C. J. Mahaney
Author of Humility: True Greatness
About the Author
C. J. Mahaney is the senior pastor of Covenant Life in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C. A dynamic preacher, Mahaney speaks to thousands each year at conferences around the world. He leads Sovereign Grace Ministrie
Image credit: Tony Reinke
Works by C. J. Mahaney
Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know (2004) 857 copies, 5 reviews
Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches (2009) 830 copies, 13 reviews
Biblical Productivity 10 copies
Associated Works
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter (2009) — Contributor, some editions — 389 copies, 4 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Mahaney, Charles Joseph
- Birthdate
- 1953-09-21
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
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- USA
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Reviews
I'm always a little wary starting books like this one because of all of the really bad theology that seems to be filling the shelves of Christian bookstores these days. Normally, if a book calls Christians to good works, it is either under a false Gospel or just a long guilt trip. This is really unfortunate, because the true Gospel is the greatest motivation of all to do good works.
From the first section, I realized right away that Russell Moore understood that. His love for adoption does show more not stem from guilt or trying to earn his way to heaven, but in the understanding that he too was adopted, not because of anything good within himself, but because of the love and goodness of God alone, who calls adopted children to himself from all nations and tribes to be coheirs of the kingdom with Christ.
With the Gospel as his constant theme, Moore lays out a theology of adoption that is God-honoring and Christ-centered. I would be much less concerned with the state of Evangelicalism today if I saw more books like this at Christian bookstores. show less
From the first section, I realized right away that Russell Moore understood that. His love for adoption does show more not stem from guilt or trying to earn his way to heaven, but in the understanding that he too was adopted, not because of anything good within himself, but because of the love and goodness of God alone, who calls adopted children to himself from all nations and tribes to be coheirs of the kingdom with Christ.
With the Gospel as his constant theme, Moore lays out a theology of adoption that is God-honoring and Christ-centered. I would be much less concerned with the state of Evangelicalism today if I saw more books like this at Christian bookstores. show less
Few books have impacted me this year like Adopted For Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches. Russell Moore writes in a clear, Gospel-centered manner. He elevates the issue of adoption above merely social concern and roots it is the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Moore's transparency brings a gravity to his writing. The pain of infertility and the insensitivity of others are a few of the emotional valleys through which the author takes the reader. I show more HIGHLY recommend this book to every pastor and any person who wants to better understand what it means to be adopted into God's family.
"Our adoption is about more than just belonging. Our adoption is about the day when the graves of this planet will be emptied, when the great assembly of Christ's church will be gathered before the Judgment Seat. On that day, the accusing principalities and powers will probably look once more at us - former murderers and fornicators and idolaters, formerly uncircumcised in flesh and heart - and they may ask one more time, 'So are they brothers?' The hope of adopted children like my sons - and like me - is that the voice that once thundered over the Jordan will respond, one last time, 'They are now.'" (p. 57) show less
"Our adoption is about more than just belonging. Our adoption is about the day when the graves of this planet will be emptied, when the great assembly of Christ's church will be gathered before the Judgment Seat. On that day, the accusing principalities and powers will probably look once more at us - former murderers and fornicators and idolaters, formerly uncircumcised in flesh and heart - and they may ask one more time, 'So are they brothers?' The hope of adopted children like my sons - and like me - is that the voice that once thundered over the Jordan will respond, one last time, 'They are now.'" (p. 57) show less
The Cross Centered Life is a small book, the gift-sized kind that you can breeze through in an hour. I read it more slowly over a period of some weeks with my adult Bible fellowship group, and I'm glad that I did. This is a deceptively simple little book; the truths that it treats are anything but obvious. Or rather, they are obvious, but we manage to miss them anyways.
The book's message is summed up in the subtitle: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing. It is amazing how good we Christians are show more at replacing the Cross with other things. Maybe it's a social cause like stopping abortion or defining marriage, or a denominational creed. It could be all our church activities, all the things we do because we are Christians. What it really boils down to in most cases — and this is the main thrust of the book — is that we have slowly, even unconsciously, become legalistic in our thinking.
Legalism is an insidious thing. A woman in our study commented that she didn't think the legalism chapter applied to her, but as she read it she was astonished to see herself in its pages. Legalism isn't just about following a lot of rules and being uptight. Mahaney talks about legalism as a plate-spinning activity, the plates being all your obligations as a Christian. When you can keep all your plates spinning in the air, you've earned God's favor and He will then show you grace. But if you drop one... oh boy, now you've done it. The woman I mentioned was saying how she would sometimes abstain from participating in the Lord's Table because she was "bad" that week and did not feel worthy. And then she would be proud of her abstention ("I'm so holy for not just taking this lightly!"). Crazy, right? She was basing her right to take Communion on her personal worthiness. But since when have any of us ever been worthy to partake? We are so quick to base our relationship with the Lord on our performance. Those weeks we've been "bad" are when we need most to partake of the Lord's Table.
