache. This is an immensely helpful book, ideal to read alongside a friend.
One of my favourite books is A. W. Tozer’s Attributes of God. Here, Jen Wilkin offers a shorter, more contemporary study of the incommunicable attributes of God – characteristics that are unique to him. She shows how foolish we are to presume to be like him in his self-sufficiency, his power, his knowledge, his sovereignty. And she calls us to humbly and joyfully embrace our limits, and delight in our limitless God. Jen’s goal is to lift our eyes from ourselves – to draw us into a greater comprehension of our infinite creator so that we are filled with awe and worship. And she does it really well! Each chapter ends with bible verses for meditation, questions for reflection, and an invitation to respond to a specific attribute of God in prayer. I can’t recommend this highly enough!
Another book by Jen Wilkin because it follows on so well from the previous one. In His Image looks at the communicable attributes of God – those we can, and should, seek to reflect in our lives. Jen invites her readers to study God’s love, wisdom, patience, mercy, goodness, holiness, grace, justice, faithfulness and truthfulness. And she helps us see how we can become more like him by cultivating these characteristics ourselves. Many of us get worked up about knowing God’s will for our lives. We spend a lot of time wondering, “What should I do?”. Jen suggests the better question is, “Who should I be?” With warmth, clarity, humour and deep biblical insight, she helps her readers understand what God is like, and how this knowledge impacts how we live in response.
Many Christians live with an idea that there may be more to life than they experience. They suspect they may have missed the secret to living a purposeful, joyful, peaceful life on this earth while, instead, they’re just getting by. Jared Wilson writes to encourage ordinary believers that they can know the extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit impacting every part of their lives – transforming mundane moments into opportunities for spiritual growth, routine tasks into satisfying acts of service. He helps us understand the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and how developing our relationship with him impacts our everyday. Using the example of “Bill” – a lukewarm believer living a mundane and fairly pitiful life – Jared Wilson shows how experiencing the Spirit’s presence, conviction, guidance and power enables ordinary people to live extraordinary lives marked by joy, contentment and purpose, to God’s glory. It’s so encouraging.
We all want to know God’s favour and blessing in our lives. Many professing Christians falsely equate God’s favour with earthly prosperity and comfort, and become disillusioned when life is hard. Some believe they must strive to try to earn God’s favour by their acts of kindness or service in the Church. Others believe they’re just too flawed to experience it this side of eternity. Greg Gilbert reminds us that God’s favour is his gift to us through Jesus – that the favour Jesus earned through his perfect life, death and resurrection is ours because we are united to him. We enjoy the gift of salvation, the assurance of eternity in God’s presence, his peace, joy, contentment, wisdom, unending love. In this book, Greg Gilbert preaches the gospel to weary hearts and spurs us on to live life freely and fully, as God’s favoured people.
captivated by the grace of God – expressed in his kindness toward us in Christ – and she wants her readers to share her joy. In this book, she provides a detailed overview of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, exploring its main themes and reflecting on its implications for all who are “in Christ.” Gloria’s style is enthusiastic, lively and fast-paced. She provides illustrations and applications that help the reader understand and delight in what it means to be made alive in Christ – and how this truth transforms our everyday lives. This book is packed with encouragement, hope, refreshment and grace. Gloria wants her readers to immerse themselves in the gospel of grace by digging deeper into Ephesians. It’s impossible not to be inspired!
from guilt and despair as we battle with sin. We need it to keep us from striving to make ourselves acceptable to God by our own efforts or achievements. We need it to encourage our hearts, refresh our souls and renew our minds. The gospel is everything we need for life and godliness. In this short, practical book, Milton Vincent shows us how immersing ourselves daily in the wonders of the gospel transforms life. He helps us understand the gospel more fully and shows how it applies to every area of our lives. This book helps me reflect more deeply on the wonderful truths of the gospel and leads me to love Jesus more passionately.
a better country 