Another great work from Kevin DeYoung. Impossible Christianity is the book that Christians needing a better understanding of sanctification need to read. DeYoung explains how perfectionism is a worldly thing and isn't what the Christian life is about.

*I received a dARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my review.

This book focuses on the topic of sanctification and is perfect for anyone who feels like they don't "meet the mark as a Christian.". As a Christian we often fall into a performance based mindset ("did I do my quiet time, did I pray enough today" etc) and the author reminds us that the Lord cares about us more than in just those moments of "performance." The author tries to quiet the legalistic mindset that we can often have and speaks truth of Gods grace towards us in those moments. He counteracts some mindsets that we see in modern day church culture and offers us a different way.
This book is encouraging for any believer no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord.

"Ordinary Christians and ordinary churches can be faithful, fruitful, and pleasing to God. In short, Christianity doesn't have to be impossible."

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review. Book was released 8/15/2023

In our culture of striving and perfectionism, we’ve missed the point entirely. This book is a reminder of the hope of the gospel. We cannot and will not be “good enough” — and that is the point. It was easy to read and is a message we all need to remember.

4.5 stars
I really enjoyed the premise of Christianity not being a guilt inducing, unapproachable religious belief system. DeYoung points out that although Christianity is possible it is not passive. We are followers of Jesus which means walking a narrow path, but that path is not one meant to be riddled with guilt and shame. I love that the author consistently circled back around to the call in the Christian’s life- the righteousness and the reliance on Jesus- which is essential to what being a disciple is. And what of the fact that cannot achieve righteousness as we are? Then we know all the more fully how much Christ loves us and we constantly come back to our savior to be cleansed. What a freeing thought to know that our God will always welcome us back and blot out our transgressions. There are other thought provoking ideas touched on in this book! The length also makes it quite accessible.

A few of my favorite lines from the book:

“Here it’s good to recall the distinction between true obedience and perfect obedience. There is a way to insist on genuine obedience as a way of life without doubling down on never sinning and always doing what is right.”


“Expressing the right feelings and signing up for the right causes is less important than growing in this Christlike character.”

“By contrast, almost no one thinks that a quiet life of building a home, getting involved in church, and cultivating Christlikeness are worthwhile answers to our most vexing problems.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Crossway for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For many, living the Christian life is plagued with guilt and shame. Am I reading my Bible enough? Am I praying enough, giving enough? Am I to feel ashamed because I do not share the gospel with everyone I meet even though I am an introvert? Am I a failure at living the Christian life?

DeYoung's book is a breath of fresh air. He notes that many Christians feel living the Christian life to the approval of God is impossible so just give up. DeYoung brings a realistic exploration of biblical commands and our living to the glory of God. We are not perfect and will never be so. We will never live up to the impossible standards many have imposed on themselves and others.

DeYoung does not let Christians live any way they might please, however. We are certainly to aspire to obey biblical directives. He encourages us to do away with the emphasis on “never” and “always” and rather live by serving the Lord with a clean conscience, realizing we need mercy and grace and forgiveness daily. Living the Christian life may be hard but it is not impossible to live pleasing to God.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

The treadmill of Christianity that we put ourselves on can make many walk away from the faith at the worst or not walk in the joy of our relationship with God. We become the 2nd brother that nobody talks about in the prodigal son. When we live in the "Impossible Christianity" we lose hope of our salvation. Kevin DeYoung is one of my favorite teachers to read. He is clear on what the gospel is not. As he states, we have equated feeling bad with doing good. A easy pit to fall into.


We live in the day where information is easy to have by the internet or seeing other Christians on social media "doing good" that we may develop a construed ideal of what it means when Jesus says Well done, good and faithful servant. Have we made that statement our idol and not what God has done in our behalf? Have we made that statement an Impossible Christianity.

I believe that Kevin is challenging his readers to remember the Gospel. The application of the Sermon on the Mount. The gospel is freeing from sin not to sin. The To behold the work of God, the love of Christ, and the equipping of the Holy Spirit.

A special thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

"Impossible Christianity" is a breath of fresh air to those who feel broken over never being "good enough." While I did not agree with all the author's views, overall, I found it to be a moving book and very valuable for my own spiritual life. I especially loved how he shares how parents can still be pleased with their children even when they don't do things perfectly, and then relates this to God and how he can still be pleased with us even when we don't serve him 100% perfectly at all times. I look forward to reading more by Kevin DeYoung!

Are you struggling to believe that our God is a God of lavish grace and the God of all comfort?