The inevitable result of legalistic thinking is condemnation, because none of us can keep all our plates spinning perfectly all the time. When we don't measure up to what we think is God's standard, we live with guilt. What really struck me about this was Mahaney's statement that we can't make up for yesterday's failures with today's obedience. Taking this down to a practical level, I don't make up for my unfocused, lazy prayer time yesterday by being all good and disciplined and focused today. My actions don't cancel each other out; I can never get rid of my past guilt by doing the right thing now. I have to accept the fact that yesterday's failure, yesterday's sin, is already paid for. I can't do anything or be good enough to get rid of it; it is already gone. This is such a simple, obvious truth, but truly transforming when applied to everyday life.
I appreciated Mahaney's thoughts in the chapter on subjectivism, in which he argues against the "follow your heart," feelings-oriented message of our culture. What we know always trumps what we feel, because our emotions and experiences can be very deceptive but God and His Word never change. However, I felt that Mahaney's point is weakened by the fact that there isn't a single Scripture quotation in that section. And it's all about trusting what we know, the truths of God's Word, over what we feel! My husband led the discussion on that chapter and supplemented it with some great verses (Jeremiah 17:9 on why we should not trust our feelings; Romans 8:28, specifically the first three words ("And we know..."), and a few others).
Having come from a very experience-driven denomination, I know how dangerous subjectivism can be. My Christian life, though encompassing some good doctrine, was mainly spent seeking mountaintop transfiguration moments with my Lord... instead of walking down into the valley and living for Him there. If I felt spiritual, that meant I was, and my feeling that way was how I pleased God. The good feelings associated with hyped youth rallies and emotional altar times were like a drug, and I had to keep seeking more and more of them for the feelings to come back. I thank God for bringing some maturity into my thinking in this area. Subjectivism just sets us up to fail and is so destructive.
All of these things — legalism, condemnation, subjectivism, etc. — are distractions from the whole point of the Christian life, which is the Cross. We should never get over it, never graduate from it, never "mature" past it. It is the living reality that changes us daily. And yet it is so easy to marginalize. That's why I'm thankful for short, sweet little books like The Cross Centered Life, to aid the Holy Spirit's conviction in me when I am guilty of orienting my life around something else. This may be a very basic, "duh" treatment of the topic, but I'm not above it; the biblical truths it contains apply to me, right here and right now. And for my fellow believers: I bet they apply to you too. Recommended. show less
The book's message is summed up in the subtitle: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing. It is amazing how good we Christians are show more at replacing the Cross with other things. Maybe it's a social cause like stopping abortion or defining marriage, or a denominational creed. It could be all our church activities, all the things we do because we are Christians. What it really boils down to in most cases — and this is the main thrust of the book — is that we have slowly, even unconsciously, become legalistic in our thinking.
Legalism is an insidious thing. A woman in our study commented that she didn't think the legalism chapter applied to her, but as she read it she was astonished to see herself in its pages. Legalism isn't just about following a lot of rules and being uptight. Mahaney talks about legalism as a plate-spinning activity, the plates being all your obligations as a Christian. When you can keep all your plates spinning in the air, you've earned God's favor and He will then show you grace. But if you drop one... oh boy, now you've done it. The woman I mentioned was saying how she would sometimes abstain from participating in the Lord's Table because she was "bad" that week and did not feel worthy. And then she would be proud of her abstention ("I'm so holy for not just taking this lightly!"). Crazy, right? She was basing her right to take Communion on her personal worthiness. But since when have any of us ever been worthy to partake? We are so quick to base our relationship with the Lord on our performance. Those weeks we've been "bad" are when we need most to partake of the Lord's Table.
The inevitable result of legalistic thinking is condemnation, because none of us can keep all our plates spinning perfectly all the time. When we don't measure up to what we think is God's standard, we live with guilt. What really struck me about this was Mahaney's statement that we can't make up for yesterday's failures with today's obedience. Taking this down to a practical level, I don't make up for my unfocused, lazy prayer time yesterday by being all good and disciplined and focused today. My actions don't cancel each other out; I can never get rid of my past guilt by doing the right thing now. I have to accept the fact that yesterday's failure, yesterday's sin, is already paid for. I can't do anything or be good enough to get rid of it; it is already gone. This is such a simple, obvious truth, but truly transforming when applied to everyday life.
I appreciated Mahaney's thoughts in the chapter on subjectivism, in which he argues against the "follow your heart," feelings-oriented message of our culture. What we know always trumps what we feel, because our emotions and experiences can be very deceptive but God and His Word never change. However, I felt that Mahaney's point is weakened by the fact that there isn't a single Scripture quotation in that section. And it's all about trusting what we know, the truths of God's Word, over what we feel! My husband led the discussion on that chapter and supplemented it with some great verses (Jeremiah 17:9 on why we should not trust our feelings; Romans 8:28, specifically the first three words ("And we know..."), and a few others).
