From Fear to Freedom : Living as Sons and Daughters of God

Rating:
Summary: Freedom From Legalistic Christianity
Review: As a Christian who struggled with legalistic Christianity, the Lord used this book to open my eyes up to His saving G R A C E. I realized through this book that I can't do anything on my own and that even Christians try to live the Christian life without Christ. The Lord used this book to help me see that I don't need to live the Christian life by rules, laws, and regulations. Just by His grace. And when I come under His grace, everything else follows.

Rating:
Summary: Freedom From Legalistic Christianity
Review: As a Christian who struggled with legalistic Christianity, the Lord used this book to open my eyes up to His saving G R A C E. I realized through this book that I can't do anything on my own and that even Christians try to live the Christian life without Christ. The Lord used this book to help me see that I don't need to live the Christian life by rules, laws, and regulations. Just by His grace. And when I come under His grace, everything else follows.

Rating:
Summary: From Fear to Freedom
Review: HONESTY HONESTY HONESTY. This book is for every Christian. No one is exempt. Evangelical Christians understand we are saved by Grace through Faith alone, but when it comes to sanctification, we are so dishonest about our overwhelming need of God's grace every breathing second of our life. Worse yet, bad teachers & pastors keep pilling on more guilt of the law without a balance of Guilt, Grace & Gratitude.

Are Jack and Rose Marie bucking the heavy emphasis of law in our sanctification that the Reformed tradition advocates? Are the Miller's advocating a Lutheran position of sanctification as getting use to our justification? (More on Lutheran doctrine of Sanctification, read Lutheran Seminary Prof. of Systematics & Author of Christology David Scaer) I believe the Miller's are advocating the proper Biblical position that the body of Christ grows in their faith by being attached as branches to the vine. We are to keep our eyes focused on the Jesus Christ the author and perfector of our faith.

I was blessed by the quote at the beginning of the book by Francis Schaeffer "The present value of the blood of Christ." was proclaimed by Schaeffer when a crisis would present itself. I have reworked this quote after reading this book to say in all trying circumstances: "This situation is another opportunity to see God's faithfulness of Grace and Mercy work in my life." vs. the old defeating attitude, "Here I go again, another trial I can't control".

As a step father of two unsaved adult children 19 & 27, I found great encouragement from the Miller's new confidence in prayer for their daughter Barbara's salvation.

Several years ago, I dropped out of the Miller's Sonship course because I was afraid my mentor was going to abandon me in my orphan state and not raise me out. I have been passionately reading sound Biblical material on the implication of the Fall and how it radically turns me into an orphan fearing the unknown. Both Sonship and this book will be life changing for you like me. Nearly every page has a sentence or paragraph that I have highlighted. "Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"!

Has this book changed my life? Yes. Why did I give it four vs. five stars like the other reviews?

Rose Marie by her own testimony in Chapter 6 describes a true conversion experience of seeing her sins and the righteousness of Christ. "I was so deeply convicted of my sin against God and awed by his receiving love that I barely made it through lunch that day." "Was this a conversion experience? Many people have asked that question. I am not certain. I had known all the right Christian words. And I prayed and had seen answers to prayer, especially in matters of health, protection, and material provision for our family. (Rose Marie-that is common grace, not regenerating grace-my words) But before Switzerland my working religious outlook does not seem to have generated by grace. Below the surface, mine was a religion of self-control through human will power, and my primary interest was in self-justification, not in Christ's justification." Rose Marie must edit this section before its next printing and say I was not saved. I was trusting in my own righteousness. I could not forgive, and scripture is clear Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Many details were left out. The story was shortened. I would like to know more about Rose Marie's relationship with her sister, mother and father when they lived in her and Jack's home. How did she handle a home full of people from the congregation that Jack was pastor when she had a mentally ill mother and sister to care for? Was her husband Jack adding additional burden? To my memory, Rose Marie does not share much about what her friends said to her during her struggles before her conversion experience in Switzerland. All her advice seems to come from her husband Jack.

"Why do I have such a hard time trusting God whenever the way before me is unfamiliar?" Read the book and be blessed!

Rating:
Summary: For every woman
Review: I don't think there is a woman alive who would not be touched by this book. Rose Marie's struggles resonate with most women. We have given this book to many of our friends and they all have been encouraged.

Rating:
Summary: For every woman
Review: Rose Marie has done a wonderful job of weaving Biblical truths about personal grace and forgiveness with vulnernably told stories from her own life. If you live like an orphan when the King Himself is your Father, this book is for you. She helps the reader understand how we choose to live as rejected people, judged people, miserable people, complaining people, life's victims. She goes on to teach the loving grace and forgiveness of God. She also addresses those situations that are beyond our control, and how to accept and pray for others who hurt us. Its a whole new perspective for the person trained in leaglism. It added balance to my life in the form of personal grace that spills over to others, and has helped bring me closer to my loving Father,God.