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Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers
Christians know that God loves them, but often think that he is perpetually disappointed and frustrated, maybe even close to giving up on them. As a result, they focus a lot on what Jesus has done to appease God's wrath for sin. But how does Jesus Christ actually feel about his people amid all their sins and failures? This book draws us to Matthew 11, where Jesus describes himself as "gentle and lowly in heart," longing for his people to find rest in him. The gospel is primarily about God's heart drawn to his people, a heart of tender love for the sinful and suffering. These chapters take readers into the depths of Christ's very heart for sinners, diving deep into Bible passages that speak of who Christ is and encouraging readers with the affections of Christ for his people. His longing heart for sinners will comfort and sustain readers in their up-and-down lives.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2020
About the author
Dane C. Ortlund
90 books496 followersDane C. Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton College) is chief publishing officer and Bible publisher at Crossway. He serves as an editor for the Knowing the Bible series and the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series, and is the author of several books, including Gentle and Lowly and Edwards on the Christian Life. He is an elder at Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois. Dane lives with his wife, Stacey, and their five children in Wheaton, Illinois.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,334 reviews
May 21, 2020
Not since Sinclair Ferguson’s “The Whole Christ” has a book so invigorated my drowsy heart with the wonder of God’s love. This may well end up being my Christian book of the year. Seriously: get a copy and savor it soon.
Update: Here are my 20 favorite quotes (tgc.org/article/christs-heart).
Update: Here are my 20 favorite quotes (tgc.org/article/christs-heart).
May 4, 2020
I am currently working on a PhD in the area of Christology, love my Lord Jesus Christ, and delight to see Him clearly in Scripture. For this reason, I was delighted to receive a copy of Dane Ortlunds’ Gentle and Lowly as part of the Crossway Blog Review program. I confess having mixed feelings as I put down the book; on the one hand, Ortlund displays the glory of Christ’s humility and merciful heart in beautiful, readable prose. On the other hand, I don’t think Ortlund succeeds in showing his thesis. In other words, Gentle and Lowly fails to demonstrate what it is explicitly seeking to but beautifully succeeds in doing something else. Let me unpack that a bit.
Dane Ortlund wants to show us the “heart of Christ.” That is, he wants to draw out what the Bible says about Christ’s essential identity, who he is at his “heart” (13). By “heart,” Ortlund intends the very depths of a person, the driving identity that shapes all a person’s actions. Through the books 23 (short) chapters, Ortlund wants to display Christ’s essential merciful, humble, and gracious character. His key text is Matthew 11:28-30, “the one place in the Bible where the Son of God pulls back the veil and lets us peer way down into the core of who he is” (18). He argues that this text shows us who Christ is in his essential identity. “Heart,” Ortlund writes, “in biblical terms, is not part of who we are but the centre of who we are” (18). So when Jesus says he is “gentle and lowly in heart,” he is describing his essential nature (19). The problem with this sort of argument is that heart has a lot of potential meanings, and nothing in the context suggests that Jesus is telling us “what animates him most deeply, what is most true of him” (19). Indeed, the Greek syntax suggests that Jesus intends “I am gentle and [I am] lowly in heart.” The latter phrase intending to specify what Jesus means “lowly,” for it can often refer to physical poverty or asceticism (as Ortlund observes, 19-20). To add the modifier “in heart” is to specify that “lowly” is the attitude Jesus has towards His people: He is gentle and has a humble heart (the phrase works well in English) towards them. Like the Puritans whom Ortlund follows in this book, his theology often overtakes his exegesis. That is, he says many beautiful and essential truths, yet the texts he turns to show them are sometimes not teaching that truth. In this way, Ortlund doesn’t show his thesis: nothing in Scripture identifies a single aspect of Jesus’s attitude or character as essential over against everything else. I think John Frame accurately captures the Biblical teaching concerning the Character of Christ and God in his discussion of Divine simplicity:
However, though Ortlund fails to demonstrate his thesis, I believe he succeeds brilliantly in another regard.
If we take Gentle and Lowly to be an exposition of a neglected aspect of God’s Character, of Jesus’ Character, it does the church a great service. Over and over again, Ortlund draws our attention to oft-neglected texts, showing how God’s heart towards His children is not one of stern anger or ferocity but patient, gentle mercy and love. No matter what we may or have done, we see throughout the book, God welcomes His children with open arms and delights to shower His mercy upon them. Every time we sin, God has abundant mercy to cleanse us from our sin. This aspect of God’s Character is something I treasure dearly and am delighted to be so clearly reminded of it once again. There are many men and women in my life who need to hear this aspect of God’s Character, and for this reason, Ortlund’s book is a great service to the church.
Don’t read Gentle and Lowly to find out who God is essentially, what aspect of His Character we can elevate above the rest. Ortlund suggests that this is what we ought to do, but involves—in my opinion—a selective reading of the evidence. God IS rich in mercy, God IS loving, God IS kind, yet God is also equally just, righteous, and holy. Each of these is a perspective on God’s simple, glorious character. God’s mercy is just, righteous, and holy, as his justice is good and loving. By selecting wrath as the contrast with mercy, Ortlund skews the evidence a bit, for wrath is a not a characteristic of God in the same way as justice, mercy, or love; wrath is the expression of justice and goodness in the presence of sinfulness. If we focus on wrath, then any of God’s attributes will seem more important.
Instead, read Gentle and Lowly as an exposition of an oft-neglected aspect of God’s Character, an aspect that is arguably at the certain of redemptive history—of the story of the creation. God is truly merciful, kind, abounding in grace and steadfast love. Ortlund reminds us of this truth and leads us to treasure it. One thing, in addition to the comments above, that Gentle and Lowly could use is practical application. Ortlund shrugs of the need for explicit application (215), but I think this is a disservice to the readers most likely to pick the book up. Christ’s character is definitely something to bask in (215), yet it is also more than that. We should—we ought to—respond to Christ’s Character; we need to imitate him (examples of how this would play out in the church would have been effective), we need to worship him (we need to be reminded of this often), and we need to obey him. It is true that Christ’s “yoke is easy” (Matt 11:30), yet it is nevertheless a yoke. Sometimes we need a hand gentling guiding us in what it means to follow Jesus; after such a beautiful exposition of His merciful, gentle character, gentle guidance in the ways we ought to imitate Christ in this regard would have been effective and helpful.
