Books of Note - Found in Him and A Hope Deferred

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Found in Him: The Joy of the Incarnation and Our Union with Christ by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick

I’m thankful for the writing and speaking ministry of Elyse Fitzpatrick. My mom, sister, and wife attended a mini-conference she held here in Greenville, SC. The gospel was so clearly preached and so clearly heard. That’s a strength you will find in all of Elyse’s writing. She’s able to whittle all the extra fat off until all that’s left is a prime gospel cut. She also relentlessly keeps the person and work of Jesus Christ front and center. Those strengths shine throughout this book.

Found in Him neatly breaks into two section: incarnation and union. It’s a simple and straightforward project. She focuses on the person and work of Jesus Christ in these two ways. Part one on the incarnation reads as a kind of biblical theology, historical and exegetical examination of who Jesus is as revealed in the incarnation. That moves seamlessly into the union section. There we look at the most significant benefit of the gospel—our union with Jesus Christ. Fitzpatrick aptly uncovers and rejoices in the truths found in our union, and more: she encourages us to live in those truths. The fact that she loves the gospel is evident throughout the pages of this book and that love is contagious.

If you enjoy Elyse’s other books, Found in Him won’t disappoint. I would highly recommend it for those needing a shot of gospel in the arm. I can’t think of a better book that’s as approachable for the ordinary Christian on the topic of our union with Jesus Christ. If you haven’t done much study and are interested in knowing more about the biblical doctrines of incarnation and union, Found in Him is the place to start.

Elyse Fitzpatrick (MA, Trinity Theological Seminary) is a counselor, a retreat and conference speaker, and the head of Counsel from the Cross Ministries. Fitzpatrick has authored over 15 books, including Because He Loves Me, Give Them Grace, and Comforts from Romans.

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A Hope Deferred: Adoption and the Fatherhood of God by J. Stephen Yuille

A Hope Deferred is a book about theology told through the story of real life. This is a trend I’ve seen increase over the last five years in theology books for the average Christian, a trend I think is positive in the way we teach theology.

The book is about the Yuille’s adoption and infertility but it’s much more. Yuille from the start assures the reader that his story of adoption is a backdrop to much larger truths about God. “The main theme of this book is God, and its lessons extend well beyond infertility and adoption to affliction in general” (p. 12). Yuille alternates short memoir chapters with chapters filled with robust exposition of Romans 8.

Yuille works within Romans 8 sticking close to the text. Everything he says flows out of this chapter and Paul’s theology of adoption and more directly from our union in Christ: “We don’t receive anything from God apart from union with Christ” (p. 19). These are the winds beating against our hearts in this book.

One of my favorite chapters contained exposition of Romans 8:26-27 in connection with Christ’s prayer for our unity in John 12. He compares and contrasts the essential unity in the Trinity, the hypostatic union in the person of Jesus Christ, and the mystical union between Christians and Jesus Christ. He highlights that the essential unity within the Godhead functions as a pattern for our mystical union with Jesus. That’s encouraging and assuring. That’s objective. What’s in Christ can never be dissolved anymore than God himself could be separated.

If you’re looking for a book that deals with suffering and hardship from a theological perspective, A Hope Deferred fits the bill. It tackles a tough topic from one the richest chapters on adoption and our union with Christ in the New Testament. It’s conversational with a slight bent towards those conversant with theology.

J. Stephen Yuille (PhD, London School of Theology) is the Preaching Pastor at Grace Community Church, and an Adjunct Professor at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas. He has also ministered in churches and seminaries in Canada and Portugal. He is the author of several books including The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety, Puritan Spirituality, Looking Unto Jesus, and A Labor of Love.

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