In Friendship with the Friend of Sinners, Jared C. Wilson explores the idea of what friendship actually looks like. Wilson explores the reasons that we keep God at a distance and how we can close the gap and draw nearer to him. I think this is a book I'll need to go back and read again. It is packed full of insight and information and it will take a while for it all to sink in!

This book is a book on friendship with Jesus, how he is the best friend we have. We all experience loneliness in some way (either from our cultural norm or post pandemic isolation) and owe all have a desire for connection. The author shares that Jesus is the greatest friend we could ever have. I loved how he described that we are not the perfect friend to Jesus but how He is the perfect friend to us. He invites us as the reader to overcome the feelings of loneliness and isolation and step into a deeper understanding of how Jesus being our greatest friend changes everything. I loved how he walked through different character qualities of the type of friend that Jesus is to us. Full of scripture and truths that can provide healing to the reader.

I didn't feel like the author was being fluffy but deep in theological truth. I also loved the authors honesty of struggling with this truth in difficult seasons in his life.

Thank you to Baker Boons and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review. The book is available as of 9/5/2023

Jared C. Wilson's writing is always fantastic, he writes deeply and with a vulnerability that I appreciate. I love how his writing is personal but yet he always keeps it gospel centered.

Friendship with the Friend of Sinners is a well-written work about how Jesus relates to us. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of friendship that Jesus meets. (E.g. He is a loyal friend, a generous friend, the available friend, the saving friend.) This is a good book to remind Christians of just how close Jesus is to believers, as this is something we are prone to forget. I found myself highlighting many passages. Wilson uses great illustrations and I especially enjoyed how he used personal and real-life examples to bring his points across. The last two chapters, dealing with loneliness and with Jesus as our saving friend spoke to me the most. He did a fabulous job bringing out the true depths of our sinfulness and Jesus' immense love in comparison.

Overall, it was a good read full of truth about Jesus and about ourselves.Each chapter discusses a different way that Jesus is the Perfect Friend and goes through characteristics that He explains why and how He is the only one who can be that Perfect Friend. I also appreciated the author's vulnerability. The chapters were a little long and rambling at times, which did not hold my attention.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“Friendship with Christ is one of the most exciting possibilities in the world, if only because it’s a relationship consisting of complete knowledge.”

In Friendship with the Friend of Sinners, Jared C. Wilson explores what it means to have friendship with Jesus. With chapters with subtitles like “Jesus the Generous Friend” and “Jesus the Unhurried Friend,” Wilson shows how the qualities of Jesus translate into the close relationship that Jesus desires to have with us.

Wilson uses his own experiences of loneliness and how he encountered Jesus’ friendship as the jumping off point for his discussion. The chapters are full of truths about Jesus and his character and some examples with human friendships. While the theory and knowledge aspect of the book was strong, the practical part of it had me wishing there was more. When you are feeling lonely or far from God, reminding yourself of the truth of God’s love for you in spite of your feelings is necessary but difficult, and so a little more on the practice part of friendship with Christ could be helpful with that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Baker Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Powerful read that leads you to a closet friendship with Jesus. How can we be His friend? What implications does that have for our lives? I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to book clubs, churches or ministries seeking to reach those for the Kingdom.

All opinions are my own. I was given an early copy to read from the publisher.

Pretty solid. Written in easy to read language without compromising on depth of content. A helpful and encouraging exploration of what it means to relate to Jesus as a person and a friend, rather than as an abstract concept. Friendship with Jesus has very real implications for faith, impacting the way Christians relate to themselves, God, and each other. I enjoyed the author's reflections on tribalism vs. genuine community. A timely read for me. I can be a bit stiff and academic about my faith sometimes, so it was nice to be reminded of the relational joy of walking with my Friend.

Friendship with the Friend of Sinners is an encouraging look at the characteristics of Jesus as our Friend. The author spends time discussing the problems of tribalism and loneliness in today’s constantly connected world and points the reader to Jesus, the ultimate example of true friendship. I especially enjoyed the chapter: Just Abide-Jesus the Unhurried Friend.

While there is much value to this book as written, it would have been even better if there were some action steps included. Now that the reader understands the friendship Christ offers, what are some first steps for growing that relationship?

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Jesus is the ultimate friend. Because He’s God, he cannot sin—or sin against us. Because He’s man, He knows what it’s like to be tempted to sin. This makes Him the very best friend for sinners like us to have.

And He wants to be our friend in spite of our sin. In spite of the ways He KNOWS we’ll fail Him because we are sinners. His friendship is unlike our messy, sometimes-y friendship. It’s otherworldly. It’s holy. It’s steady and true.

In Friendship with the Friend of Sinners, Jared C. Wilson helps us to see all of these things by walking us through all the ways Jesus is the ultimate friend. How He’s close. Comforting. Unhurried. Loyal. Honest. Generous. Available. Saving. How friendship with Him is not only possible, but is a reality for those that call Him Lord and Savior.

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of truth about Jesus and our relationship to and with Him that made it a delight to read. I will say that the chapters felt pretty long which made it difficult for me to get through, but it may have been because I was fighting mental exhaustion. Still wanted to mention it.

This is the perfect read for a fairly new believer! It’s full of grace and gospel truth and will help them understand what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. I definitely still think that any believer will benefit from reading though. Highly recommend!

Friendship with the Friend of Sinners
The Remarkable Possibility of Closeness with Christ
by Jared C. Wilson
Pub Date 05 Sep 2023
Baker Books
Christian

Baker Books and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of Friendship with the Friend of Sinners for review:


Although Jesus is called the friend of sinners in the Bible, it's hard to imagine what friendship with Jesus is like. We don't even know how to do friendship with the people around us, despite all the options available to us. How can we feel that close to a holy, perfect, and invisible God? What does it mean for us to see Jesus for who he really is?