Dane Ortlund wants to show us the “heart of Christ.” That is, he wants to draw out what the Bible says about Christ’s essential identity, who he is at his “heart” (13). By “heart,” Ortlund intends the very depths of a person, the driving identity that shapes all a person’s actions. Through the books 23 (short) chapters, Ortlund wants to display Christ’s essential merciful, humble, and gracious character. His key text is Matthew 11:28-30, “the one place in the Bible where the Son of God pulls back the veil and lets us peer way down into the core of who he is” (18). He argues that this text shows us who Christ is in his essential identity. “Heart,” Ortlund writes, “in biblical terms, is not part of who we are but the centre of who we are” (18). So when Jesus says he is “gentle and lowly in heart,” he is describing his essential nature (19). The problem with this sort of argument is that heart has a lot of potential meanings, and nothing in the context suggests that Jesus is telling us “what animates him most deeply, what is most true of him” (19). Indeed, the Greek syntax suggests that Jesus intends “I am gentle and [I am] lowly in heart.” The latter phrase intending to specify what Jesus means “lowly,” for it can often refer to physical poverty or asceticism (as Ortlund observes, 19-20). To add the modifier “in heart” is to specify that “lowly” is the attitude Jesus has towards His people: He is gentle and has a humble heart (the phrase works well in English) towards them. Like the Puritans whom Ortlund follows in this book, his theology often overtakes his exegesis. That is, he says many beautiful and essential truths, yet the texts he turns to show them are sometimes not teaching that truth. In this way, Ortlund doesn’t show his thesis: nothing in Scripture identifies a single aspect of Jesus’s attitude or character as essential over against everything else. I think John Frame accurately captures the Biblical teaching concerning the Character of Christ and God in his discussion of Divine simplicity:
If the attributes are perspectives on a single reality, that reality will be simple by comparison, though also complex, as I must keep insisting. And evidently, since there are many attributes that characterize God’s essence, they are not separate from one another. Indeed, all of his attributes have divine attributes! God’s mercy is eternal, and his creative power is wise. So the biblical teachings about God’s attributes suggest a profound unity in his nature and among the attributes that characterize his nature. (Doctrine of God, 229)
However, though Ortlund fails to demonstrate his thesis, I believe he succeeds brilliantly in another regard.
If we take Gentle and Lowly to be an exposition of a neglected aspect of God’s Character, of Jesus’ Character, it does the church a great service. Over and over again, Ortlund draws our attention to oft-neglected texts, showing how God’s heart towards His children is not one of stern anger or ferocity but patient, gentle mercy and love. No matter what we may or have done, we see throughout the book, God welcomes His children with open arms and delights to shower His mercy upon them. Every time we sin, God has abundant mercy to cleanse us from our sin. This aspect of God’s Character is something I treasure dearly and am delighted to be so clearly reminded of it once again. There are many men and women in my life who need to hear this aspect of God’s Character, and for this reason, Ortlund’s book is a great service to the church.
Don’t read Gentle and Lowly to find out who God is essentially, what aspect of His Character we can elevate above the rest. Ortlund suggests that this is what we ought to do, but involves—in my opinion—a selective reading of the evidence. God IS rich in mercy, God IS loving, God IS kind, yet God is also equally just, righteous, and holy. Each of these is a perspective on God’s simple, glorious character. God’s mercy is just, righteous, and holy, as his justice is good and loving. By selecting wrath as the contrast with mercy, Ortlund skews the evidence a bit, for wrath is a not a characteristic of God in the same way as justice, mercy, or love; wrath is the expression of justice and goodness in the presence of sinfulness. If we focus on wrath, then any of God’s attributes will seem more important.
Instead, read Gentle and Lowly as an exposition of an oft-neglected aspect of God’s Character, an aspect that is arguably at the certain of redemptive history—of the story of the creation. God is truly merciful, kind, abounding in grace and steadfast love. Ortlund reminds us of this truth and leads us to treasure it. One thing, in addition to the comments above, that Gentle and Lowly could use is practical application. Ortlund shrugs of the need for explicit application (215), but I think this is a disservice to the readers most likely to pick the book up. Christ’s character is definitely something to bask in (215), yet it is also more than that. We should—we ought to—respond to Christ’s Character; we need to imitate him (examples of how this would play out in the church would have been effective), we need to worship him (we need to be reminded of this often), and we need to obey him. It is true that Christ’s “yoke is easy” (Matt 11:30), yet it is nevertheless a yoke. Sometimes we need a hand gentling guiding us in what it means to follow Jesus; after such a beautiful exposition of His merciful, gentle character, gentle guidance in the ways we ought to imitate Christ in this regard would have been effective and helpful.
October 13, 2020
Like reading Brennan Manning crossed with the puritans - beautiful and brilliant.
August 13, 2021
Pierced my heart in so many ways. My stubbornness wouldn’t allow myself to understand God’s mercy and this book as exactly what I needed to repent of that and run back to Jesus.
March 31, 2021
If I have a Morning Tome for Moms summer class this will be part of it. Excellent treatise on Christ’s love for us while we are yet sinners using the writings of the Puritans no less but don’t let that keep you away. If you are a Christian you will want to read this book and if you aren’t this book will probably give you new eyes to see what it all means.
