How People Change answers the perennial question, “How do I really grow as a Christian?” Lane and Tripp identify a major problem in Christianity: church life, Biblical preaching, and knowledge of God often are disconnected from actual change in behavior and lifestyle (ch 1). After identifying this gap, the authors examine several common “solutions” to this problem, but point out how those ideas fall short or lack essential biblical truths (ch 2). They then orient the book by pointing the reader clearly at Christ’s image by emphasizing our hope in future salvation (ch 3) and our certainty in our present union with Christ (ch 4). After offering this essential hope, they give the needed reminder that relationships with other Christians are key to seeing change (ch 5).
Their solution to this problem is a four-part metaphor: Heat, Thorns, Cross, and Fruit. They present an overview of this answer (ch 6), making clear that redemption in Jesus stands at the center of the solution to our struggle. Heat is any pressure that we face in life; Thorns are our wrong default response, the Cross is what changes our focus from self to Jesus, and Fruit is he new right response to pressure. The following eight chapters flesh out those four parts of the metaphor more fully and the final two chapters tell the story of how this viewpoint enabled a couple and a church to grow in godliness.
The entire book is packed full of realistic examples of to illustrate our need for change and the way to seek it. This is a benefit for visual learners, but for people who just need the facts, the high frequency of examples (and the length they add to the book) may be a drawback.
This book attempts to cover two goals related to lasting Christian growth. The first is communicate the gospel and the believer’s identity in Christ; the second is to give a useful structure for applying those truths to effect life change. The authors do a much better job on the first goal: chapters 1-6 are the meat of this book.
Recommendation
In my opinion, How People Change is a valuable resource. It would be helpful to supplement it with The Gospel Primer to accomplish the first goal and Changed into His Image to accomplish the second for some readers.
You can buy How People Change in paperback or for Kindle.
Favorite Quotes
- “Whenever we are missing the message of Christ’s indwelling work to progressively transform us, the hole will be filled with a Christian lifestyle that focuses more on externals than on the heart.” [7]
- “We all have a personal dream of a better life. We examine our lives, decide where change is needed, and imagine what it would look like. The problem is that our desires don’t go deep enough. It is here that the Bible challenges our dreams.” [33]
- “Christ brings the assets. We bring the liabilities. Yet Christ still joins himself to us!” [53]
- Psalm 88: “Honest expressions of fear, pain, and doubt were welcome in the place of worship, atonement, and forgiveness.” [100]
- “The anger we reveal in the middle of trial says more about us than it does about the trial.” [113]
- “God does not call us to self-loathing, but to a willingness to examine our lives in light of our hope as new creatures in Christ.” [119]
- “God did not gloss over suffering, but took costly measures to end it.” ([133]
- “The old sinful me has died. But it has not been replaced with a better me. The replacement is Christ!” [159]
- “While a Christian should never minimize personal gifts, past problems, or current struggles, these do not displace his or her more fundamental identity of being in Christ.” [159]
- “A new lifestyle … does not grow out of a stoic obedience to God’s commands, but from a heart that has been captured and captivated by the Giver of those commands.” [173]
- “What we actually see in [Psalm 4] is God’s grace at work in a man’s heart, empowering him to do things that would be impossible on his own.” [187]
Corrections
- The “fullness of the Deity … in bodily form” (Col. 2.9) probably does not refer to the dove at Christ’s baptism (44). This is not far removed from the heresy that the divine nature came on Christ during his life. A better understanding of Col. 2.9 is that Christ has always had the fullness of God and that the bodily form entered at his incarnation.
- While emphasizing the amazing truth of our union with Christ, the authors mishandle two passages. Eph. 5 does not use “marriage as a metaphor to depict Christ’s relationship with his people” (48); it uses the metaphor of “head and body” to apply the Gospel to husbands and wives.
- Likewise, II Cor. 11.1-3 does not speak of the church as Christ’s wife, but as his betrothed. The attempt to justify this stretch on the basis of Mary and Joseph’s betrothal (49) is weak and fails to recognize cultural differences between 1st century betrothal and modern engagement / marriage.
- In I Jn. 3.1, the phrase “how great” does come from ποταπος. That word can mean “from what country” in some contexts, but it is a broader word that simply means “of what sort” (Gingrich & Danker’s Shorter Lexicon). There is no basis for interpreting the phrase as “from what planet!” as the authors do (163).
Chapter Outline
- The Gospel Gap Many Christians today seem unable to visualize and achieve spiritual growth. They’re blinded by sin and distracted by externalism.
- Counterfeit Hopes When we pursue changes in circumstance, thinking, and behavior as our solution, we miss the true hope of our fullness and new nature in Christ.
- Here’s Where God Is Taking You We need to look at daily life through the lens of our final destination: Christlikeness in God’s presence.
- Married to Christ In our union with Christ, we bring liabilities, but he brings countless assets that make possible our spiritual success.
- Change Is a Community Project Real growth takes place in the context of meaningful, Gospel-centered relationships.
- The Big Picture God’s Word does not simply address isolated situations, but provides a big picture for living all of life correctly.
- Heat 1: God in the Real World God understands our struggles and pain; our problems do not surprise him.
- Heat 2: You in the Real World We become frustrated when we have unrealistic expectations for life in a broken world.
- Thorns 1: What Entangles You? When we meet with pressure, we naturally respond with denial, hypersensitivity, revenge, paralysis, self-righteousness, or other sinful attitudes and actions.
- Thorns 2: Why Do You Get Entangled? The reason we produce Thorns while under heat is because our hearts are sinful and tend toward idolatry.
- Cross 1: New Identity and New Potential We can change because (1) our flesh has been put to death, (2) Christ lives in us, and (3) we now live for Christ’s glory.
- Cross 2: The Cross and Daily Living Daily life should be focused on the cross’s ramifications and include deliberate repentance and steps of faith.
- Fruit 1: Real Heart Change Since the heart’s sin is the cause of thorns, heart change is necessary to produce fruit.
- Fruit 2: New and Surprising Fruit The Bible paints a shocking picture of the glorious fruit that appears in believers’ live; this should give hope and direction.
- One Couple’s Story
- One Church’s Story