Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken
Overview
Sexuality was a part of God’s good creation from the beginning. But with sin came a world filled with sexual brokenness. Thankfully, God is always in the business of restoration.
This book offers hope for both the sexually immoral and the sexually victimized, pointing us all to the grace of Jesus Christ, who mercifully intervenes each moment in our lifelong journey toward renewal. Author David Powlison casts a vision for the key to deep transformation, better than anything the world has to offer—not just fresh resolve, not just flimsy forgiveness, not just simple formulas, but true, lasting mercy from God, who is making all things new.
Key Features
- Contextualizes human sexuality within the Bible
- Offers opportunity and guidance for growth in our view of sexuality
- Presents a vision grounded in God's salvation plan
Contents
- Getting Oriented
- Making Renewal Personal
- Renewing All That Darkens Sex
- Renewal Is Lifelong
- Renewal Is a Wider Battle
- Renewal Is a Deeper Battle
- Renewal Brings an Increasingly Subtle Struggle
- Remembering the Goal of Renewal
- Getting Down to Today’s Skirmish in the Great War
Top Highlights
“In sum, the Lord has a highly positive view of sex. He has a highly negative view of immorality. And he has a deep concern both for the consensually immoral and for the victims of the criminally immoral. He has more mercy than we can imagine.” (Page 19)
“But sanctification is about both transgressions and afflictions, and about the continual interplay between them. This is crucial, because it is true of both Scripture and life.” (Page 21)
“We are meant to seek and find mercy and refuge in the loving welcome of our Father. But when we are not alive to the mercies of Christ, what follows is a predictable cycle of repetitive self-reproach, resolutions to change, self-punishing penance, attempts to forgive ourselves, hollow rationalizations, trying to make up for the wrong by compensating actions, self-concealment, escapism to numb pain and shame, and, finally, despair.” (Page 44)
“Our sexuality was designed to be a willing servant of love. It becomes distorted by our willfulness or our fear. It is being remade into a willing servant of love. Love makes sexuality like a laser beam: its power under control, its intensity focused, nothing wasted or promiscuously scattered.” (Page 12)
“He goes to work on us. He works in us for as long as it takes. He does not give up. He will not give up on you.” (Page 27)
Praise for the Print Edition
David Powlison’s ministry to all fallen humanity is evident in this book. He calls those impacted by the pain and sorrow of sexual struggle and sin to repentance while finding refuge in the arms of our faithful Savior. Likewise, he presents to all who bear God’s image a picture of what God is doing to restore the beauty of sexual intimacy in the lives of his people.
—Timothy Geiger, president, Harvest USA; author, What to Do When Your Child Says, “I’m Gay”
Sexual sin can seem like a trap from which one can never escape. David Powlison brings good news to those caught in sexual sin, and to those who have been sinned against. This book addresses sexual sin not with shame and moralizing but with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We all need to hear the message of this book.
—Russell D. Moore, president, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention
I love David Powlison. Few living authors have shaped my approach to gospel growth, and even preaching, more than he has. Gifted Christian counselors like Powlison read the Bible in a unique way, laying open both the truth of Scripture and the foundations of the human heart, showing where one intersects the other. I have to think that if you heard Jesus preach in the first century, you would have assumed you were listening to a very gifted counselor. In this remarkably insightful book, Powlison offers gospel hope to those who have sinned through sex and those who have suffered through it. I am excited to provide this resource to people dealing with an area in which many first experience their need of the gospel.
—J. D. Greear, pastor, The Summit Church, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; author, Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches That Send
- Title: Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken
- Author: David Powlison
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2017
- Logos Release Date: 2017
- Pages: 128
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Sex › Religious aspects--Christianity
- Resource ID: LLS:9781433556173
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2020-09-02T22:19:39Z
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Reviews
2 ratings
Jeffrey J H Marshall
12/3/2019
Glenn Crouch
6/8/2018
This short book started out quite well - I liked the Author's strong emphasis on Renewal, I liked that he avoided making sexual sin the Big SIN, I liked how he planned to include those who have been victims of sexual sin, and I especially liked that he was not going to emphasis gender - rather that both males and females commit sexual sin, and that both males and females are victims of sexual sin. However, I think the problem is that this is quiet a short book on a big topic - and doesn't really give references on where to go for further reading (besides Scripture of course). So I ended up feeling that too much time is spent examining / identifying the problem(s) - almost to the extent I was starting to feel depressed. Not enough time spent on the Renewal - and by that I mean, specifics. It almost comes across as a "one size fits all" - even though earlier the Author argued that this was not the case, and he does a fine job of describing what Sanctification is like in reality. I would've liked to see more emphasis on prayer, and more emphasis on being honest in prayer - I found that the Author seems to discourage "getting angry at God" even though many Psalms do just that. Maybe if the book was double the size - and perhaps a little less examination of the problem(s) - then I could've rated it higher. I was very hopeful when I read the description and that increased after the Intro and first chapter - sadly it did not continue...