December 15, 2020
I hesitate to offer a review, for fear that my words might understate the effect this book has had on me. I’ve been surrounded by Jesus and people who love Jesus my whole life. And yet I’ve rarely encountered anything that has better helped me to clear my vision. “Now we see dimly” say the scriptures, “but then we shall see face to face.” This book cleared away so much fog from my vision and helped me to see Jesus, why he’s such a big deal. I mean, I’m a Sunday school kid turned youth group kid turned pastor’s wife, and this is the first time I’ve glimpsed just how little I know of Christ’s true heart. I mean, his love is so much more than I even realized. I can’t imagine a single human who wouldn’t benefit from reading this book and getting a chance to meet the Jesus Dane Ortlund presents (with the help of the puritans) in this book.
More than anything, this book made me long to know Christ and to be like Christ, sentiments I’ve sung and thought and prayed, but only now have begun to really long for. I can’t sum up the book, so I’ll share my heartfelt reaction: when I saw just how eagerly Christ shows mercy in this book, I longed to be that merciful. I’ve been surfacing from decades of confusing moralism with love for Jesus. I thought being like Christ meant being more... serene? Less tempted by selfishness? I don’t know exactly. All I know is that this book added new dimension to familiar words in my vocabulary and brought new light to old scriptures.
More than anything, this book made me long to know Christ and to be like Christ, sentiments I’ve sung and thought and prayed, but only now have begun to really long for. I can’t sum up the book, so I’ll share my heartfelt reaction: when I saw just how eagerly Christ shows mercy in this book, I longed to be that merciful. I’ve been surfacing from decades of confusing moralism with love for Jesus. I thought being like Christ meant being more... serene? Less tempted by selfishness? I don’t know exactly. All I know is that this book added new dimension to familiar words in my vocabulary and brought new light to old scriptures.
April 23, 2021
DISCLAIMER
Please hear me when I say this: I have manyyyyyy friends and family members with whom I disagree on foundational theological principles. It is not my intent to attack any individual adherent to any individual doctrine by what I say in this review. Likewise, it is not my intent to attack Dane Ortlund by what I say in this review. Mr. Ortlund appears to have a genuine heart for helping believers to grasp the enormity of God’s love for them, and I respect that greatly.
Please hear me when I say this, also: I will not be debating theology with strangers on the Internet. So, if you’re someone I don’t know who is reading this review, welcome, and comment whatever you want, but understand that I reserve the right to not reply. ☺
---
Ortlund argues that we must deconstruct our learned preconceptions about God’s heart for us. We must dig deep into the biblical reality that his predisposition toward us is one of love, not wrath; that his disappointment is directed against our sin, not us; that he does not deign to interact with us, but delights in our proximity. He emphasizes the gentleness, the kindness, the bona fide joy that is Christ’s heart when he views us.
A truly excellent point.
Unfortunately, it is somewhat diluted by Ortlund’s repeated clarifications that this great heart does not so expansively welcome everyone -- that this love incarnate is monopolized by the elect.
(Imagine, if you would be so kind, the longest and heaviest of Arminian sighs here.)
I knew that Ortlund’s Reformed theology would be a bone of contention between us before I even began the book. What I wasn’t necessarily counting on was the predicament in which it would place me once I did.
Because, as I said, his premise is intensely valid, and its message is desperately needed. But running parallel to that message, and at times abruptly intersecting it, is the undercurrent of doctrines which I find nonsensical at best and essentially heretical at worst.
As Maleficent would say, what an awkward situation.
It is difficult to fully bask in or benefit from teachings which are fundamentally sound and which could effect positive spiritual change if given the opportunity, when those teachings are continually undergirded or undercut by dogmas which I believe to be intrinsically distorted (and often disastrous). Especially when the author goes out of his way to make statements such as this:
This is a clumsy non-point which accomplishes literally nothing, except to establish that Ortlund’s devotion to Calvinism is so extreme that he feels the need to muddy a foundational spiritual concept (and one that is substantiated by a plethora of scriptural texts) merely to distance himself from the dreaded specter of RoMAn CaThOLiC tHeOLoGY.
Moreover, fundamental doctrinal differences aside, his apparent fascination with the theologians that he chooses to quote ad nauseum is both odd and troubling. (Is Jonathan Edwards really your best bet if your premise is the tenderness and profundity of divine love?)
Still, as I said, parts of Ortlund’s treatise are beautiful, and so needed in the modern ecclesiastical dialogue.
(One of the best quotes, and one which I suspect will stay with me for a long time, was this:
I love that. That kind of mindset restructuring is so critical to the development of a healthier understanding of God's heart. It is one which I desperately need.)
In sum, then: I genuinely appreciate aspects of this book, but find others extremely concerning.
Please hear me when I say this: I have manyyyyyy friends and family members with whom I disagree on foundational theological principles. It is not my intent to attack any individual adherent to any individual doctrine by what I say in this review. Likewise, it is not my intent to attack Dane Ortlund by what I say in this review. Mr. Ortlund appears to have a genuine heart for helping believers to grasp the enormity of God’s love for them, and I respect that greatly.
Please hear me when I say this, also: I will not be debating theology with strangers on the Internet. So, if you’re someone I don’t know who is reading this review, welcome, and comment whatever you want, but understand that I reserve the right to not reply. ☺
---
Ortlund argues that we must deconstruct our learned preconceptions about God’s heart for us. We must dig deep into the biblical reality that his predisposition toward us is one of love, not wrath; that his disappointment is directed against our sin, not us; that he does not deign to interact with us, but delights in our proximity. He emphasizes the gentleness, the kindness, the bona fide joy that is Christ’s heart when he views us.
A truly excellent point.
Unfortunately, it is somewhat diluted by Ortlund’s repeated clarifications that this great heart does not so expansively welcome everyone -- that this love incarnate is monopolized by the elect.
(Imagine, if you would be so kind, the longest and heaviest of Arminian sighs here.)
I knew that Ortlund’s Reformed theology would be a bone of contention between us before I even began the book. What I wasn’t necessarily counting on was the predicament in which it would place me once I did.
