"Love Does: Discover a secretly incredible life in an ordinary world" book review

 The first time I ever heard about Bob Goff was on The Glenn Beck Podcast. I was very impressed with his unbridled joy. You can tell that this is a guy who just loves life! You hear people talk about the joy of the Lord. Well, Bob Goff is overflowing with that. Even better than that, you can tell that he not only loves life, but he loves people. The more you hear about his life story and how he just puts himself out there for people, even putting his phone number in the back of his books, is a testimony to that fact. This is a guy that doesn't wait for things to happen. He makes them happen. And he does it with a smile. The next time I saw Bob Goff was an interview on TBN with Matt and Laurie Crouch. I enjoyed Matt’s interactions with Bob and how open he was with him. But that's not hard to believe. Bob Goff seems like the kind of guy you would feel comfortable sharing things with that you might not say to other people. So, obviously, I'm a huge fan of Bob Goff.

The first book that Bob Goff ever wrote was a book called Love Does. I started reading it a few times but never got beyond the first couple of chapters. Last night, I started over from the beginning again, which I had already read a few times, and read all the way through to the end. In the book, Bob Goff tells many great stories of how he has lived “a secretly incredible life in an ordinary world.” The stories in this book exemplify how Bob has allowed love for Christ and just loving people, in general, to lead his life make this book a page-turner that is hard to put down. As much as I like Bob Goff and his writing, I was not prepared for the few things that I heard that I wasn't comfortable with because they are just plain wrong and in error.

Here is an example of what I mean from the book: “I used to think I had missed the mark and God was mad about it, but now I know ‘missing the mark’ is a stupid analogy.” I had to reread that several times because it is so blatantly opposed to what the word of God teaches, especially when you look at the original languages. The very definition of sin is missing the mark. The Greek word for “sin” is “hamartia.” It is derived from the root word “hamartanō,” which historically was an archery term meaning “miss the mark.” Not only is “missing the mark” not a “stupid analogy,” it is one of the exact definitions of sin, which is what separates us from God, which is the whole reason for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross in the first place. Basically, sin--missing the mark--is one thing that, without it, Christianity and its central theme of forgiveness and redemption in Christ alone make absolutely no sense. It is not a stupid analogy. It’s the very definition of the word!

Another point Bob makes in his book is that Jesus didn't spend a lot of time focused on the devil. Now, it would be fair to say that Jesus didn't spend all of his time talking about Satan. He wasn't one of those people that saw a demon around every corner or was so obsessed by the tactics of his enemy, but defeating the devil is why he came. The Bible is not a book about Satan. The central theme of the scriptures is Jesus Christ, not the enemy. But to give off the idea that Jesus rarely talked about him or that Jesus de-emphasized Satan to such a degree that he barely mentioned him at all, well, that just ignores everything the Bible reports “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8 NIV). The mission statement of Jesus’ ministry was to destroy the works of the devil! God’s spiritual adversary is one of the first beings we meet in scripture (Genesis 3). He shows up several more times in the Old Testament, perhaps most prominently in the early chapters of the book of Job (Job 1-2). But in the New Testament, especially during the ministry of Jesus, Satan and the kingdom of darkness really “come out to play.” By my count, the accuser I speak of is mentioned 29 times in the four Gospels about Jesus’ life alone, more than any other section of scripture. Jesus didn’t obsess over Satan, but neither was the devil, the minor player this book seems to imply.

And that brings me to the final point that I wish to make in this post. I keep hearing this false choice between loving the Bible and the Jesus that the Bible points to. This is another point in Bob's book that I have an issue with. Anything that does not place a high premium on God's revelation to mankind--the Bible--as the standard of truth and the primary way God speaks to us is definitely a concern. I also take issue with those who claim that the Bible is the only way God speaks to us. I am not a cessationist. I wholeheartedly believe God speaks to and reveals things to individuals today. But it is an absolute must that anything anyone says, whether they claim the Lord has spoken to them or not, must be tested by the word of God! “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17 NIV). That can also be translated, “Sanctify them to live in accordance with the truth. Your word is truth.” “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

To be clear, Bob Goff is not a false prophet. That's not what I'm saying by that last scripture reference. I am saying that everything everyone says, even if they are trustworthy sources, should be measured against what God says. And the rubric he has given us for determining what is true or false, good or bad, right or wrong is the Bible. So let us not discard it in pursuit of what is supposed to be a deeper, more present relationship with Jesus. Let us pursue a deeper, more present relationship with Jesus based on God's word, with the Bible being the primary, though again not the only, way he speaks to us. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” The very first thing Jesus said in his answer that became the Olivet Discourse is, “Watch out that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:3-4 NIV). “A recent LifeWay study found that only 32 percent of Americans who ‘attend a Protestant church regularly say they read the Bible personally every day.’ Evangelical Protestants faired a little better (36 percent), but not much” (Bible Literacy Crisis! (And What You Can Do About It in 2020 by Justin Dillehay and Ivan Mesa on January 14, 2020). Overall, I think the book was good, despite the negatives that cannot be ignored. I’m still looking forward to reading Goff’s second book that I have yet to read. Maybe one of these days, I’ll even put his personal phone number in the back of his books to good use. This post is only an attempt to stand for the truth, not attack one of God’s genuine servants with whom I disagree.