Having come from a very experience-driven denomination, I know how dangerous subjectivism can be. My Christian life, though encompassing some good doctrine, was mainly spent seeking mountaintop transfiguration moments with my Lord... instead of walking down into the valley and living for Him there. If I felt spiritual, that meant I was, and my feeling that way was how I pleased God. The good feelings associated with hyped youth rallies and emotional altar times were like a drug, and I had to keep seeking more and more of them for the feelings to come back. I thank God for bringing some maturity into my thinking in this area. Subjectivism just sets us up to fail and is so destructive.
All of these things — legalism, condemnation, subjectivism, etc. — are distractions from the whole point of the Christian life, which is the Cross. We should never get over it, never graduate from it, never "mature" past it. It is the living reality that changes us daily. And yet it is so easy to marginalize. That's why I'm thankful for short, sweet little books like The Cross Centered Life, to aid the Holy Spirit's conviction in me when I am guilty of orienting my life around something else. This may be a very basic, "duh" treatment of the topic, but I'm not above it; the biblical truths it contains apply to me, right here and right now. And for my fellow believers: I bet they apply to you too. Recommended. show less
This little book on what the cross of Christ means and what its implications are for believers (and unbelievers) is outstanding. Mahaney belongs to a dying breed of authors who understand the very heart of the gospel--Christ's death:
That is the gospel! I do, however, think Mahaney should've added Proverbs 17:15--"He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD" (NASB)--and Genesis 18:25--"Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?"--to further elaborate "The Divine Dilemma" chapter.
And while Mahaney thinks that 1 Timothy 2:5-6--"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time"--"succinctly captures the main theme and essence of the entirety of holy Scripture" (p. 70), I think Romans 3:25-26--"God displayed [Jesus] publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus"--better fits the description.
Mahaney also interprets 1 Timothy 2:4--"[God our Savior] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth"--out of context, for "the LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil" (Proverbs 16:4). The verse really means that God desires all kinds of men to be saved.
Additionally, He thinks that Christians still remain sinners to some extent (pp. 29, 117, 129-30) and, ironically, argues that the prostitute who visited Jesus in Luke 7:36-50 was already a Christian, though the Bible says that she was a sinner and that Jesus forgave her.
Overall, this book is an excellent presentation and explanation of the gospel. If Mahaney had included a chapter on how sinful man is compared to God's perfect law, this would be a nearly perfect book to give to an unbeliever. It is nevertheless a must-read for all Christians, especially new Christians, and for backsliders and false converts. show less
What we face is the righteous threat of furious wrath from a holy God. That is the threat faced by all who have gone astray, by each one who has turned to his own way.... We are indeed guilty of sin and deserving punishment.show more
But the innocent One, the holy
One--God the Son--stepped forward to die for the rest of us. On that cross the Servant suffered for sinners like you and me, because of sinners like you and me--and as the substitute for sinners like you and me.
He takes the punishment that you and I richly deserve... [T]hose who have been granted new eyes perceive that He was indeed smitten by God and afflicted--not for His sin, but for ours.
Be Persuaded of His Love
The motivation of God the Father in sacrificing His Son as our substitute is uniquely revealed--shockingly and startlingly exposed--in verse 10 of Isaiah 53: "It was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief." The death of the Servant was not the fruit of human initiative and design; it was God's plan, God's purpose, God's will.
....................................
Who killed Jesus?
God did. God the Father was ultimately responsible for the death of His Son. God is telling us, "I purposefully determined to crush My Son with My wrath--for your sins, as your substitute."
Why?
"Because I love you." (pp. 55-56, emphasis his)
That is the gospel! I do, however, think Mahaney should've added Proverbs 17:15--"He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD" (NASB)--and Genesis 18:25--"Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?"--to further elaborate "The Divine Dilemma" chapter.
And while Mahaney thinks that 1 Timothy 2:5-6--"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time"--"succinctly captures the main theme and essence of the entirety of holy Scripture" (p. 70), I think Romans 3:25-26--"God displayed [Jesus] publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus"--better fits the description.
Mahaney also interprets 1 Timothy 2:4--"[God our Savior] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth"--out of context, for "the LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil" (Proverbs 16:4). The verse really means that God desires all kinds of men to be saved.
Additionally, He thinks that Christians still remain sinners to some extent (pp. 29, 117, 129-30) and, ironically, argues that the prostitute who visited Jesus in Luke 7:36-50 was already a Christian, though the Bible says that she was a sinner and that Jesus forgave her.
Overall, this book is an excellent presentation and explanation of the gospel. If Mahaney had included a chapter on how sinful man is compared to God's perfect law, this would be a nearly perfect book to give to an unbeliever. It is nevertheless a must-read for all Christians, especially new Christians, and for backsliders and false converts. show less
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