Sex and money are two of the biggest issues facing society and the Church today. Where our money goes it’s been said demonstrates where our heart is. How and with whom we engage in sex demonstrate what we value because sex was designed for intimacy between one man and one woman. Both money and sex also reveal where we find our identity. In his new book Sex and Money, Dr. Paul David Tripp writes to help us think biblically and through a gospel-centered paradigm about these two important issues.
Dr. Tripp, at the outset of this excellent book, aptly writes “we cannot be lulled or intimated into silence in two crucial areas of the human existence where the Creator has powerfully and clearly spoken. And we mustn’t forget the lie-exposing, freedom-granting truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s vital that we remember that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t just address your need for past forgiveness of your need for future hope, but it addresses everything you face in the place where God has positioned you right here, right now. It’s this gospel that provides the only reliable diagnostic when it comes to se and money, and because it provides the only reliable diagnostic, the gospel also graces us with the only truly effective cure. The gospel has the power to make us sex-and-money wise, to keep us sex-and-money protected and sex-and-money bold, no longer willing to be sidelined by timidity and fear. The gospel graces us with everything we need to celebrate and participate in both areas in a way that honors God and fully enjoys the good things he’s given us to enjoy” (19).
Here’s the thing—Christians believe they should glory only in God. This glory orientation that’s inside of every person is meant to drive us to God yet often drives us away from God. The glory of God ought to be our goal and the driving force of our lives. Rather than being satisfied in God we are often satisfied in and by the world. Rather than drinking from the pool of living water available to us through the work of Jesus and the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, many Christians are drinking from the poison of the world. This is why Dr. Tripp’s book is so important. It will help us understand how we have been drinking from the world’s lies noting why we should instead turn to Jesus, the source of life.
Whether you are a new or mature Christian, Dr. Tripp’s latest effort is a radical call to holy living in a world that wrongly worships sex and money. This is why we need this book now more than ever and why I heartily recommend it. We are all prone to worship money and sex, but the Gospel calls us to a radical re-orientation towards both. Scripture outlines an approach whereby we are stewards of what God has given us to include the importance of using money wisely for the advancement of His kingdom. God also declares sex is something to be enjoyed while prohibiting viewing illicit images so we might enjoy the spouse God gave us in the confines of covenant marriage. Dr. Tripp’s book follows this biblical pattern and I cannot recommend his work enough. It is full of practical guidance on finding true and enduring satisfaction in God so believers might glory in Jesus who has saved them and is sanctifying them.
Title: Sex and Money: Pleasures That Leave You Empty and Grace That Satisfies
Author: Paul David Tripp
Publisher: Crossway (2013)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crosway Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
