Book Review: 'Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers'

July 2025

Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers

Dane Ortlund

Crossway, 2020

218 Pages

Aaron Allen

Young Adults and Families Pastor

Sunnyvale First Baptist Church

Even pastors go through our journeys of doubt and wrestling with the Lord. My recent walk with the Lord has looked more like Jacob wrestling God and begging for a blessing than it did David performing mighty works in His name. A couple of years ago my pride had reached a boiling point. I thought I had figured God out and no one knew better than I did. This, in my mind, made me theologically and intellectually invincible. Over the past 2 years God has used the people around me to break me down in order to build me up in His grace. It was at that point this book, Gentle and Lowly, came across my desk.

Dane Ortlund directs this book to be written about the heart of Christ. The aim is to discern who Christ is really.In order to achieve this goal, he uses scripture, the teachings from various famous Puritans, and the teachings of Edwards, Spurgeon, and Warfield. He uses all of these sources to hammer into the reader's mind and soul that the heart of Christ is to draw near to those who feel as if they are far away. For those that are stuck in the same rotating sin, Dane makes it clear and evident through his sources that Jesus is drawing near. Dane helps us to understand that God’s patience isn’t wearing thin with us despite what we have convinced ourselves of.

Dane has the ability to write in such a pastoral way that you think you are in the room with him as he walks you through another counseling session. His pastoral presence lifts off the page and calms your heart as he tells you the truths about who God is. The points are communicated in a clear and effective manner that leave no room for misinterpretation. I had to stop often to reflect on how I had viewed the heart of Christ in my own life, whether initially or not.

The moment this book came across my desk, I didn’t know what to think of it. For most of my theological thinking career I had only mostly read theological and philosophical texts. I had never been one to lean into a pastoral work written by a modern pastor. God, in His good grace, knew that I needed an important word to be reminded that despite my deep rooted sin of pride, He had not left me. I needed someone to tell me that I was not alone. I needed to hear that my sin actually is what draws Christ to me rather than repelling Him away from me. The heart of Christ is to fix what has been broken, and draw near to those who feel like they are far away. I cannot recommend this book enough for pastors and parishioners alike.