Here is what I enjoyed about the book Impossible Christianity. It is written because we all need to know God is with us. We need to know that He sees and we need to know He saves. But are you like me, and do you need to know that God your Father smiles upon you?

Take up this book by a pastor who encourages the saints in these uncertain times. You will be equipped with tools to stand steadfast in your faith.

Impossible Christianity is an easy read - not deep, but nonetheless thoughtful and enlightening. DeYoung writes more like a pastor than a theologian, peppering his illustrations with some light humor and examples from his own family. He comes across as an imperfect man (we all are imperfect) who nonetheless strives to please his Lord. Impossible Christianity helps the reader to lay down the heavy burden of works and look to the God of our salvation. Careful not to support antinomianism or it’s counterpart, legalism, DeYoung shows us that despite our faults, God welcomes our endeavors to please him. As I said at the beginning, this is an easy read. I recommend trying to do so in one, and no more than two or three sittings to get the full impact of the book. You will find it worth the investment.

Impossible Christianity is written for Christians who have become disillusioned with the Christian life. Part of it is that we don’t know how God calls us to live. At the same time, our problem also has to do with the unrealistic portrait we have painted of the Christian life.

On one hand, we are inclined to view the Christian life as an endless list of ‘dos and don’ts.’ This quickly leads to exhaustion. On the other hand, we are tempted to simplistically view the Christian life as freedom from divine judgment, leaving us to do what we like in the interim.

DeYoung shows that both extremes are dangerously unbiblical, drawing particular attention to the defeatist mentality that prevails in many of our churches. He addresses this hopelessness with the gospel of grace, showing its application for the whole of the Christian life.

The Defeatist Mentality

What is the defeatist mentality? DeYoung suggests it comes about when we begin to view the Christian life as impossible to live. This is evident when we begin to say things like ‘Sin is no big deal’ or ‘We should stop being so hard on ourselves’ (pp. 18-20). At some time or another, all Christians have consciously or subconsciously lived as if such an approach was true.

DeYoung argues that while well intentioned, the phrase ‘God loves us even though we are spiritual failures’ is ‘unbiblical, inaccurate, and unhelpful’ (p. 6). It is the product of a warped view of the Christian life:

“Humility does not mean we should feel miserable all the time; meekness is not the same as spiritual failurism. The Spirit works within us. The word moves among us. The love of Christ compels us” (p. 9).

DeYoung shows there is a better alternative: namely, a proper understanding of the relationship between justification and sanctification. That is, the connection between God’s acceptance of us in Christ, and our ongoing transformation into His likeness. While the book is not structured along these lines, it is imbued with these truths from beginning to end.

Only a proper understanding of these glorious doctrines can keep a despairing believer from hopelessness, whilst simultaneously humbling the overly ambitious who expect perfection in this life.

Hope for Believers

DeYoung’s writes that ‘Ordinary Christians and ordinary churches can be faithful, fruitful, and pleasing to God’ (p. 7). This will be a breath of fresh air for many who have fallen prey to unrealistic optimism on the one hand, or unbiblical pessimism on the other.

Encouragingly, DeYoung reminds us that ‘Christians are conquerors, not capitulators; overcomers, not succumbers (cf. Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21)’ (p. 37). Even though this language is from Scripture, many Christians wince at the idea that our faith is one of victory and triumph. Maybe this is because we are overreacting to the distortion of these truths by prosperity gospel preachers?

Whatever the case, we should note the needful reminder that the Christian life is not impossible. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the present enthronement of King Jesus, and our union with him that give us power to enjoy the victorious Christian life.

This transforms our walk with Christ from being one of misery and endless disappointments, to one of joy and success, understood biblically. The restoration of this truth leads to the transformation of all spheres of our life.

A Realistic Christian Life

DeYoung’s main premise is that the Christian life is not impossible, even if we have been led to believe it is. Two culprits are: 1) an inaccurate portrait of life with God, and 2) an unbiblical understanding of our limitations.

He writes:

“One of the reasons Christianity can feel impossible is that we’ve concocted a Christianity unsuitable for finite creatures. If I had an infinite supply of time, money, and energy, I wouldn’t have to make any hard choices…But of course, we are not infinite beings. We have limits — lots of limits, God-given limits, and probably more limits than we realize” (p. 108).

DeYoung reminds us of a comforting truth: we cannot care about everything. We are not omniscient or omnipotent; that describes God alone. Our job as humans is to recognise the Creator-creation distinction and then seek to obey what God has placed in front of us, by His grace.

