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Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing Hardcover – January 19, 2006

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 308 ratings

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What Really Matters
Have the extremities taken over and left the core of your faith forgotten? Do you get confused by what you feel versus what is real? Let dynamic pastor C. J. Mahaney strip away the nonessentials and bring you back to the simplest, most fundamental reason for your faith: Jesus Christ. This book is packed with powerful truth that will grip your heart, clear your mind, and invigorate your soul. Chapters include “Breaking the Rules of Legalism,” “The Cross Centered Day,” and “Assurance and Joy.” Get ready to behold a breathtaking view of what God intends to accomplish in and through you every day. You’ll discover how embracing this cross centered life is both our highest privilege and greatest responsibility.

His Gift, Your Hope
Do you desire more passion for Jesus Christ? Return to the very essence of your faith—the cross of Christ. Here, the deepest truths of Calvary will stir your passion for Him into an unquenchable fire.

“Never lay it aside. Never move on,” says C. J. Mahaney, who shows you how to center every day around the life-giving reality of the gospel and how to escape the pitfalls of legalism, condemnation, and feelings-driven faith.

PRAISE
C. J. Mahaney’s
The Cross Centered Life and Christ Our Mediator are life-changing books whose unique messages are even more powerful when combined. Living the Cross Centered Life is a careful melding of these two books with new content as well. For readers who have not yet discovered the stand-alone books, or for Mahaney fans ready to cherish their favorites in a new package, this book is sure to become a treasured classic.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for C.J. Mahaney

“Every Timothy needs a Paul. C. J. is mine…and this book contains his life-message. It is my handbook for pursuing a cross centered life. Read it yourself, and let God realign your life.”
-JOSHUA HARRIS, Pastor and bestsellign author

“C. J. Mahaney is the most spiritually infectious Christian I know! His passionate pursuit of Christ is so enviable to me because it flows out of both his own daily contemplation of the Savior as well as his intimate knowledge of the Word of God. Would to God that all true believers be infected with a huge dose of the same kind of enthusiasm for living the cross centered life. If you read and seek to apply what C. J. skillfully writes in this wonderful book, you just might find yourself contracting the same glorious disease he has, with the joyful hope of spreading it all around!”
-LANCE QUINN, Pastor-teacher at The Bible Church of Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas

“You’re holding the book you want to read to begin living the Christian life. You’re also holding the book you want to read to help you continue living the Christian life. There’s no other place to begin living the Christian life than at the cross. There’s no other place to keep living the Christian life than at the cross. C. J. Mahaney’s Living the Cross Centered Life will help you do that.”
-MARK DEVER, Senior pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. and author of Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

“My friend C. J. Mahaney gives us a fresh look at our Lord and His cross. He lives the cross centered life, and is  therefore qualified to talk about it. C. J. has a passion for Jesus and His people, and I was drawn closer to Jesus through this book. What higher complement could I offer?”
-
RANDY ALCORN, Bestselling author of The Grace and Truth Paradox and The Tresure Principle

“C. J. Mahaney is one of our generation’s most genuine and heartfelt proclaimers of the cross of Jesus Christ. In this unexaggerated book, readers will encounter the winsome zeal of a man who has found in Christ the greatest of treasures and a joy that must be shared.”
-DONALDS WHITNEY, Author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and How Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian?

“The great nineteenth century Scottish pastor, Horatius Bonar once wrote, ‘If we would be holy, we must get to the cross and dwell there.’ C. J. Mahaney takes us to the cross in such a way that we can indeed dwell there. This is a book to be read and reread many times. Its message will never grow old or out of date.”
-JERRY BRIDGES, Author of The Pursuit of Holiness

“With tenderness and power, C. J. illustrates the critical difference between snacking on the benefits of the cross, versus surveying the wonders of the cross. It’s the difference between living as consumers, versus loving as the consumed…the difference between having a theology of grace, versus running boldly to the throne of grace. This
is a must and magisterial read!”
-SCOTTY SMITH, Senior pastor at Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee

About the Author

C. J. Mahaney leads Sovereign Grace Ministries in its mission to establish and support local churches. He served as pastor of Covenant Life Church in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., for twenty-seven years before handing the role to Joshua Harris. He is the author of The Cross Centered Life, Christ Our Mediator, Humility: True Greatness, and Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know . C. J. and his wife, Carolyn, have three married daughters and one son. They make their home in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1590525787
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Multnomah (January 19, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781590525784
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1590525784
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.16 x 0.66 x 7.26 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 308 ratings

