YES! This reminded me of a preaching I once heard that too many people view God as a lion without teeth. The see Him as loving, yet spineless. Which also reminds me of the C.S. Lewis Narnia books wherein a child asks if Aslan (a lion) is quite safe and the response is, "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." But, I digress.
"If you are in Christ, then the fundamental allegiance of your heart ought to reflect that," the author offers much comfort and encouragement, but doesn't sugar-coat or mince words. "Your life should be marked by a love for things of the light, not by a pining for the things of darkness. The logic is clear: if your life is marked by a fundamental allegiance to the darkness, then you have little ground for confidence that you are a child of God." I do not share this quote to scare anyone who's uncertain from reading the book, but to encourage them to meet the facts head-on with a resource that is not offering fluff only, but solid doses of Biblical truth.
And because I feel the rich language here will do the book more justice than my babbling opinion, I'll close with a final quote from page 134:
Ultimately, this is the critical question: Have you surrendered to sin, or are you fighting it? The fact is, I would have far more confidence in the truth faith of a person who is whole-heartedly fighting a battle with heinous visible sin, regularly losing, and each time crying out tot Christ for mercy than I would in a person who has given up on fighting even the smallest, most invisible peccadillo. The former person is a warrior who has said to sin, "You may beat me over and over, but I have a new King now, and for his sake I will never live at peace with you again!" And the other? They have knelt at sin's feet."
I would recommend this book to anyone who isn't certain of their salvation. I do believe, despite the edgy quotes I shared here, that this book is gentle and encouraging enough to make a stirring gift as well.
**In the interest of full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Baker Books for the purpose of reviewing. I was not required to leave a positive review; my opinions expressed are genuine.