He Is Not Ashamed: The Staggering Love of Christ for His People
Christians belong to God’s own family. This promise is difficult for some people to believe, and even for some believers to remember in their day-to-day struggles with shame or regret. But it’s repeated throughout the Bible, reflected in Christ’s genealogy, and true of the church today; God’s family is filled with broken people whose stories are a testament to his staggering love. In He Is Not Ashamed, Erik Raymond takes a close look at the “family portrait” of God—filled with imperfect people throughout Scripture—and shows that God is not repelled by anyone’s shameful past, but delights to redeem and receive those who believe in him. Studying Hebrews 2:11 and other passages in both the Old and New Testaments, Raymond shows that Jesus’s heart is bent toward those who have an embarrassing history, feel far from God, or struggle with sin. By studying God’s abounding love for undeserving people, Christians learn to accept his grace and confidently embrace their place in God’s family portrait.
Publisher: Crossway
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781433579349
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Erik Raymond is the senior pastor at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Watertown, Massachusetts. He is the author of Chasing Contentment: Trusting God in a Discontented Age and a frequent contributor to many websites and periodicals. He blogs regularly at Ordinary Pastor, hosted by the Gospel Coalition.
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“Our past, present, and potential future can often cause us to believe we aren’t worthy of God’s love. And the truth is, we aren’t. This is what makes God’s love through Christ genuinely amazing—it’s freely extended to the unworthy, outcast, and overlooked. He Is Not Ashamed is a thoroughly biblical and experiential portrait of the love, tenderness, and grace Christ extends to all his beloved people, regardless of how we sometimes feel about ourselves. Erik Raymond turns our gaze from our constant introspection to the magnificent wonder of divine love. Wherever you are or whatever you’ve done, these words will undoubtedly be fresh water for your parched soul.” Dustin Benge, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Historical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, The Loveliest Place