About the author

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C. J. Mahaney
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C.J. Mahaney serves as the Senior Pastor for Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. He is the author of Living the Cross Centered Life; Humility: True Greatness; Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God; Don’t Waste Your Sports; and the editor of Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. C.J. and his wife, Carolyn, have three married daughters, one son, and twelve grandchildren.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
308 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. It encourages spiritual growth and helps them think right about God, the Gospel, and their own lives. The book is described as insightful, engaging, and relatable with truths on almost every page. Readers appreciate the focus on the cross and how it brings perspective to life.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

42 customers mention "Readability"42 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They say it's a good resource and guide to get your focus back on the cross. The writing is described as cerebral yet accessible, with an emotional connection.

"...These are the most valuable chapters in the book, explaining precisely what legalism is (trying to please God through our own will and actions), and..." Read more

"This book is truly a great one as C.J. Mahaney brings it all back to the cross...." Read more

"Great resource and guide to get your focus back and center on the cross. And what a cross-centered life looks like." Read more

"...style the book is engaging, biblically-based, and never stops short of spelling out the seriousness of the issue at hand...." Read more

32 customers mention "Christianity"32 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an excellent resource for spiritual growth and reflection. It helps them understand God's love and the Gospel better. They say it helps set their thinking right about God, the Christian life, and the cross of Christ. The biblically-based style is engaging and a great reminder that the gospel is first.

"...What's more, the doctrine he does deliver is dead center, respecting the Scriptures in the fullest sense of the concept...." Read more

"...You will find many practical words as well as the heart of a man who "was smoking pot the first time [he] heard the gospel"..." Read more

"...I would really recommend this to any and all Christians. Great reminders of how the Cross should impact our lives and how it has freed us from..." Read more

"...And what a cross-centered life looks like." Read more

8 customers mention "Impact"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, relatable, and engaging. They say it challenges their thinking and is refreshing.

"...In classic Mahaney style the book is engaging, biblically-based, and never stops short of spelling out the seriousness of the issue at hand...." Read more

"...This short book is not only very readable, but its themes are very impacting...." Read more

"...At twice the price, this would be a bargin. There is a nugget of truth on almost every page...." Read more

"This book will really challenge your way of thinking if you will read it with an open mind...." Read more

5 customers mention "Focus"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's focus on the cross. They find it helpful in refocusing their attention on the cross and encouraging readers to use its power.

"Great resource and guide to get your focus back and center on the cross. And what a cross-centered life looks like." Read more

"...has presented the Cross and its place in life to me in such a clear and profound way...." Read more

"...It does a great job turning focus and perspective to the Cross and encouraging readers to use the power of the cross every day." Read more

"Exactly what I was looking for. I appreciate the focus on the cross. It is not preached about near enough............thanks. cadams" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2012
    To begin, I should say I have a very low tolerance for "touchy feely" books on living the Christian life. We live in a world that has pushed theology and doctrine into the realm of the specialists, leaving feelings alone as a measure of the Christian life for the common man. I'm not certain our culture is unique in this regard; the Puritans' deep desire for an emotional connection with God could have been ripped out of the modern Christian book store.

    C.J. Mahoney, however, surprised me with this short book. While he doesn't dive deeply into theology, he does center on theology and thinking, rather than emotion. In fact, Dr. Mahoney is insistent that our constant reliance on our emotions is damaging our spiritual growth --something of a fresh wind in our Christian culture. What's more, the doctrine he does deliver is dead center, respecting the Scriptures in the fullest sense of the concept.

    He begins by explaining why the Cross should be the center of our lives, or rather why Christians can never really leave the Cross behind. He then focuses on the difference between feeling and thinking, or rather what you feel verses what is real. Faith is, after all, living your life in light of that which you know to be true even though current circumstances don't seem to support that truth.

    The next chapter slips somewhat, drawing a picture of God's love for people. Here he makes the classic mistake of inserting a quantitative statement in the words of Christ in John 3:16, rather than a qualitative one. This is a mistake taken up by the large majority of the commentaries in the world, however, so it's hard to fault the author for it. After this, he draws his reader into the divine dilemma --how can a perfectly just God save a people justly condemned to eternal death?

