Absolute Surrender :: Andrew Murray

– a book review by NRJohnson –

 

The very foundation of the Christian life is a simple yet overwhelming concept – absolute surrender. God does not ask us to live the “Christian Life,” He asks us to live in complete surrender and dependency upon Him so HE can live His life through us. In the short treatise “Absolute Surrender,” Andrew Murray exposes the essence, fullness, and triumph of a life in such a position.

 

There have been countless books in recent years that attempt to reveal the hidden secrets of a Christian life – how to live in freedom, victory, blessing, etc.  Perhaps upon first glance these books have some merit; however, most if not all keep flesh enthroned and God at a distance. Biblically, the only position of a believer (ie: Christian) is one of utter surrender and dependency on Jesus. It is the mystery hidden for ages and generations now revealed – Christ IN us.  It is to be Jesus and Jesus alone (through the Spirit) who is living, producing, and forging our lives. We merely become the stage upon which He acts, the vessel through which He exposes Himself and brings about His grandeur, pleasure, and will. There is no Christian life outside of that.

 

Andrew Murray states, “Every one of us is a temple of God, in which God will dwell and work mightily on one condition – absolute surrender to Him. God claims it, God is worthy of it, and without it God cannot work His blessed work in us. God not only claims it, but God will work it Himself.”

 

If you desire to understand why your life is lacking, why you’re not living in continuous victory, or have an inkling for the fullness of the Spirit, “Absolute Surrender” is a must read. As Winkie Pratney, the great revivalist said of it: “Andrew Murray was a leader in an era that assumed you could be a Christian and still serve yourself. His desire was to see the Church absolutely dependent on Christ – still one of the great needs of our time.”