Book Review: Guiltless Living

Guiltless Living by Ginger Hubbard takes a look at the believer's serial sin problem in a manner that is both humorous and convicting.  Hubbard weaves personal stories throughout the book to demonstrate the sin of her own heart and connect with the reader.  After each story she quickly zeroes in on the grace of God and the help He offers in fighting against sin.

I must admit that the title of the book troubled me before reading.  Even after reading, I still wish a different title had been chosen.  I was afraid that this was going to be another book that focuses on the grace of God to the neglect of His righteous requirement of obedience.  I feared that I would be urged to rid my life of guilt over sin simply by focusing on the grace available through Christ.  A thorough reading demonstrated that this fear was unfounded.  I should have known that to be the case based on my familiarity with another of Hubbard's books, Don't Make Me Count to Three!

Urging a person to focus on the grace of God in Christ is certainly part of the gospel.  It is absolutely essential that we magnify this grace.  However, it is not a complete gospel if we stop there; progressive sanctification must follow.  Thankfully, Hubbard did not stop with a partial gospel.  She went on to provide helpful instruction for the believer's fight against sin.

Another strength of this book is that it does not stop with behavior.  Our problem is not ultimately that our behavior is bad; we have a bad heart.  We need the gospel so deeply because while we may alter our behavior by trying harder and doing better, we do not have the power to change our hearts.  Only the Spirit of God can do that supernatural work.

Hubbard demonstrates throughout the book a good knowledge of the Scriptures and an ability to apply them well.  I found this refreshing as well.

I would certainly recommend this book to those struggling under the weight of sin.  I think it would be especially helpful for women as they can likely relate to many of the personal examples that Hubbard provides.  I will likely add it to the book rack at our church.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher as a part of the Cross Focused Reviews program.