Practically, this means that not every believer will or must be involved in Christian political activism, though some should (p. 110). Likewise, not every Christian will or must help out at homeless shelters, though some should.

Furthermore, this is a necessary message to hear in a time where Christians are heaped with guilt for historic sins, overwhelmed by the constant stream of tragic news reports, and are left feeling helpless and hopeless.

The biblical alternative is to recognise that God has gifted each of His people with unique strengths, and that our duty is to steward these for His glory. This means we cannot place unbiblical demands on others who do not share our gifts. Simultaneously, we must recognise that God gave us our gifts to build up the body of Christ.

Not Just a ‘Quiet Time’ and Evangelism

Many believers across the world today have come to believe that Christianity is all about securing a quiet time and sharing the gospel with others. This is often seen as the aftermath of the pietism of the past 300 years since the Great Awakening, and the gradual withdrawal of believers from the public square.

Either way, DeYoung notes that Christianity is not just about locking in a time of solitude with God, however important it may be. He writes:

“Too many of us have learned to measure our discipleship according to [our quiet times], and because we can always spend more time in prayer, we never seem to be measuring up” (p. 48)

Similarly:

“…for all the emphasis we put on personal evangelism — sometimes treating it as the good work above all other good works — there are few verses we can go to in order to underscore its importance” (p. 51)

To be clear, reading your Bible, praying, and sharing the gospel are important dimensions of the Christian life, but they are not everything.

The Christian life is all-encompassing and requires us to submit every dimension of our being to the glory and Lordship of Jesus Christ. We do this not by mere will-power, but the power of the Spirit who works in us.

The Bottom Line

Impossible Christianity is an accessible, pithy, and much-needed book for our time. DeYoung taps into the ‘now-and-not-yet’ reality of the Christian life which guards us from being either disheartened or triumphalistic.

It is a particularly helpful book for those new to the Christian life, college students, and exhausted Christians. It would also make a great gift for any friends who have grown complacent and weary in their Christian walk and are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.

My hope is that Impossible Christianity will challenge our unbiblical pre-conceptions whilst giving us hope and joy that the Christian life is actually possible. When we do so, we will begin to delight in God both as Saviour and Lord, and we will understand what DeYoung says when he writes:

“If we walk with Jesus, solid joys and lasting treasure are possible” (p. 127).

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S IMPOSSIBLE CHRISTIANITY ABOUT?
On the one hand, the twenty-eight(!) words of the subtitle give a handy summary of what the book is about—but there's still more to say. But it's difficult to summarize outside of that without going on too long. Still, it's worth a shot.

While exploring things like personal wealth, corporate guilt, and the call to individual holiness and sanctification, Kevin DeYoung reminds readers that our goal isn't to change the world, it isn't to achieve a perfection in behavior or ability, nor is it to wallow in our shortcomings and weaknesses. Rather, we are to press on when we stumble, ask God for forgiveness and help; keeping our eyes on our goal, see how far we've come; and rejoice in the work of grace in our lives—knowing that our Father is pleased with us.

There's more to it than that (obviously, he spends eight chapters developing what I just used two sentences to convey). But that's a decent thumbnail sketch.

THE HIGHLIGHTS
In chapter 2, "Who Is It That Overcomes the World?," we get an exploration of some of the more challenging material in 1 John. This treatment of 1 John and assurance is enough to justify picking the book up in the first place (for me, anyway. But I doubt I'll be alone).

Where DeYoung will take these ideas from the epistle to encourage believers, to see signs of their faith and draw assurance from them, too many have taken the same words to use as tests of faith, to spur an attitude of "I must do more to earn God's favor" or "I need to prove my devotion."

While avoiding any kind of "cheap grace" (or whatever people call it today), DeYoung points to John's heart in dealing with "little children" and encouraging their continuation in the faith.

He does something similar in Chapter 7 when reminding us of God's Fatherhood and what the Scriptures tell us about Fatherhood. It's an encouragement to fidelity and activity, not a whip to drive us to it. We're called to virtues, not to-do lists—to reflect a character, not to change the world. The world (or at least things in our immediate vicinity) may be changed as a result, but that's not our goal. Rather (as he argues in Chapter 8 ) is to live a quiet life of faithful discipleship.

I COULD'VE USED A BIT MORE
DeYoung is known for frequently being on the pithy side with his books, and that's certainly the case here. As it is characteristic of him, I don't want to complain about that too much—I knew what I was getting into when I picked this book up.

Still, it felt a bit too brief. I wanted a little more from some of the chapters—a little more explanation, a little more depth, a little fuller idea of what he was trying to convey. It's hard to explain while speaking broadly (and without citations because it's an ARC), but I need 10-20% more of everything.

