Reading, in general, is a good habit and so is reading good Christian literature. In this new blog series, we hope to periodically feature books that fellow “young people” have taken the time to read. We hope that these books will help us see how God’s word addresses our modern struggles, and is still so “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (c.f. 2 Tim 3:16-17)
Image courtesy of Crossway
This review features Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken by David Powlinson. The late David Powlinson (1949-2019) was a writer, editor and counselor at Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF), and many have benefitted from his involvement in biblical counselling. This book is an example.
“Making all things new” is a book on sexuality, and if you’ve read this post to this point, you may have already formed certain views about the topic. I suspect that for many of us, the way sexuality has been talked about in contemporary Christian circles has mostly been in the form of do's and don'ts. This book provides something much more valuable - a glimpse into God's design for sexuality and how we can not only flee sin, but flee to Him. It has a great mix of theology and practical handles for those of us struggling with real, day-to-day sexual sins. Below are three of my main takeaways:
1. Sin always attempts to drive out the reality of God and His Word. 'I am with You' are perhaps the four best words we can preach to ourselves as we struggle with sexual sin, to know that He is with us whether in lust, or hurt, or pain, or sorrow, or joy, or contempt, or pride, or despair. He is with us.
2. Sin turns us in, guilt and shame drive us in further still. But the grace of the gospel calls us to lift our heads and look outside ourselves. Our help comes from the Lord, our joy is given by the Lord, our satisfaction is found in the Lord.
3. Sexual sin is flashy, but so often it is located within larger battles of distrust of God's promises, demands for a spouse, anxiousness regarding the things of this world, desire for power over others, insecurity over one's own body. The battle against sin is far deeper and wider than we can see, but the love and work of Christ is deeper and wider still.
This book has been a great encouragement to me, and anyone struggling with sexual sin or looking for a biblical picture of sexuality and how it has been corrupted would benefit greatly from this book. Some of these principles also extend to sins and issues beyond sexuality. It will certainly be useful, if not for yourself, then, for those around you!
Written by Nick Quek.