Book review: Jesus + Nothing = Everything

This is the first book I purchased on my new Amazon Kindle. I finished it in two days. I have written about Tullian Tchividjian's other book I read here. Sometimes there are certain authors that just resonate with you more than others. Tullian is definitely one of them. It is quite evident in his writing that he deeply loves God and desires to help people understand more fully what they have in Jesus. His latest book, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, is a powerful read. Many Christians easily confuse the simple gospel for other things - what Tullian often calls "performancism". Rather than resting in what God has already done through Christ, many times we adapt a "try harder, do more" approach to Christianity. Tullian ecourages readers to continually go back to what Jesus accomplished on the cross on our behalf. Our need, as Tullian explains, is NOT to behave better (moralism), but instead to believe better. Drawing from his own personal rediscovery of the gospel, Tullian takes readers on a journey through Colossians along with other key NT passages on the freedom we have through the gospel. I have highlighted so many passages in this book. I will try and share some of them, maybe over several posts. Enjoy!

 "I was learning the hard way that the gospel alone can free us from our addiction to being liked—that Jesus measured up for us so that we wouldn’t have to live under the enslaving pressure of measuring up for others."

 "...the gospel doesn’t simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance..."

 "In fact, when it comes to Christian life and experience, many of us have understood the gospel as the thing that gets us in, while the thing that then keeps us in (we assume) is our own effort and performance."

 "Today, Screwtape’s list would doubtless look different. The currently tempting formulas might include “Christianity and coolness,” “Christianity and self-affirmation,” “Christianity and self-improvement,” “Christianity and personal progress,” or “Christianity and spiritual formation.” (on what we are tempted to add to Jesus)

 "As Martin Luther once said, “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God”—your functional savior."

 "Legalism happens when what we need to do, not what Jesus has already done, becomes the end game." 

"In fact, the most dangerous thing that can happen to you is that you become proud of your obedience." 

"Our default faith mode is to trust, above all things, our own ability to create a safe, controllable, predictable world."

 "The gospel is good news for losers, not winners. It’s for those who long to be freed from the slavery of believing that all of their significance, meaning, purpose, and security depend on their ability to “become a better you.”

 "The truth is, disobedience happens not when we think too much of grace, but when we think too little of it."

"Progress in obedience happens only when our hearts realize that God’s love for us does not depend on our progress in obedience."