Pure in Heart is such a good and honest book full of wisdom on sexual sin -- which is a topic that is so important to handle biblically these days. Sexual sin is a topic that is hard to read or hear about, and yet it relates to so many of us. The author's own experiences make this book more relatable to the reader, and yet it is full of good advice and wisdom. This is definitely worth the read.

For us to have any chance of seeing God, we must starve our sinful nature.

Oh to see God and behold His glory. There are no words that can describe God's glory but we feel it. We feel that there is more. It has been said and I believe it, that we were created for more. The more is God himself. But we get lost in our own sinful desires, lusts, fears, insecurities, etc. The list goes on. This text is gold. Ortund's teaching recognizes who we are before a Holy God and reminds us that it is not a fast walk to arrive. It is a lifestyle, decisions that are made every day, the mundane to the biggest days of our lives.

What I got most from this text is not the focus on me but on Christ. Ortlund says, do not take up your time so much with studying your own heart as with studying Christ's heart. For one look at yourself, take 10 looks at Christ. Looking at Christ helps you see.

1) His righteousness, not your rebellion.
2) His faithfulness, not your failure
3)His beauty, not your burden.
There are 7 more but I am not going to give it away. The book is worth your reflection on a great and good God.

A special thank you to Crossway Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review. (less)

This is one of the best books I have read on sexual sin, however, I really think anyone could read this book. We all struggle with some kind of sin. This book was an eye-opener and a reminder that our sin grieves God. I think we loose sight of that in a world that tends to lean heavily on Christ’s love and not enough of Christ’s anger toward sin.

There are also reflection questions at the end so you could use this for personal study or with a group.

A few really good quotes in this book:

“True love never does anything to harm another person’s relationship with God.”

“While believers are free from sin, we can still become ensnared or entangled in it. But such ensnarement is a choice; sin has no power to make a believer do anything.”

“The war against sexual sin is lifelong.” I know people don’t want to believe that last one, but as someone who has struggled with it I still have times I must fight thoughts that are not Godly. I think it is like an alcoholic, they can never have a drink without potentially falling and someone with sexual sin must constantly protect their body and thoughts so they don’t fall.

Again, I recommend this one for any sinner….that means everyone 🙂


A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own

“Awareness of weakness is a gracious gift, for it keeps our eyes locked on God for help.”
Quote from book

This was one of the best books I have ever read. The author shares his struggles that he has had, as well as real stories of other people’s struggles with sexual sin. This topic is one that is hard to listen to or read because it’s one that you may struggle with or someone you know does.
Whether you struggle with sexual sin or know someone who does, this is a fantastic resource to read. It’s jam packed with helpful wisdom and advice that will help you.

I graciously received an advance e-copy from netgalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Whatever the sin you find yourself struggling with Pure in Heart is an important work that will help you on your recovery to freedom. J. Garrett Kell uses many scriptures to support the strategy and statements, as well as some key works over history that are well referenced and documented. If you are like me, you may be inspired to go back and read some of those, especially "The Mortification of Sin" by John Owen, a revered Puritan work. Some key thoughts from Kell are that "using your body for pure sex is an act of worship, but perverted sex unites your Spiritindwelled body to another's in a way that uniquely offends God and harms you." Kell points out that Satan is warring very diligently to destroy sex as created by God because it was actually designed to promote His glory, and also as opportunity to serve our spouse. We should not measure our fulfillment as a person on anything sexual as Jesus Himself was never married or romantically involved - yet He was joyful and complete. And a sobering reminder too that God created the men and women employed in the porn industry, they are made in His image with souls - they have real stories. The most difficult part of the book is the reminder that we cannot keep our sin in secret because that's where it thrives - but as Proverbs says "he who confesses and forsakes (his/her sins) will obtain mercy." So again, this is a solid work to help focus our minds to bring change to our hearts for any sin area that is a struggle for us as a Christian. An advance copy was made available from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review, without any obligation of positive feedback or endorsement.