Jesus + Nothing = Everything [Hardcover]

If I were reviewing titles alone, Jesus + Nothing = Everything would get the best review I have ever given, as well as be the best book of 2012. It has the catchy bumper sticker attractiveness without the watered down mush. Jesus plus nothing certainly does equal everything. We don't need anything else added to our Christ.

But this 220 page book is more than a title, much more. It's essentially a telling of Tchividjian's story as a young pastor and a collection of sermons that he preached on Colossians.

Overview
Tchividjian, a grandson of Billy & Ruth Graham, is the senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Yeah, that Coral Ridge... the one that Dr. D. James Kennedy started and pastored for forty-seven years. Yeah... talk about big shoes to fill.

And that's where the story kind of begins. Tchividjian had planted a new church near Coral Ridge (New City Church) and eventually was asked to merge that church with the historic Coral Ridge. It didn't take long before there was an upheaval and a few loud members of the older congregation began to petition for his removal along with spreading rumors and other unpleasantries.

It was one of the most difficult periods in Tchividjian's life. Yet that was designed by God to help Tchividjian leave his idols. Thus, he discovered through Colossians that Jesus plus nothing equals everything! The book is Tchividjian fleshing these sermons out for the reader and doing his best to show how much freedom the gospel brings.

Positives
I really liked the majority of this book. In fact, when Tchividjian talks about the gospel, he means "a fuller, more powerful understanding of Jesus and what his finished work means for everyday life." This is gospel application in some excellent ways. I was actually surprised at how many easy gospel saturated slogans that he could come up with. It's easy to understand why Tchividjian is such a great preacher. He is catchy and powerful without being cheesy.

Throughout the book, you'll find yourself asking yourself what makes you happy. You'll also take into consideration how destructive to your spiritual life it can be if you spend your life trying to please other people. For that, much positive can be said.

Questions/Concerns
I'm not sure how to offer some constructive concerns because I'm not really sure I have them as concerns. But throughout the Tchividjian's book I was curious about the relationship with Justification and Sanctification. How does obedience to Scripture (Lordship salvation?) filter into the freedom of grace? Sometimes I felt as if the saturation of grace overlooked the necessity and importance to walking in the Spirit and being obedient. Many of my concerns in this area come from my agreement with Piper's Finally Alive, and a close look at the "tests" of 1 John.

However, it's possible that I could be misunderstanding Tchividjian in certain ways because these are, after all, sermons, not theological essays. I don't mean that to sound like sermons are not deeply theological, but this is a popular level book and isn't written for an academic journal.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and believe it could lead to some fruitful discussion and helpful conversations regarding the gospel, the grace of God, following Jesus, and delighting in God.

I was gripped by this book from the outset because it was in going through the hardest difficulty in my life a few years ago (similar to what Tullian describes in chapter one) that I realized the idolatry for what it was in my own life and learned to once again treasure the "now-ness" (not newness) of the gospel. It's easy to take the gospel for granted when you have been a follower of Christ for many years, but I think having to personally live out or flesh out the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ makes one better appreciate the significance of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ - not only in the past and future - but especially in the now.

I am very grateful for this book because Tullian articulates the gospel with passion, clarity, and hones in on how the gospel makes a difference in the now. If you have read a lot of Tim Keller and Paul Tripp then you will have heard a lot of what the author writes about in this book. However, if you have never read Keller or Tripp than you are really in for a treat. I think Tullian writes in a way that's simpler, and more concise than Keller or Tripp. No matter how you slice it, this book has great insights on the distinctions between justification and sanctification and how everything we long for can only be satisfied in Christ.

I highly recommend this book especially for people who are prone to legalism, or have come from a background where "works righteousness" has been emphasized. I think this book is MUST reading if you haven't read any of Tim Keller or Paul Tripp's stuff. If you like this book than you will really love Keller and Tripp. These three guys have really got a good grasp of the gospel and how it applies to all of life - past, present, and future - with a special emphasis on the present.

As Tullian writes and you read his illustrations, a plethora of Scripture, and a lot of great quotes - my hope is that you too will come to treasure and apply the gospel in your own life more than ever before. It is so exciting to see so many new writers, and pastors going into the depths of the gospel with passion and clarity. He must have a generational gift inherited from his grandfather for this ability (Billy Graham). Tullian has a great story and we all do, if we have repented of our sins and put our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and seek to pursue Jesus + nothing - we will indeed get everything we have ever longed for here and beyond!

Note: I was provided a free copy of this book by the publisher and was not required to write a positive review. Thanks - Crossway - for continuing to put out the best books in Christian publishing (in my humble opinion).

Pastor Tullian Tchividjian's Jesus + Nothing = Everything is a simple yet profund contribution to the church. I am thankful for this book--personal, yet intellectually stimulating. Pastor Tchividjian bears his soul as someone who both loves the church and who has been deeply wounded by the church. As pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Pastor Tchividjian followed the Rev. D. James Kennedy, an iconic, politically active, and theologically conservative voice in American Christianity. After Kennedy's death, the leadership of Coral Ridge approached Pastor Tchividjian and came to a mutually agreed upon plan to merge Coral Ridge with New City Church, a church start that had thrived under the leadership of Tchividjian in Fort Lauderdale. The merger between the two congregations, amicable at first, quickly developed in to a difficult leadership challenge due to a shift in direction. Pastor Tchividjian, as the leader of the congregation and successor to a well known and influential pastoral leader, bore the weight of the pressure. The answer, he realized, was found in God's grace alone. Jesus + Nothing = Everything.

Tchividjian follows a parabolic pattern, with Jesus as the pivot. He explores first the meaning of "everything", then "nothing", then "Jesus" at the arc's center. Then, moving from Jesus onward, he revisits "nothing" and "everything", recasting the concerns outlined in early chapters in light of the fullness of God's grace as we find it in the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Everything" is explored in the sense of both our wrongheaded desires, i.e. what we think we want, as well as in the sense of what God offers, i.e. freedom from idols, false notions of success, insecurities, works righteousness, and more. "Nothing" explores both the sufficiency of Christ and our need to let go of attempts to "add to" our conception of Christ's redeeming work. Lastly, "Jesus" explores the fullness of Christ's glory, and how Christ truly is the fulfillment of our deepest wants and desires, his love truly is that limitless, and his power is truly that boundless. Jesus initiates us in to his kingdom, he supplies us with all that we need, and he transforms us into his own likeness, to his own glory. He is all we need, yet, in having him, deep peace and abiding joy follow, for in being all that we need we find that his grace is not only "just enough," but abundant and freeing.

For those that are familiar with Reformed theology, many of the themes Tchividjian explores, and the theologians and authors he cites, will be familiar. For those that are not from the conservative, Reformed tradition, some aspects of Tchividjian's presentation may be up for debate. Tchvidjian's account of spiritual formation and the implications of resting in grace are underdeveloped, in my opinion, and I would expound those themes differently. But the contribution, primarily, is still sound and valuable, for Tchividjian celebrates grace, and gives us a biblical and theological framework within which to conceive of grace as truly being that good, so good that we can rely fully upon it for our every hope.

The title of the book is powerful, and so is the presentation. What's better: at it's core, what Pastor Tchividjian says is true. Jesus plus nothing really does equal everything. His grace is sufficient and abundant and sure. You can stake your life on it.

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