Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers

Dane C. Ortlund

Christians know that God loves them, but often think that he is perpetually disappointed and frustrated, maybe even close to giving up on them. As a result, they focus a lot on what Jesus has done to appease God's wrath for sin. But how does Jesus Christ actually feel about his people amid all their sins and failures. more

ChristianTheologyNonfictionFaithChristian LivingChristianityReligionChristian Non FictionSpiritualityAudiobook

224 pages, Hardcover
First published Crossway Books

4.53

Rating

39604

Ratings

5153

Reviews

Image
Avatar
Avatar
Avatar
230 people reading
Image

Dane C. Ortlund

88 books 475 followers

Dane C. Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton College) is chief publishing officer and Bible publisher at Crossway. He serves as an editor for the Knowing the Bible series and the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series, and is the author of several books, including Gentle and Lowly and Edwards on the Christian Life. He is an elder at Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois. Dane lives with his wife, Stacey, and their five children in Wheaton, Illinois.

more


Community reviews

Avatar
J. Rutherford
131 reviews
50 followers
Reply

Not since Sinclair Ferguson’s “The Whole Christ” has a book so invigorated my drowsy heart with the wonder of God’s love. This may well end up being my Christian book of the year. Seriously: get a copy and savor it soon. Update: Here are my 20 favorite quotes (tgc. org/article/christs-heart). more


Avatar
Barnabas Piper
478 reviews
991 followers
Reply

I am currently working on a PhD in the area of Christology, love my Lord Jesus Christ, and delight to see Him clearly in Scripture. For this reason, I was delighted to receive a copy of Dane Ortlunds’ Gentle and Lowly as part of the Crossway Blog Review program. I confess having mixed feelings as I put down the book; on the one hand, Ortlund displays the glory of Christ’s humility and merciful heart in beautiful, readable prose. On the other hand, I don’t think Ortlund succeeds in showing his thesis. In other words, Gentle and Lowly fails to demonstrate what it is explicitly seeking to but beautifully succeeds in doing something else. more


Avatar
Cindy Rollins
854 reviews
2520 followers
Reply

Like reading Brennan Manning crossed with the puritans - beautiful and brilliant. . more


Avatar
Laura
780 reviews
99 followers
Reply

If I have a Morning Tome for Moms summer class this will be part of it. Excellent treatise on Christ’s love for us while we are yet sinners using the writings of the Puritans no less but don’t let that keep you away. If you are a Christian you will want to read this book and if you aren’t this book will probably give you new eyes to see what it all means. more


Avatar
Haley pham
81 reviews
144714 followers
Reply

I hesitate to offer a review, for fear that my words might understate the effect this book has had on me. I’ve been surrounded by Jesus and people who love Jesus my whole life. And yet I’ve rarely encountered anything that has better helped me to clear my vision. “Now we see dimly” say the scriptures, “but then we shall see face to face. ” This book cleared away so much fog from my vision and helped me to see Jesus, why he’s such a big deal. more


Avatar
Olivia
356 reviews
89 followers
Reply

Pierced my heart in so many ways. My stubbornness wouldn’t allow myself to understand God’s mercy and this book as exactly what I needed to repent of that and run back to Jesus. more


Avatar
Jared Wilson
74 reviews
842 followers
Reply

DISCLAIMER Please hear me when I say this: I have manyyyyyy friends and family members with whom I disagree on foundational theological principles. It is not my intent to attack any individual adherent to any individual doctrine by what I say in this review. Likewise, it is not my intent to attack Dane Ortlund by what I say in this review. Mr. Ortlund appears to have a genuine heart for helping believers to grasp the enormity of God’s love for them, and I respect that greatly. more


Avatar
Sarah Dixon Young
59 reviews
16 followers
Reply

Exceptional and exquisite. My front-runner for favorite book of 2020. Read my friend David McLemore's review at For The Church here: https://ftc. co/resource-library/blog-. more


Avatar
Heather Wood
398 reviews
182 followers
Reply

I really wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I love Jesus. I love the Gospel. I feel a little guilty hating a book about it. However, Ortlund assumes questions for me that I just don't have. more


