The Christian life is hard; that is an undeniable truth. Jesus said whoever wants to follow Him must deny himself and carry his cross. Hard, however, does not mean impossible. Yet many Christians bought into the idea that we can never live a holy life pleasing and acceptable to God. We are doomed to be spiritual failures, always trying but never reaching God’s impossible standards.
Kevin DeYoung explores this notion in Impossible Christianity: Why Following Jesus Does Not Mean You Have to Change the World, Be an Expert in Everything, Accept Spiritual Failure, and Feel Miserable Pretty Much All the Time.
As the lengthy subtitle implies, this book refutes the idea that Christians will always fall short of pleasing God no matter how hard they try. DeYoung believes that though we will not be perfect on this side of eternity, God doesn’t mean for us to constantly feel bad, guilty, and overwhelmed. Ordinary Christians can live a fruitful, faithful, and pleasing life to God.
DeYoung writes, “Following Christ entails suffering and endurance. The call of Christian discipleship is a costly (and liberating) summons to die to ourselves. Christianity is neither simple nor pain-free. But following Jesus does not mean signing up for the Impossible Missions Force. 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…As Christians, we have a race to be run, and it can be run.”
The book has eight chapters: How (Not) to Make Christianity Possible, Who is it That Overcomes the World?, Never Enough, The Camel in the Room, The Infinite Extensibility of Guilt, Sermon (of Misery?) on the Mount, Please and Thank You, and A Quiet Life.
DeYoung begins the book by clarifying how modern Christians made Christianity feel impossible. Afterwards, he explains how Christians can live an obedient life of faith and be assured of their salvation by examining their lives. Then the rest of the book explores areas where Christians often feel inadequate, such as money, prayer, evangelism, and corporate guilt.
I found this book quite interesting. I agree with DeYoung that Christians, though well-meaning, can sometimes put a yoke on themselves that Christ never did. And when we cannot live up to self-imposed standards, we feel like failures. For instance, though many Christians recommend and (even command) daily devotions, Scripture never does. God obviously expects us to pray and read the Bible frequently, but He does not instruct us to spend 3 hours in quiet time.
What marked me most in this book is the section on evangelism. DeYoung says Scripture does not emphasize personal evangelism as much as we do. Jesus gave the Great Commission first to the apostles and, by extension, to the church. Hence, though we should often share our faith with others, the Great Commission is for the church, not individuals. God does not “expect us all to be extroverts, gifted conversationalists, and cold-call evangelists.”
Reading this section of the book was surprising and a bit liberating. I constantly feel guilty about not doing enough evangelism or sharing my faith. As a shy, introverted person, talking to strangers about Christ is tough, and I have felt like a failure in this area for a long time. So, reading this section made me breathe with relief. But I will have to study this idea a bit more.
Overall, Impossible Christianity is a fascinating and thought-provoking book I enjoyed reading. It has given me a lot to think about concerning the Christian life and the loads I might needlessly carry. If you are weary of constantly feeling like a Christian failure, this book should relieve and ease your burden. I recommend it!
Crossway publishers graciously gave me a copy for an honest review.