One thing, in particular, I wanted fleshed out was some criticisms he pointed at Christians who teach that we're constant failures and should feel that weakness. I'd have appreciated less vagueness—direct citations, or at least references in a footnote would've been helpful so I could compare what he was arguing for to what he was arguing against.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE CHRISTIANITY?
I think that's my largest complaint—the book's just a bit too brief. DeYoung was his typical engaging, clear (with the exception listed above), and helpful self in these pages. His illustrations and examples from his own life were amusing and helpful. If nothing else, I enjoyed reading the book.

On top of that criteria (in this type of book, it's the least important), the book was helpful, encouraging, and gracious. Which is what it set out to be, so kudos for that. There was some material that was good to chew on, some healthy reminders of truths easy to forget or neglect, and a few moments to inspire a renewed activity.

Would I have appreciated more? Yes. Do I appreciate what DeYoung delivered? Also, yes. I'm afraid I come across as too critical, so let's be clear—I wanted more of something helpful so it could've been more helpful.

From the smile-inducing opening illustration to the closing paragraphs of benediction (what a great addition to this book)—this was a pleasure to read. I do recommend this book and encourage others to pick it up.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Crossway via NetGalley in exchange for this post and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

Impossible Christianity

In an effort to avoid preaching works based righteousness or legalism, there is a trend toward always needing to acknowledge our depravity in such a way that makes pleasing God in any way seem impossible. If I were to summarize DeYoung’s latest book in one sentence, it might be one of the following:

It is actually possible to please God with an “average” Christian life.

You don’t have to be a world changer for the Father to delight in you.

In Christ, the Father is pleased with us, and our good works done out of love for him matter.

I was really encouraged by Impossible Christianity and it gave me a lot of food for thought. Some of his conclusions I vehemently disagree with, but the overall idea of the book is one that I think would be helpful for believers in community to work through together. My favorite chapter was the last one, entitled A Quiet Life. It was a great ending to a short book. I suspect that there will be a lot of buzz around this one as more people read it.

I’ll end with a couple notable quotes:

“Self-flagellation is not a requirement for spiritual maturity.”

“Obedience is a real category; doing what is right is not impossible.”

“…the Bible emphasizes character, not time commitments.”

Thank you to Netgalley and Crossway for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

An excellent resource for born again believers.
This book was a breath of fresh air. Written in a conversational tone, with biblical references throughout; Kevin DeYoung talks with us about what the bible truly says about the Christian walk following conversion. The effects of modern day society/culture have altered our view of the expectations we should have for ourselves.
Christians are exhausting themselves by wrongfully believing that a sense of defeat and exhaustion is what life is all about. Pious bemoaning of the inability to do it all. Stop!
What has Christ truly called us to do? One day, one step at a time, walking in His spirits, good works performed marvelously in His name, not ours. Conquering one tiny miniscule plot of land. Plowing on.

"He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy."
Psalm 147:10-11

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the chance to preview this book.

This book combats current misconceptions that make Christianity feel impossible for the normal person. Are we destined to be spiritual failures? Do we need an advanced degree to understand God’s Word and live it out? Do we need to be world changers?

I was comforted and challenged by this book. It is so easy to live under an unyielding sense of guilt as a Christian. DeYoung will call you to faithfulness in Christ while helping you let go of unbiblical expectations of yourself. I’d highly recommend this short and helpful book!

Fantastic, pastoral book that every modern Christian needs to read. Quick, encouraging, practical - it's like sitting down with a mentor who helps you manage your expectations in this journey of following Jesus. This is my first book by Kevin DeYoung but I'm not sure it will be my last. Really, really enjoyed this.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Impossible Christianity is the antidote to the hamster wheel of perfectionistic Christianity. This book was such an encouragement and gave me a much needed sigh of relief. Kevin DeYoung has offered hope to the tired Christian beleaguered by the many demands and requirements we have piled on ourselves. Kindly and compassionately, he peels back the curtain to reveal a new story- one where God the Father smiles on His children and one where holiness and godliness doesn’t automatically make one a miserable wretch. I really appreciated this book- and what’s more, it’s an easy read. He doesn’t go on and on and stretch the book needlessly on. He says what he needs to say succinctly and passionately and then gives the benediction. This book is well worth the read.

This is the book I’ve needed for much of my adult life and I’m so appreciative to be able to read it now. I absolutely and unequivocally recommend it to all Christians. I’d like to thank both Crossway and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.