Because, as I said, his premise is intensely valid, and its message is desperately needed. But running parallel to that message, and at times abruptly intersecting it, is the undercurrent of doctrines which I find nonsensical at best and essentially heretical at worst.
As Maleficent would say, what an awkward situation.
It is difficult to fully bask in or benefit from teachings which are fundamentally sound and which could effect positive spiritual change if given the opportunity, when those teachings are continually undergirded or undercut by dogmas which I believe to be intrinsically distorted (and often disastrous). Especially when the author goes out of his way to make statements such as this:
We’ve been speaking of God’s grace and the way it is drawn out always to match abundantly the need for it. But there is, purely speaking, no such “thing” as grace. That’s Roman Catholic theology, in which grace is a kind of stockpiled treasure that can be accessed through various carefully controlled means. But the grace of God comes to us no more and no less than Jesus Christ comes to us. In the biblical gospel we are not given a thing; we are given a person. [emphasis mine]
This is a clumsy non-point which accomplishes literally nothing, except to establish that Ortlund’s devotion to Calvinism is so extreme that he feels the need to muddy a foundational spiritual concept (and one that is substantiated by a plethora of scriptural texts) merely to distance himself from the dreaded specter of RoMAn CaThOLiC tHeOLoGY.
Moreover, fundamental doctrinal differences aside, his apparent fascination with the theologians that he chooses to quote ad nauseum is both odd and troubling. (Is Jonathan Edwards really your best bet if your premise is the tenderness and profundity of divine love?)
Still, as I said, parts of Ortlund’s treatise are beautiful, and so needed in the modern ecclesiastical dialogue.
(One of the best quotes, and one which I suspect will stay with me for a long time, was this:
His anger requires provocation; his mercy is pent up, ready to gush forth.
I love that. That kind of mindset restructuring is so critical to the development of a healthier understanding of God's heart. It is one which I desperately need.)
In sum, then: I genuinely appreciate aspects of this book, but find others extremely concerning.
May 4, 2020
Exceptional and exquisite. My front-runner for favorite book of 2020. Read my friend David McLemore's review at For The Church here: https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-...
February 22, 2021
I really wanted to love this book, but I didn't.
I love Jesus. I love the Gospel. I feel a little guilty hating a book about it.
However, Ortlund assumes questions for me that I just don't have. He tries to answer assumptions that I have never assumed. He goes too far in trying to employ shock value and makes untrue statements.
Here are some examples:
"Divine love is not forbearance or longsuffering or patience." (What happened to love is patient??)
"For those who do not belong to him, sins evoke holy wrath. How could a morally serious God respond otherwise? But to those who do belong to him, sins evoke holy longing, holy love, holy tenderness." (As Paul wrote, "Am I to sin so that grace may abound?")
"Mercy is natural to him. Punishment is unnatural." You can't have one without the other. Both are natural because eve everything God does is just and good.
Anyway, just a few of my objections to Ortlund's writing.
I did enjoy all of the quotes from the old writers....Bunyan, Edward's, Flavel, et. al. And since I wouldn't have gone to read them on my own, I will give two stars as a collection of great thought provoking quotes that helped me reflect on the heart of Christ.
I love Jesus. I love the Gospel. I feel a little guilty hating a book about it.
However, Ortlund assumes questions for me that I just don't have. He tries to answer assumptions that I have never assumed. He goes too far in trying to employ shock value and makes untrue statements.
Here are some examples:
"Divine love is not forbearance or longsuffering or patience." (What happened to love is patient??)
"For those who do not belong to him, sins evoke holy wrath. How could a morally serious God respond otherwise? But to those who do belong to him, sins evoke holy longing, holy love, holy tenderness." (As Paul wrote, "Am I to sin so that grace may abound?")
"Mercy is natural to him. Punishment is unnatural." You can't have one without the other. Both are natural because eve everything God does is just and good.
Anyway, just a few of my objections to Ortlund's writing.
I did enjoy all of the quotes from the old writers....Bunyan, Edward's, Flavel, et. al. And since I wouldn't have gone to read them on my own, I will give two stars as a collection of great thought provoking quotes that helped me reflect on the heart of Christ.
February 1, 2021
I first heard about this book when my pastor recommended it and read a Bunyan quote from it. Since my pastor is constantly pointing us to Jesus, I knew it must be worthwhile.
This book is neither mild nor imbalanced. All it does is reveal what the Scripture actually says about who Jesus is- what Jesus and God the Father have to say about who they are and what their heart is toward us- and reorients us back to the truth, stripping away our preconceived ideas of who we think God is or should be.
I love how much of this book references and quotes Puritan writings. These are not new or progressive ideas.
It's the type of book that changes you, because the gospel changes you. It helps us see where we've gone wrong in our thinking, see Jesus more clearly, and love Him more.
I highly recommend this book.
This book is neither mild nor imbalanced. All it does is reveal what the Scripture actually says about who Jesus is- what Jesus and God the Father have to say about who they are and what their heart is toward us- and reorients us back to the truth, stripping away our preconceived ideas of who we think God is or should be.
I love how much of this book references and quotes Puritan writings. These are not new or progressive ideas.
It's the type of book that changes you, because the gospel changes you. It helps us see where we've gone wrong in our thinking, see Jesus more clearly, and love Him more.
I highly recommend this book.
April 25, 2021
Too touchy-feely for my tastes. I had to look twice, for I surely thought this was written by a woman, for women. This book is simply the ramblings of a Reformer trying to comfort people, when really he should be talking about the means of grace.
Ortlund talks about the fact that God uses pain or trials in our lives to teach us things. God's first instinct is mercy, but he will use pain to bring us back to himself. "He... is conflicted within himself when he sends affliction into our lives." There's even a section where Ortlund compares sin to physical therapy, saying we have been injured and it's somehow compassionate to create pain as a method of caring, to bring about healing.