Avatar
Kris
1402 reviews
201 followers
Reply

I first heard about this book when my pastor recommended it and read a Bunyan quote from it. Since my pastor is constantly pointing us to Jesus, I knew it must be worthwhile. This book is neither mild nor imbalanced. All it does is reveal what the Scripture actually says about who Jesus is- what Jesus and God the Father have to say about who they are and what their heart is toward us- and reorients us back to the truth, stripping away our preconceived ideas of who we think God is or should be. I love how much of this book references and quotes Puritan writings. more


Avatar
Glenna
117 reviews
474 followers
Reply

Too touchy-feely for my tastes. I had to look twice, for I surely thought this was written by a woman, for women. This book is simply the ramblings of a Reformer trying to comfort people, when really he should be talking about the means of grace. Ortlund talks about the fact that God uses pain or trials in our lives to teach us things. God's first instinct is mercy, but he will use pain to bring us back to himself. more


Avatar
Kevin Halloran
226 reviews
77 followers
Reply

This book is a best-seller for a reason. If, like me, you grew up in the church and somehow adopted a view of God that led you to believe He has a grudging, stodgy kind of love for you, then this book will be paradigm-shifting for you. I've long struggled to believe that the Lord loves me, individually. Generally speaking, I know He loves me because He set His affections on me and chose to save me before the foundations of the word. But sometimes that knowledge doesn't permeate the heart when you feel you should be less of a sinner than you currently are. more


Avatar
Annalia Fiore
55 reviews
10 followers
Reply

The hype is real. Is it any surprise that a book on the heart of Christ would be so heartwarming. What a beautiful Savior. more


Avatar
Josiah DeGraaf
882 reviews
240 followers
Reply

I hate to give this book such a low rating because I needed to read this book. There are some beautiful excerpts, and a couple meaningful insights. Ortlund has important things to share, for he has identified a serious problem in the Calvinist tradition, that being our hyper rationalistic, legal understanding of justification which leaves many Christians feeling unloved by God who seems impersonal and angry. This also results in a mental separation of the wills of the Father and of the Son, which, should give us pause to consider whether or not the theology of the reformers is indeed the healthiest way of conceptualizing salvation. But despite all of this, the writing was truly dreadful. more


Avatar
Tori Samar
558 reviews
85 followers
Reply

Oh my. This is one of those rare non-fiction books that moved me to tears multiple times while reading it. It showed me aspects of Christ's love for us that I had never understood or comprehended before in an exposition that's very Puritan and even more biblical. I regularly found myself in disbelief when I was reading this book about how the love of Christ could be that rich toward us. But in every place, Ortlund pointed readers back to the Scripture to see where these promises are found in God's Word itself. more


Avatar
Oceana GottaReadEmAll
722 reviews
1213 followers
Reply

"The Christian life, from one angle, is the long journey of letting our natural assumption about who God is, over many decades, fall away, being slowly replaced with God’s own insistence on who he is. "Having finished this book, the first thing I want to do is read it again. Its message is like soothing ointment on a wound. Definitely a book to be reread regularly. With much help from the Puritans, Dane Ortlund focuses not on what God does, but on who God is in his very heart. more


Avatar
David Steele
643 reviews
213 followers
Reply

This book is a beautiful reminder of the LOVE that is Christ’s heart for any one of us who would choose to come. Read it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed. Watch the lives I did with Krista. https://youtu. more


Avatar
Becky Pliego
703 reviews
481 followers
Reply

Dr. Dane Ortlund has gained a reputation for writing Christian books that are solid, edifying, and gospel-centered. His newest work, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers is no exception. Ortlund uses Matthew 11:29 as the basis for his writing:Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. The author writes, “This book is written for the discouraged, the frustrated, the weary, the disenchanted, the cynical, the empty. more


Avatar
Christy
4054 reviews
34472 followers
Reply

Te kind of book that immediately after you finish reading, you want to start all over again. more


