Unloved

How do sinners become saints? In Unloved, Elyse M. Fitzpatrick presents the rejected saints God calls beloved.

Fitzpatrick begins the book by asking if we see our Christian faith as a meritocricy – thinking we can gain favor with God by living the correct way. Fitzpatrick argues that we cannot work hard to earn God’s love, and that his grace reaches even the messiest of sinners. She tells stories from the Bible to prove her point.

Sin is Met with Grace

The featured Bible characters are Hosea, Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Judah, Tamar, Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, David, Bathsheba, Joseph, and Mary. Fitzpatrick writes in a way that highlights the reality of the scandals, abuse, and evil in their stories. These are not stories that you would find on a children’s flannelgraph!

Through examining these men and women of the faith, Fitzpatrick concludes that our standing with the Lord does not depend on our performance, but on the grace of the Father, the love of the Son, and the work of the Spirit. After reading this book, I am thankful that the Bible is full of these stories where sin is met with grace, and where sinners can have hope in God.

I received a media copy of Unloved and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.