    Dr. Mahoney works through the final week of the life of Christ, placing each of us into the scenes we find there. We are each condemning Christ, calling for his death. In the face of all this, the author turns again to the love of God, and how he not only covered our sins, but also understands our suffering in a sinful world.
    In the two chapters, the author moves into practical application. These are the most valuable chapters in the book, explaining precisely what legalism is (trying to please God through our own will and actions), and how to unload condemnation. Here is a picture of the spirit filled life almost anyone, of any theological persuasion, can embrace and use to their advantage.

    Well worth reading.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2007
    This book is truly a great one as C.J. Mahaney brings it all back to the cross. A lot of this book includes previous works, "The Cross Centered Life" and "Christ Our Mediator." I also had just listened to C.J.'s sermon from the 2005 Resolved Conference called "Interrogating the Legalist Within" so most of this was review. But if you have yet to read or listen to these, please pick this little book up, you will not be disappointed.

    C.J. continues to bring out the cross in everything in this dissertation of the cross centered life. C.J. goes into understanding the cross in defining our lives, feelings (experience), God's love, Gethsemane, our part in the cross (sin), our suffering, legalism, condemnation (with much more) and then just the practical application.

    C.J. gives five practical ways to live a cross centered life:

    1. Memorize the Gospel: Memorize those scriptures that remind us of the gospel (2 Cor 5:21; Romans 8:31-34; Isaiah 53:3-6)

    2. Pray the Gospel: Since the Gospel is the reason we can approach such a holy God, continue to pray the Gospel as a reminder of why you can speak to such an awesome God.

    3. Sing the Gospel: Find songs and CD's whose focus in on the great and glorious Gospel and not on man. Those songs that concentrate on what He has done for us.

    4. Review How the Gospel Has Changed You: Looking to your past, not for condemnation's sake, but for the reminder of mercy and grace

    5. Study the Gospel: Don't only study books on the Gospel or only on the New Testament, but study the Old Testament and see Christ's fulfillment of It. Making sure that our studies don't leave the Gospel behind but builds itself upon It.

    I would really recommend this to any and all Christians. Great reminders of how the Cross should impact our lives and how it has freed us from condemnation and the errors of legalism.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2006
    Knowing that I am given to over-statement I hesitate to say this, but I think "Living the Cross Centered Life" is one of the best books I have ever read. No piece of writing I can recollect has presented the Cross and its place in life to me in such a clear and profound way. I would not be surprised if this is a book I continue to go back to again and again for renewed passion for my Savior. In classic Mahaney style the book is engaging, biblically-based, and never stops short of spelling out the seriousness of the issue at hand. He spends the majority of the book looking closely at the Cross and what Christ accomplished for us and also includes some pratical steps at the end for developing habits that build a Cross-centered life.

    I am aware that this particular work is a combination of some of his earlier writings with new material. Having not read those books I cannot tell you how unique this offering is. However, let me only say that this offering is unique. Among all the Christian-living and issues books out there, few that I know of inspire such a focus on Christ and the Cross as "Living the Cross Centered Life."
    29 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Cam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing
    Reviewed in Australia on December 27, 2022
    What freedom came from this book. Why? Because it brought me back to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus set me free because He replaced all my sin, guilt and shame with His perfect goodness. So good! And I needed to hear it in this book again, instead of trusting myself to get right with God, because that never works!
  • Mrs H
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cross Centred Life
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2016
    One of the best Christian literature books I've read. It's a book that you'll want to read again and again and will not sit on your shelf collecting dust. Really brings the gospel to life, the love of God and the brutality of the crucifixion. If you're feeling distant from God and need encouragement to pick yourself back up again, this is the book to read (and of course the Bible itself) =)
  • Andrius
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2017
    Book arrived on time, I bought a book used. Book came in perfect condition. The book itself is brilliant, my wife is reading it at the moment. It's not too long but also not short. Great book to share with your brothers and sisters in Christ. The book is practical and hard to put down.
  • alexandra thanks
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book. Very american
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2014
    excellent book. Very american, perhaps a bit too much irreverence, but the tone is very casual and engages you with the material. It gave me a different perspective on a few aspects. excellent book to add to your tool shed of deeper understanding.
  • Tom
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2018
    Really encouraging book on how to focus on the main thing in life. Easy yet , deep read .