This is a Christian growth book. It’s about the ongoing sanctification of believers. Dane Ortlund writes Deeper to help foster “real change for real sinners.” This book is about how to grow closer to Jesus and experience real change in walking with God over the long haul. I first read this book at a fast clip all the way through. Then I read it again slowly over the course of three months. You see, I am in a group of guys at church who are training to be more mature leaders. We call ourselves the Church Leadership Cohort. We do a variety of things in this group. We study and discuss church leadership topics, we do Bible studies, we get mentored, we do ministry projects together, we pray for one another, and of course… we read books together! Deeper is the book we used to learn more about how we can grow in Christian maturity. One of the men in the group said, “This book is worth this entire program!”

This book connects the reader to deep Christian history and theology. Many people have read Ortlund’s excellent book, Gentle and Lowly. Deeper has a similar feel, but it relies less on Puritan quotes and explanations. Deeper moves faster from topic to topic and is generally easier to follow. But this does not mean the book is shallow. It is filled with rich explanations of important topics such as union with Christ, genuine repentance, God’s justification in Christ, and the Lord’s use of trials to strengthen our relationship with him.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

“Let him, in all his endless fullness, love you into growth.” (35)

“We cannot sin our way out of the grip of Jesus.” (30)… “God will not let you go. He will be sure to love you into heaven.” (141)

“In your smallness, he notices you. In your sinfulness, he draws near to you. In your anguish, he is in solidarity with you.” (33)

“Christian salvation is not assistance. It is rescue. The gospel does not take our good and complete us with God’s help; the gospel tells us we are dead and helpless, unable to contribute anything to our rescue but the sin that requires it. Christian salvation is not enhancing. It is resurrecting.” (42)

“Only in the relaxed safety of your eternally secured union with Christ can true growth blossom.” (57)

“The deepest destiny of your life is to descend ever deeper, with quiet yet ever-increasing intensity, into the endless love of God.” (83)

“Jesus, the clean one, was treated as dirty so that I, the dirty one, am treated as clean.” (121)

“If you want to be a solid, weighty, radiant old man or woman someday, let the pain of your life force you to believe your own theology. Let it propel you into deeper fellowship with Christ than ever before. Don’t let your heart dry up. He is in your pain. He is refining you.” (133)

“Reading the Bible is inhaling. Praying is exhaling. What is the Bible? It is your greatest earthly treasure.” (143)

Chapter 1: Jesus
Chapter 2: Despair
Chapter 3: Union
Chapter 4: Embrace
Chapter 5: Acquittal
Chapter 6: Honesty
Chapter 7: Pain
Chapter 8: Breathing
Chapter 9: Supernaturalized