This is terrifying and dangerous -- particularly for people who are afflicted by worldly suffering not of their own making. Ortlund doesn't take the time to explain any good theology here. He dances right on the edge -- the untrained eye would come away from this section misunderstanding, assuming that God causes sin in random places, wherever he wants. There's no explanation about how God holds back the onslaught of destruction and death which we all deserve every moment, and how He causes good things to come out of terrible situations, despite sin. He isn't the origin of sin, be it in our hearts, or in the brokenness of this world. Ortlund doesn't make this clear.
What really ticked me off was Ortlund's complete denial that grace exists. He says this twice in the book: "But there is, purely speaking, no such 'thing' as grace. That's Roman Catholic theology, in which grace is a kind of stockpiled treasure that can be accessed through various carefully controlled means."
Why deny grace? Why not simply redefine the word? The anti-Catholic, pro-Protestant bias gets annoying, as there's no explanation. Faith and grace are all over the Bible, but there's no discussion of them in this book. Yes, Christ gives himself to us. Christ is grace. But people are desperate for an explanation of how Christ gives himself to us. You can say that Christ gives himself to us until you're blue in the face, but unless you explain how salvation happens, there's no comfort and assurance of salvation for the Christian.
"The minimum bar to be enfolded into the embrace of Jesus is simply: open yourself up to him. It is all he needs. Indeed, it is the only thing he works with."
This again puts the onus on us, to move first and be the instigator of our own salvation. This again leaves room for doubt. What does it mean to open yourself up? Have I done it enough? What if I don't believe enough? You get caught in a never-ending spiral of emotion and doubt.
There's some good stuff in this book, hence the two stars. But give me a good theology book any day, where the means of grace is explained I can actually understand how Christ saves us, and how we have continued assurance of salvation. I'll take that over these emotional feel-good ramblings. I would not recommend this for non-Christians or new Christians.
I'll toss this on the reject pile, next to Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved or Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.
Instead, read The Christian Life: Cross or Glory? or Crucifying Religion: How Jesus is the End of Religion or The Spirituality of the Cross, or even The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out.
Ortlund talks about the fact that God uses pain or trials in our lives to teach us things. God's first instinct is mercy, but he will use pain to bring us back to himself. "He... is conflicted within himself when he sends affliction into our lives." There's even a section where Ortlund compares sin to physical therapy, saying we have been injured and it's somehow compassionate to create pain as a method of caring, to bring about healing.
This is terrifying and dangerous -- particularly for people who are afflicted by worldly suffering not of their own making. Ortlund doesn't take the time to explain any good theology here. He dances right on the edge -- the untrained eye would come away from this section misunderstanding, assuming that God causes sin in random places, wherever he wants. There's no explanation about how God holds back the onslaught of destruction and death which we all deserve every moment, and how He causes good things to come out of terrible situations, despite sin. He isn't the origin of sin, be it in our hearts, or in the brokenness of this world. Ortlund doesn't make this clear.
What really ticked me off was Ortlund's complete denial that grace exists. He says this twice in the book: "But there is, purely speaking, no such 'thing' as grace. That's Roman Catholic theology, in which grace is a kind of stockpiled treasure that can be accessed through various carefully controlled means."
Why deny grace? Why not simply redefine the word? The anti-Catholic, pro-Protestant bias gets annoying, as there's no explanation. Faith and grace are all over the Bible, but there's no discussion of them in this book. Yes, Christ gives himself to us. Christ is grace. But people are desperate for an explanation of how Christ gives himself to us. You can say that Christ gives himself to us until you're blue in the face, but unless you explain how salvation happens, there's no comfort and assurance of salvation for the Christian.
"The minimum bar to be enfolded into the embrace of Jesus is simply: open yourself up to him. It is all he needs. Indeed, it is the only thing he works with."
This again puts the onus on us, to move first and be the instigator of our own salvation. This again leaves room for doubt. What does it mean to open yourself up? Have I done it enough? What if I don't believe enough? You get caught in a never-ending spiral of emotion and doubt.
There's some good stuff in this book, hence the two stars. But give me a good theology book any day, where the means of grace is explained I can actually understand how Christ saves us, and how we have continued assurance of salvation. I'll take that over these emotional feel-good ramblings. I would not recommend this for non-Christians or new Christians.
I'll toss this on the reject pile, next to Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved or Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.
Instead, read The Christian Life: Cross or Glory? or Crucifying Religion: How Jesus is the End of Religion or The Spirituality of the Cross, or even The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out.
January 28, 2021
This book is a best-seller for a reason. If, like me, you grew up in the church and somehow adopted a view of God that led you to believe He has a grudging, stodgy kind of love for you, then this book will be paradigm-shifting for you.
I've long struggled to believe that the Lord loves me, individually. Generally speaking, I know He loves me because He set His affections on me and chose to save me before the foundations of the word. But sometimes that knowledge doesn't permeate the heart when you feel you should be less of a sinner than you currently are. I don't know exactly when or why I began to view God as a disappointed grandfather who begrudgingly hands out quarters with a scowl on His face, but I've struggled to overcome that false belief for decades.
What Ortlund helped me to see in Scripture is that the heart of the Son reveals the heart of the Father, and He is a Father who pours out love on me (me!) in a swollen, overflowing river that cannot be measured or contained. He doesn't love me less when I sin. He draws me deeper into His love.
The chapter that probably encouraged e the most was chapter 21, "He Loved Us Then; He'll Love Us Now." If you struggle to believe that you're fully forgiven for the sins you committed after conversion, this chapter will right your flawed view of God's love and forgiveness as explained in Romans 5. Truly, I'll return to this chapter over and over again.
Do you think that God begrudgingly loves you because He promised to but maybe perhaps doesn't have much affection for you? This book is for you. Read it. Savor it. Believe it. The heart of the Savior and the heart of the Father pour out love and kindness and mercy in a stream so deep and wide, you cannot fathom its depth.
