Product Description

R. T. Kendall's Total Forgiveness touched a raw nerve amongst Christian readers and rapidly became this prolifiic writer's fastest- and best-selling book. It still sells 5000 copies a year, five years after original publication.

But it only told half the story - how to forgive others. The teaching is completed with R. T.'s brilliant account of how it is equally important that we forgive ourselves.

Totally Forgiving Ourselves is classic R. T. Kendall - honest, sympathetic, biblical teaching on an aspect of the Christian life common to us all. Everyone has something in their past for which they need to forgive themselves as well as other people. Unless we do so, we are not only damaging ourselves but restricting our usefulness in God's service.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177452 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
''I am delighted to let you know that my dear friend Dr R.T.Kendall will be speaking in England to introduce his book Totally Forgiving Ourselves. I read this book in manuscript and was deeply impacted. I consider R.T.Kendall's book to be one of the most important I have ever read. I believe this message is one we urgently need to receive for our own well-being and the well-being of others' (Canon J.John )

About the Author
Dr R. T. Kendall, who served for 25 years until 2002 as Minister at Westminster Chapel, London, is a hugely popular speaker and writer. His most recent books include Out of the Comfort Zone, Your Words Have Power, Total Forgiveness, The Anointing and The Christian and The Pharisee.

Customer Reviews

Don't miss this one!
I wish I could have given this book 10 stars. If you read one book as a Christian, make it this one. It has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I have been struggling with, without even realising it. This author has a way of putting things that make them clear and plain and understandable. It is clear that he has battled many unforgiveness issues himself, and he offers a way to total forgiveness, as well as motivating the need for it very convincingly. Read this book - you will not be disappointed.

For all bruised reeds
In this warm and scripturally faithful work, the author explains at the outset: `we all need God's forgiveness of all our sins. This is why Jesus died on the cross.' Throughout the book he reinforces the Biblical truth that forgiveness of sin is only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. He then goes on to define what he means by totally forgiving ourselves: `It is accepting God's forgiveness of all our past sins and failures so completely that we equally let ourselves off the hook for our pasts as God Himself has done.'

Dr Kendall states his view in the introduction that this is achieved mostly by applying good theology and loving pastoral care. To believers who trust Christ alone for forgiveness but remain tormented by failure and remorse, he explains `as a pastor and theologian', not as a mental health practitioner, how to address their anguish God's way and move on.

In the course of the book, he teases out the differences between true and false guilt, emphasises the Holy Spirit's work in conviction of sin, and shows that the grace of repentance is a gift from God. He explores the twin sins of self-pity and self-righteousness as obstacles to spiritual progress, and charts the failures and loving restoration of some spiritual giants: David, Jacob, Peter and Paul. There is practical advice about accepting ourselves, which includes due cautions, and a useful chapter on resisting the devil.

Agreeing with his predecessor at Westminster Chapel, Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who said `God never oppresses us' Dr Kendall quotes many scriptures throughout his book in support of this sentiment, scriptures which encourage us to appropriate the peace that accompanies divine forgiveness.

As the remarkable Dr Josif Tson says to the Christian reader in his foreword, `Who are you to blame yourself after He washed you clean in His blood?' This is a gracious, wise and Biblical treatment of a common and painful problem for thoughtful Christians. Highly recommended.

NB This book has also been released under the title: How to Forgive Ourselves - Totally.

Where is this idea in the bible?
I believe this book is very dangerous for the following reasons:-

(1) The bible has plenty to say about God forgiving us and us forgiving others - but nothing about us forgiving ourselves. We can therefore conclude that the concept is not biblical, as a matter of simple fact.

(2) It is also very bad theology, as it implies that (a) God's forgiveness is in some way incomplete or inadequate, unless or until it "becomes" self-forgiveness, which is really a roundabout way of saying that the ultimate forgiveness is self-forgiveness.

(3) It gives credence to a secular/New Age idea that we are the ones who deal with our guilt, not God (New Age of course teaching that we ARE gods!) and as such is hugely dangerous.

(4) It therefore compromises the bible's clear message of the importance and SUFFICIENCY of God's forgiveness to achieve a true state of "blessedness".

(5) It confuses the distinction between the gospel message of God's forgiveness in Christ and the world's view that we simply need to feel better about ourselves (the extent of most folks' ungodly sorrow (which leads to death) being "I just can't forgive myself" - implying that that is the great need that has to be met - it isn't.

(6) It focuses on self rather than God/Christ and is therefore contrary to the focus of all NT teaching on forgiveness. Because of this, it is actually pandering to the flesh.

(7) There is I believe a world of difference between accepting God's forgiveness (which we must do) and forgiving oneself (which we don't have to do, or the bible would encourage us to do so!) and it is both misleading and unwise (at best) for RT to equate the two as being the same thing - he's encouraging his readers to buy into the world's idea of forgiveness and that is extremely irresponsible.

The point is that to accept God's forgiovness DOES free us from guilt - that is what it does! "And you forgave me the GUILT of my sin"! Ps 32:5b NIV. What we need to do is APPROPRIATE God's forgiveness -apprehend that for which we've been apprehended! But that's NOT forgiving ourselves!

I'll give him one star for actually saying that God's forgiveness is total and that we should not therefore carry guilt around with us - but the answer is NOT to forgive ourselves!