When we struggle to maintain true friendship on earth, how can we experience true friendship with him?



Come along with author Jared C. Wilson as he explores the meaning of being a friend of Jesus. Wilson uncovers the close relationship Jesus had with his followers through candid personal stories and insights into the Gospels. Through radical honesty, consistent communication, and unconditional love, he shows how we can draw closer to Jesus.



Discover the remarkable possibility of closeness with Christ if you have found yourself lonely and longing for connection and friendship.


I give Friendship With the Friend of Sinners five out of five stars!

His sinless life isn't merely our great example. It is HE, he is our great righteousness.

One thing that I appreciate about Jared Wilson is how he communicates his own journey. A journey that does not take away the gospel but highlights it. This text is about the journey of friendship on who Christ is and what He has done in our behalf. There are many ways to look at friendship but the friendship that Jesus offers is refreshing.

A special thank you to Baker Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest revie

It’s always well worth it to spend time thinking about and learning more about Jesus and this book provides that in a conversational easy to read style. What I appreciated most about the book was the thoughtful chapters that help to reveal or remind us of the characteristics of Jesus (e.g. generous, truthful) Our experiences with human friendships, and the examples provided by the author are so far from what Christ is like that I sometime did not relate to the friendship metaphor. Christ is so much more. I was reminded that we can be close to Christ and His Spirit through no effort of our own though I didn’t feel like I got a lot of new or strong takeaways that will make me do things differently in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Baker Books for an early copy to read and review. This book came out September 5, 2023 so is available now.

Likely all of us have felt tangibly the epidemic loneliness facing so many. If not, we have probably faced times when we hit rock bottom, desperate for a true friend’s help but feeling utterly alone and unable to reach out. Likewise, we all long for that perfect friend who is true in all times and ways.

“Friendship with the Friend of Sinners” covers different aspects of how Jesus is the greatest friend we could ever know and have. It takes us into “the wonder of Christ and all that he is to us and with us and for us.”

Each one of us is a sinner with too easy an inclination to pull away from God, but as the author writes, closeness with Christ can change our lives.

Some highlights:

“The truth is, we're all terrible friends to Jesus. But he is still the truest friend we could have.”

“The Giver is himself the gift. And there’s no gift he can give us that can exceed the preciousness and worth of his very self.”

“To be a partaker of the divine nature is to be brought into the heart of God.”

“Closeness to Jesus makes us more like Jesus, more like what we someday will be. We begin to reflect his gentleness, his peace, his patience, his love, his everything, the more we uninterruptedly fellowship with him.”

Thank you to Netgalley and Baker Books for sending me a copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you @netgalley for the free eARC of Friendship with the Friend of Sinners by Jared C. Wilson in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! The author spends each chapter discussing a different way that Jesus is a friend (the perfect Friend) of sinners. I appreciated the author’s vulnerability in sharing some of his most personal struggles that Jesus saw him through, and I found his insights into tribalism vs. true community especially to be very helpful. This book was full of wisdom and encouragement.

A great read! All of the real-life examples were integrated naturally and didn't feel stuffed in or overly abundant. Each chapter felt well-researched and Biblically-backed, but not to the point that it overshadowed the commentary! I enjoyed his voice and the writing overall was very easy to read.

Phenomenal. Jesus is the very best friend we have. Jared digs into this concept but not in a “Jesus is my bestie” way. Jesus truly is the best and greatest friend we have and that is such great news for us. The gospel is so clearly presented on every page and Jared’s raw honesty of some really hard times is refreshing and encouraging.

This book was absolutely fantastic! It was well-written and full of so much Biblical truth! I loved getting to know Jesus, my friend, better through this book. Jared C. Wilson does a great job of weaving personal stories, scripture, and his own commentary together to build a beautiful picture of Christ’s love for us. Truly a must read for anyone but specifically Christians who want to understand the relationship Jesus has with us better.

Friendship with God has become popular in Christian book publishing at present. Wilson's book is a good perspective on the 'why' of friendship and provides solid Biblical evidence for why Jesus is a great friend. Knowledge is very important and usually is the first step in developing a friendship. We typically learn things about people before they become our friends. It's the same with God, we gain knowledge before developing a relationship.

Wilson gives us plenty of reasons with such chapter sub-headings as: Jesus the Generous Friend, Jesus the Unhurried Friend and Jesus the Available Friend, to name three. The chapters feature good Biblical references and some personal stories to illustrate.

But it's in the experience of actually 'doing' friendship that we discover the 'how' of being a good friend. This is where this book is a limited. It starts well in the first couple of chapters where Wilson shares a really difficult season of his life and its in this season He discovers the intimacy of friendship with Jesus. Generally, however, I found the book spent most of its time on the 'knowing' Jesus is and can be a great friend.

Friendship is hard even with physical beings and it can be even more challenging when one friend is an invisible one. And that's what makes this discovery of friendship with Jesus so exciting. So exploring the 'how' of developing friendship with Jesus was something I was hoping Wilson would provide more on. But maybe that's his next book.

I read an early ebook ARC copy and found the formatting not ideally conducive to learning. Much of the book is long sections of prose. I think readers would benefit with the inclusion of the following:

- pages of prose being broken up with 'soundbites'
- a summary at the end of each chapter
- some questions or prompts for reflection at the end of each chapter

Overall, this is a good book but if readers are looking for more on experiencing friendship with Jesus I'd encourage them to be exploring some of the mystics and Jesuits who have written comprehensively on such.

I received an early ebook copy from Baker Books via NetGalley with no expectation of a positive review.

Even in our digital hyperconnected age, loneliness is an epidemic. Wilson beautifully describes Christs friendship with us - the truest answer to our deepest longings, fervent hopes and private worries.