I've long struggled to believe that the Lord loves me, individually. Generally speaking, I know He loves me because He set His affections on me and chose to save me before the foundations of the word. But sometimes that knowledge doesn't permeate the heart when you feel you should be less of a sinner than you currently are. I don't know exactly when or why I began to view God as a disappointed grandfather who begrudgingly hands out quarters with a scowl on His face, but I've struggled to overcome that false belief for decades.
What Ortlund helped me to see in Scripture is that the heart of the Son reveals the heart of the Father, and He is a Father who pours out love on me (me!) in a swollen, overflowing river that cannot be measured or contained. He doesn't love me less when I sin. He draws me deeper into His love.
The chapter that probably encouraged e the most was chapter 21, "He Loved Us Then; He'll Love Us Now." If you struggle to believe that you're fully forgiven for the sins you committed after conversion, this chapter will right your flawed view of God's love and forgiveness as explained in Romans 5. Truly, I'll return to this chapter over and over again.
Do you think that God begrudgingly loves you because He promised to but maybe perhaps doesn't have much affection for you? This book is for you. Read it. Savor it. Believe it. The heart of the Savior and the heart of the Father pour out love and kindness and mercy in a stream so deep and wide, you cannot fathom its depth.
December 15, 2021
Oh my.
This is one of those rare non-fiction books that moved me to tears multiple times while reading it.
It showed me aspects of Christ's love for us that I had never understood or comprehended before in an exposition that's very Puritan and even more biblical. I regularly found myself in disbelief when I was reading this book about how the love of Christ could be that rich toward us. But in every place, Ortlund pointed readers back to the Scripture to see where these promises are found in God's Word itself.
This is easily the best book I've read this year, and probably for the past several years.
It's not a book I'll soon forget.
Rating: 5.0 Stars (Extremely Good).
This is one of those rare non-fiction books that moved me to tears multiple times while reading it.
It showed me aspects of Christ's love for us that I had never understood or comprehended before in an exposition that's very Puritan and even more biblical. I regularly found myself in disbelief when I was reading this book about how the love of Christ could be that rich toward us. But in every place, Ortlund pointed readers back to the Scripture to see where these promises are found in God's Word itself.
This is easily the best book I've read this year, and probably for the past several years.
It's not a book I'll soon forget.
Rating: 5.0 Stars (Extremely Good).
July 2, 2020
The hype is real. Is it any surprise that a book on the heart of Christ would be so heartwarming? What a beautiful Savior!
February 4, 2022
I hate to give this book such a low rating because I needed to read this book. There are some beautiful excerpts, and a couple meaningful insights. Ortlund has important things to share, for he has identified a serious problem in the Calvinist tradition, that being our hyper rationalistic, legal understanding of justification which leaves many Christians feeling unloved by God who seems impersonal and angry. This also results in a mental separation of the wills of the Father and of the Son, which, should give us pause to consider whether or not the theology of the reformers is indeed the healthiest way of conceptualizing salvation. But despite all of this, the writing was truly dreadful. I cringed at his analogies and illustrations, and his choppy-one word sentences that were intended to comfort or exhort felt condescending. He recycles arguments and verses from previous chapters to reiterate essentially the same thesis. He needs an editor too condense this book into a 30 page essay containing his highlight chapters, namely his chapters on the Trinity, the bowels of Christ, and Christ's love even to the end.
January 22, 2022
"The Christian life, from one angle, is the long journey of letting our natural assumption about who God is, over many decades, fall away, being slowly replaced with God’s own insistence on who he is."
Having finished this book, the first thing I want to do is read it again. Its message is like soothing ointment on a wound. Definitely a book to be reread regularly. With much help from the Puritans, Dane Ortlund focuses not on what God does, but on who God is in his very heart. As the book's title suggests, Ortlund begins with Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus Christ openly declares his heart to us. The book does not stop there, however, but works through a number of Old Testament and New Testament passages. While every chapter connects to Ortlund's overarching argument about God's heart, each one also stands alone quite well. The chapters' brevity is just an added bonus. One can easily work this book into his or her devotional life, reading and meditating on just a chapter or two a day.
What is abundantly clear to me is that Ortlund is a man on a mission. He is in awe of such a God as this, passionate about the declarations God makes about his own character, and eager to share them with other believers so that they can be as warmed, encouraged, and awestruck as he is. And Ortlund doesn't stand alone on the matter, but in the company of men such as Thomas Goodwin, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, Richard Sibbes, and John Newton. Puritan writing is some of my favorite, so I am glad that Ortlund ensured they got to speak as well.
If this book's message unsettles you in any way, stop and consider why. Are you afraid that God's other attributes such as justice, wrath, and holiness get diminished or denied? Ortlund anticipates that concern at several points and addresses it carefully. Are you afraid that people will read this book and come away with license to sin or low views of confession and repentance? Anyone who draws such conclusions hasn't read this book fairly or accurately. The heart of God that I discovered while reading this book astounds me and motivates me to run the race with even more determination. Yes, I'll keep falling along the way, but when I do, God won't be standing there shaking his head at me in disappointment. He'll be rushing over to help me up, if only I will grab the hand he offers.
Amazingly, our problem is not that we make too much of God's merciful, gracious, loving heart but too little. We are perpetually making God in our own image. I am reminded of the ancient Greeks, whose gods were often spiteful, vindictive, unkind, harsh, and exacting—in other words, gods who act just like people. But the true and living God, the God who declares himself to us in Scripture, is beyond our comprehension and our wildest dreams. He is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). He is "a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6). He is "rich in mercy" (Ephesians 2:4).
Beautiful.
Having finished this book, the first thing I want to do is read it again. Its message is like soothing ointment on a wound. Definitely a book to be reread regularly. With much help from the Puritans, Dane Ortlund focuses not on what God does, but on who God is in his very heart. As the book's title suggests, Ortlund begins with Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus Christ openly declares his heart to us. The book does not stop there, however, but works through a number of Old Testament and New Testament passages. While every chapter connects to Ortlund's overarching argument about God's heart, each one also stands alone quite well. The chapters' brevity is just an added bonus. One can easily work this book into his or her devotional life, reading and meditating on just a chapter or two a day.
