Westminster review of God So Loved, He Gave

Chris Stevens from Westminster Seminary recently posted an excellent review of God So Loved, He Gave by Kelly Kapic. Below is an excerpt, and you can read the rest here.

“In his new book, God so Loved, He Gave, Kelly Kapic does a masterful job of avoiding common pitfalls by showing that mercy, generosity, and ministry, are not products of people’s imagination.  Rather, they are products of God’s divine generosity towards his people who become conduits of his love and mission to bless the nations.

Kapic begins by challenging the illusion of personal rights and autonomy by drawing attention to the fact that as Creator of all things, God actually owns all things, including all people.  Thus salvation of his people is where God himself “reclaims ownership by paying an exorbitant price for what was already his” (pg70 italics orig).  In this light Kapic explains that the Church does not belong to any person or people group, and neither does the Church’s mission of extending into all the world.  Instead the Church is from, through, and to God himself; mankind is generously brought into this work midstream as a means of being blessed and being a blessing. 

The most significant distinction of this book is how the Gospel is kept center stage throughout.  While calling for Godly living, Kapic biblically shows that people do not earn their way to heaven through good works or through any form of a mercy ministry program.  Quite the contrary it is only once we have freely received God’s unmerited mercy and grace through Christ that we are then capable to truly love others in a generous and godly manner."