Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris - REVIEWED

MY THOUGHTS:

Joshua Harris has grown up, become a husband, father and pastor since I last checked in with his work. Now, he introduces readers to Dug Down Deep Unearthing What I Believe and Why it Matters, and I enjoyed it a great deal! In very down to earth, direct language, Josh Harris shares his heart about why it is important to understand what you believe about God and His Word and why we as Christians should be salt and light in this world as never before.

Using examples from his own life and the lives of people close to him, Harris’ testimony of his own Spiritual growth and maturity rings true and sincere. He discusses several key doctrines including the sovereignty of God, regeneration, justification, sanctification and the role of the church in our lives and in the world. His writing is bathed in God’s Word and scripture references abound throughout the book and in many cases are written out in order to make a point plain and immediate. Harris feels that many have “…lost a clear, Bible-informed view of sin.” (p. 166) and because of that they have also lost a clear vision of Who God is and His power to transform lives and redeem souls. Without digging into God’s Word and learning who He is and what He desires for our lives, we will never have an effective testimony for Him.

I loved the way Harris tackled areas like conviction. Listen to this: “Biblical conviction is the result of the study of Scripture, careful thought, discussion, and the search for wisdom.” (p. 170) He has this to say about repentance: “ Turning away from sin isn’t about what I’m not allowed to do. I don’t want what displeases my Father. I want to love what He loves. How can I take joy in what grieves the One who has loved me with an everlasting love?” (P. 173) And chapter nine is the most common sense, scriptural discussion of spiritual gifts I’ve read in a long time! He says this on page 186: “It’s not about you and your gift; it’s about serving the needs of others and glorifying Jesus.” A-men!

Harris says it best when he encourages Christians with these words: “Theology, doctrine and orthodoxy matter because God is real, and He has acted in our world, and His actions have meaning today and for all eternity.” (p. 15) If you want to take an honest look at what the Bible has to say about several key doctrinal areas, please pick up a copy of Dug Down Deep today! It was a great encouragement to me and a book I plan to re-read and study some more!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joshua Harris is senior pastor of Covenant Life in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which belongs to the Sovereign Grace network of local churches. A passionate speaker with a gift for making theological truth easy to understand, Joshua is perhaps best known for his runaway bestseller, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which he wrote at the age of twenty-one. His later books include Boy Meets Girl, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), and Stop Dating the Church. The founder of the NEXT conferences for young adults, Joshua is committed to seeing the gospel transferred to a new generation of Christians. He and his wife, Shannon, have three children.