What is abundantly clear to me is that Ortlund is a man on a mission. He is in awe of such a God as this, passionate about the declarations God makes about his own character, and eager to share them with other believers so that they can be as warmed, encouraged, and awestruck as he is. And Ortlund doesn't stand alone on the matter, but in the company of men such as Thomas Goodwin, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, Richard Sibbes, and John Newton. Puritan writing is some of my favorite, so I am glad that Ortlund ensured they got to speak as well.
If this book's message unsettles you in any way, stop and consider why. Are you afraid that God's other attributes such as justice, wrath, and holiness get diminished or denied? Ortlund anticipates that concern at several points and addresses it carefully. Are you afraid that people will read this book and come away with license to sin or low views of confession and repentance? Anyone who draws such conclusions hasn't read this book fairly or accurately. The heart of God that I discovered while reading this book astounds me and motivates me to run the race with even more determination. Yes, I'll keep falling along the way, but when I do, God won't be standing there shaking his head at me in disappointment. He'll be rushing over to help me up, if only I will grab the hand he offers.
Amazingly, our problem is not that we make too much of God's merciful, gracious, loving heart but too little. We are perpetually making God in our own image. I am reminded of the ancient Greeks, whose gods were often spiteful, vindictive, unkind, harsh, and exacting—in other words, gods who act just like people. But the true and living God, the God who declares himself to us in Scripture, is beyond our comprehension and our wildest dreams. He is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). He is "a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6). He is "rich in mercy" (Ephesians 2:4).
Beautiful.
February 9, 2022
Dr. Dane Ortlund has gained a reputation for writing Christian books that are solid, edifying, and gospel-centered. His newest work, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers is no exception. Ortlund uses Matthew 11:29 as the basis for his writing:
The author writes, “This book is written for the discouraged, the frustrated, the weary, the disenchanted, the cynical, the empty. Those running on fumes.” Ultimately, Ortlund is jealous to draw the attention of readers to the heart of Jesus Christ.
23 chapters await readers who will be captivated, encouraged, and loved y their Savior. Some readers will need to readjust what they have previously learned about Jesus and move in a more biblically oriented direction. Ideally, this book should be read one chapter at a time, in a devotional sort of way. Such an approach will allow the mind to be sufficiently instructed and the heart to be filled with encouragement.
A few citations will give a sense of the tone and direction the book takes:
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers is packed with heart-warming scholarship and Christology that moves the soul. It is eminently practical and encouraging from start to finish.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The author writes, “This book is written for the discouraged, the frustrated, the weary, the disenchanted, the cynical, the empty. Those running on fumes.” Ultimately, Ortlund is jealous to draw the attention of readers to the heart of Jesus Christ.
23 chapters await readers who will be captivated, encouraged, and loved y their Savior. Some readers will need to readjust what they have previously learned about Jesus and move in a more biblically oriented direction. Ideally, this book should be read one chapter at a time, in a devotional sort of way. Such an approach will allow the mind to be sufficiently instructed and the heart to be filled with encouragement.
A few citations will give a sense of the tone and direction the book takes:
Jesus is not trigger-happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. he is the most understanding person in the universe.
The Jesus given to us in the Gospels is not simply the one who loves, but one who is love; merciful affections stream from his innermost heart as rays from the sun.
It is impossible for the affectionate heart of Christ to be over-celebrated, made too much of, exaggerated.
Jesus Christ is closer to you today than he was to the sinners and suffers he spoke with and touched his earthly ministry.
If God sent his own Son to walk through the valley of condemnation, rejection, and hell, you can trust him as you walk through your own valleys on the way to heaven.
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers is packed with heart-warming scholarship and Christology that moves the soul. It is eminently practical and encouraging from start to finish.
June 26, 2022
This book is a beautiful reminder of the LOVE that is Christ’s heart for any one of us who would choose to come.
Read it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Watch the lives I did with Krista! https://youtu.be/YUPYekEsQUU
Read it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Watch the lives I did with Krista! https://youtu.be/YUPYekEsQUU
May 21, 2020
Te kind of book that immediately after you finish reading, you want to start all over again.
August 1, 2023
3.25 stars
I feel so conflicted on this book. There are parts I really enjoyed and I feel is really important for Christians to read. It had encouraging moments and I did enjoy parts. Other parts felt so slow. The content overall was good, but the writing itself wasn’t my favorite. Or the narration. I guess my biggest issue was that it wasn’t engaging to me.
I feel so conflicted on this book. There are parts I really enjoyed and I feel is really important for Christians to read. It had encouraging moments and I did enjoy parts. Other parts felt so slow. The content overall was good, but the writing itself wasn’t my favorite. Or the narration. I guess my biggest issue was that it wasn’t engaging to me.
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 3.25 stars
Narrators: Dane Ortlund
Narration Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Non-fiction
Length: 5h 17m
June 26, 2022
Wow, what an amazing book dedicated to the heart of Jesus. I read this throughout the month of June and each time I picked it up, I grew in faith in the Lord. I was encouraged, reminded, comforted and sometimes convicted.
Make sure you check out the YouTube Live Shows on Krista's Channel, BooksandJams for more in depth discussions! I am so thankful to have joined some of the live show discussions with her and other lovely ladies this month.
This book dives deep into the heart of Christ and how he views us. He is gentle and lowly in heart. This book beautifully explains this in each chapter and provides some great historical background from the Puritans.
What I was reminded of:
• We often minimize our sin, we don’t have a good understanding of it because we have a sinful nature. God shows us His ultimate grace and Christ’s heart is drawn to us. Romans 5:20 “Where sin increased, Grace abounded all the more.”
• Christ intercedes for us and he will never cast out.