Avatar
Amanda (BookLoverAmanda)
411 reviews
397 followers
Reply

3. 25 starsI feel so conflicted on this book. There are parts I really enjoyed and I feel is really important for Christians to read. It had encouraging moments and I did enjoy parts. Other parts felt so slow. more


Avatar
Mark Jr.
434 reviews
366 followers
Reply

Wow, what an amazing book dedicated to the heart of Jesus. I read this throughout the month of June and each time I picked it up, I grew in faith in the Lord. I was encouraged, reminded, comforted and sometimes convicted. Make sure you check out the YouTube Live Shows on Krista's Channel, BooksandJams for more in depth discussions. I am so thankful to have joined some of the live show discussions with her and other lovely ladies this month. more


Avatar
Mark Donald
184 reviews
8 followers
Reply

Warm, careful, biblical, Puritan in the very best sense—which should be the only sense. more


Avatar
Olivia | Liv's Library
279 reviews
1436 followers
Reply

Wonderful, much needed, reflection on the heart of Christ towards sinners. Will definitely revisit this book. Highly recommended. SECOND READING: During midweek Bible study we read this aloud. more


Avatar
Ivan
697 reviews
120 followers
Reply

I’ve never cried or been more emotional while reading a book. This was such a breath of fresh air with so many great reminders that I’ll be returning to over & over again. . more


Avatar
Sarah Fowler Wolfe
286 reviews
54 followers
Reply

I read this book slowly over the course of months—which I think is the best way to read this work, reflecting on the heart of Christ “for sinners and sufferers. ” Distilling the best of John Calvin, John Flavel, Richard Sibbes, John Owen, John Bunyan, Thomas Goodwin, Jonathan Edwards, and richly meditating on a variety of Old and New Testament passages, this book is a balm for weary Christians. What we most need is Christ, that bottomless ocean of rest, joy, and love. more


Avatar
LaurenLoveReads
227 reviews
198 followers
Reply

Oh my goodness. What a beautiful, in-depth scriptural look at the gospel, the heart of Christ (and the Father and the Holy Spirit), His love and grace and beauty, and how we can glorify Him. I will be re-reading this many times. I truly cannot recommend it enough. Read it, read it, read it. more


Avatar
Chad
178 reviews
355 followers
Reply

This. Wrecked me. In the best way. Read it. Jesus loves so much more deeply and more wildly than we can even begin to comprehend. more


Avatar
Jenna
172 reviews
165 followers
Reply

My vocation in life is to write and teach about the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. I read many books. I have written a few. On occasion – and those occasions are sadly infrequent – I will pick up a book that so overwhelms me with the message of God’s love that it refocuses me on the Main Thing; it reinvigorates me with a passion to keep doing what I’m doing; and it makes the mercy of God so palpable, so unmissable, that I sit there reading with a huge smile of joy spreading across my face. Dane’s book did that. more


Avatar
Michael Beck
344 reviews
30 followers
Reply

I’ve read this two times now and it’s even better the second time around. This book completely challenged the view I had of Jesus and how He sees me. It exposed the lies I had believed about Him and showed what scripture says about His heart. The message of this book feels like a warm hug, like a sigh of relief and awe and wonder at the gentle and lowly heart of Jesus. . more


Avatar
reviews
followers
Reply

Wow, one of the best and most helpful Christian books written in the past few decades. What a wonderful, refreshing treatment on the heart of Christ. Ortlund faithfully and biblically opens up the passages touching on Christ's own heart toward His people (and some on the Father's heart as well). The message brought forth in this book is one that has been forgotten in much of the modern church, but Ortlund shows that the Reformers and Puritans once preached it boldly. Standing on the shoulders of such giants as Bunyan, Goodwin, Owen, Flavel, Calvin, and others, Ortlund points us back to the true heart of Jesus; a Savior that is gentle and lowly in heart (Matt 11:28). more


Want to read Review

Join Eduo For Free

Track your reading

Choose your next book based on your mood, your favorite topics or AI

What are your friends reading?

Discuss or ask about books you read

21 discussions

Join free discussions about the book. join

103 quotes

Best quotes picked from the book.

12 questions

Ask questions about the book.

Top