Original Jesus

Laferton simply and attractively walks through Luke's Gospel and in a simple, interesting and relevant way speaks into our culture, which increasingly thinks it's OK for the individual to invent their own view of Jesus. This is a book worth anyone’s time. I loved reading it, and I'd love my friends to read it. | Like a friend, this book helps sort through the question of who Jesus is. It points to the original Jesus in a lively and conversational way, so that we interact with voices all around but hear finally the words of Jesus himself. This book is like the best kind of friend, bringing us to meet Jesus. | Christianity is about Jesus Christ, and this wonderful book shows why he is worth thinking about and getting to know. The genius of this book is that it isn’t about who we might think Jesus is —it’s about who he really is. | In this clearly written volume, Carl provides a succinct and sincere presentation of the gospel for those willing to challenge their own presuppositions about Jesus. Here is a reliable guide to discovering that the Original Jesus is far more powerful, far more radical, and far more gracious than we have ever allowed him to be. | Brilliant. Quick, easy, and to the point, Original Jesus unmasks the frauds and presents the real thing. | Our culture loves to reinvent Jesus in its own image. This tremendous book gives us a strong and thrilling dose of reality. | The real Jesus is so much more compelling than the various Jesus characters of our imaginations. This superb book will introduce you to Original Jesus—do yourself a favour, open it up, and get to know him. | This is a gem of a book. Carl takes us back through the gospels to remind us of who Jesus really is: a person, not a sketch, who transforms those he meets. Deep theology, simply put. | There is much to commend. Perhaps the most helpful feature of Original Jesus is that it focuses on the glory and worth of Jesus. Gospel tracts often focus on the mechanics of how to trust in Jesus (including which words to pray), but they don’t usually focus sustained attention on the beauty of Jesus. They’re usually too short to do so in any substantial way. Consequently, becoming a Christian can seem mainly to be about escaping from hell and gaining access to heaven, rather than entering into a relationship with a Savior and King. By focusing on Jesus, Original Jesus makes clear that becoming a Christian has everything to do with entering into a personal relationship with Christ. In that vein, it would be helpful to have an additional, concluding chapter on how we relate to the original Jesus once we’re saved; what it means to obey him and live for his glory, to fit into his grand story rather than trying to squeeze him down into all our small ones. | Carl is Publisher and Co-CEO at The Good Book Company and is a member of Life Church Hackbridge in south London. He is the bestselling author of The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross and God's Big Promises Bible Storybook, and also serves as Series Editor of the God's Word For You series. Before joining TGBC, he worked as a journalist and then as a teacher, and pastored a congregation in Hull. Carl is married to Lizzie, and they have two children. He studied history at Oxford University.