• He is an advocate for us. I resonated with this so much because my son has Autism and I have been struggling this past year and found myself sitting in my feelings many days. I can remember specifically one week where I had been so overwhelmed and not praying as I should. I cried out to the Lord one night, praying for my son to have good days at school and to help him grow in his speech and skills. The very next day, he had the best day he had in weeks and the chapter on Jesus being our advocate reminded me that just like I am advocating for my son in his struggles, with therapy and preschool, Jesus is advocating for me, my husband and my son all along the journey.
• Jesus is our friend, he is near to us and we should draw near to him.
• Jesus understands our feelings and has compassion for us. In our grief, he is grieved. He sees what we are going through and is not surprised by anything we are going through or feeling.
• We don’t have to do anything (works) to earn his love. I love the comparison of the son trying to do everything to secure his place in the family when he doesn’t have to do anything special – the same for us in our relationship with Jesus. It’s settled and irreversible.
• While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He loves me in my mess – my crazy, busy, working mom life mess. I can’t be everything for everybody and that’s ok. This chapter reminded me that throughout my mess – he is always sustaining me and loving me and listening.
Overall, this is a perfect book to help us understand Jesus and His heart for us.
Make sure you check out the YouTube Live Shows on Krista's Channel, BooksandJams for more in depth discussions! I am so thankful to have joined some of the live show discussions with her and other lovely ladies this month.
This book dives deep into the heart of Christ and how he views us. He is gentle and lowly in heart. This book beautifully explains this in each chapter and provides some great historical background from the Puritans.
What I was reminded of:
• We often minimize our sin, we don’t have a good understanding of it because we have a sinful nature. God shows us His ultimate grace and Christ’s heart is drawn to us. Romans 5:20 “Where sin increased, Grace abounded all the more.”
• Christ intercedes for us and he will never cast out.
• He is an advocate for us. I resonated with this so much because my son has Autism and I have been struggling this past year and found myself sitting in my feelings many days. I can remember specifically one week where I had been so overwhelmed and not praying as I should. I cried out to the Lord one night, praying for my son to have good days at school and to help him grow in his speech and skills. The very next day, he had the best day he had in weeks and the chapter on Jesus being our advocate reminded me that just like I am advocating for my son in his struggles, with therapy and preschool, Jesus is advocating for me, my husband and my son all along the journey.
• Jesus is our friend, he is near to us and we should draw near to him.
• Jesus understands our feelings and has compassion for us. In our grief, he is grieved. He sees what we are going through and is not surprised by anything we are going through or feeling.
• We don’t have to do anything (works) to earn his love. I love the comparison of the son trying to do everything to secure his place in the family when he doesn’t have to do anything special – the same for us in our relationship with Jesus. It’s settled and irreversible.
• While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He loves me in my mess – my crazy, busy, working mom life mess. I can’t be everything for everybody and that’s ok. This chapter reminded me that throughout my mess – he is always sustaining me and loving me and listening.
Overall, this is a perfect book to help us understand Jesus and His heart for us.
August 25, 2020
Warm, careful, biblical, Puritan in the very best sense—which should be the only sense.
August 16, 2023
Wonderful, much needed, reflection on the heart of Christ towards sinners.
Will definitely revisit this book. Highly recommended.
SECOND READING: During midweek Bible study we read this aloud.
Will definitely revisit this book. Highly recommended.
SECOND READING: During midweek Bible study we read this aloud.
October 1, 2023
I’ve never cried or been more emotional while reading a book. This was such a breath of fresh air with so many great reminders that I’ll be returning to over & over again!
January 23, 2021
My vocation in life is to write and teach about the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. I read many books. I have written a few. On occasion – and those occasions are sadly infrequent – I will pick up a book that so overwhelms me with the message of God’s love that it refocuses me on the Main Thing; it reinvigorates me with a passion to keep doing what I’m doing; and it makes the mercy of God so palpable, so unmissable, that I sit there reading with a huge smile of joy spreading across my face. Dane’s book did that. Read it. Savor it. And thank God for such voices in our worn and weary world, famished for mercy.
September 15, 2020
I read this book slowly over the course of months—which I think is the best way to read this work, reflecting on the heart of Christ “for sinners and sufferers.” Distilling the best of John Calvin, John Flavel, Richard Sibbes, John Owen, John Bunyan, Thomas Goodwin, Jonathan Edwards, and richly meditating on a variety of Old and New Testament passages, this book is a balm for weary Christians. What we most need is Christ, that bottomless ocean of rest, joy, and love.
March 25, 2021
Oh my goodness. What a beautiful, in-depth scriptural look at the gospel, the heart of Christ (and the Father and the Holy Spirit), His love and grace and beauty, and how we can glorify Him. I will be re-reading this many times. I truly cannot recommend it enough. Read it, read it, read it!
November 25, 2023
This. Wrecked me. In the best way.
Read it.
Jesus loves so much more deeply and more wildly than we can even begin to comprehend.
Read it.
Jesus loves so much more deeply and more wildly than we can even begin to comprehend.
December 26, 2023
I’ve read this two times now and it’s even better the second time around. This book completely challenged the view I had of Jesus and how He sees me. It exposed the lies I had believed about Him and showed what scripture says about His heart. The message of this book feels like a warm hug, like a sigh of relief and awe and wonder at the gentle and lowly heart of Jesus.
February 1, 2021
Wow, one of the best and most helpful Christian books written in the past few decades. What a wonderful, refreshing treatment on the heart of Christ. Ortlund faithfully and biblically opens up the passages touching on Christ's own heart toward His people (and some on the Father's heart as well). The message brought forth in this book is one that has been forgotten in much of the modern church, but Ortlund shows that the Reformers and Puritans once preached it boldly. Standing on the shoulders of such giants as Bunyan, Goodwin, Owen, Flavel, Calvin, and others, Ortlund points us back to the true heart of Jesus; a Savior that is gentle and lowly in heart (Matt 11:28). This book is very highly recommended to every Christian. It is definitely one of those books you should read as a believer.
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