By Scot McKnight ( Author ) [ One Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow By Dec-2010 Paperback

by Scot McKnight

Piercing our modern preconceptions, author and professor Scot McKnight invites you to discover what Jesus meant when he announced the arrival of God's kingdom, and why his message had such a profound impact on his listeners.A manifesto of the Christian faith, One.Life. Calls you beyond the flatlands of religiosity toward a kingdom vision that will shape everything you do.You've only got One.Life. Here is how to live it for all it's worth.

Genres: Faith, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Theology, Discipleship, Spirituality, Christian

Paperback

First published December 4, 2010

About the author

Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author or editor of forty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly speaks at local churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the USA and abroad. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book. This is one of those rare books that I rate a 5, and also am not hesitant, at all, to say that any follower of God in the way of Jesus...must read this book. McKnight is brilliant but so down to earth and easy to understand.

There are many quotes I could give from this book, but I will share one. In a great section about the nature and purpose of the parables of Jesus, McKnight ends that chapter like this:
"You begin thinking about very ordinary things, like fields and farmers and workers and women baking bread and men picking wheat and wounded people, and suddenly you find yourself transported into a brand new world and a brand new way of thinking."

Let me share one more:

"Why did Jesus come?

'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor' Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' (Luke 4:16-21).

Every five seconds a child dies of hunger.
More than one million children are trafficked per year for sex.
More than eight million children are forced into godless conditions to satisfy the perverse desire of perverse people.
More than two million children have HIV.

Do you think obliterating such things is why Jesus came?

People choose to ignore this and go on with what can only be called 'the christian religion with barely any kingdom dream.'

Why did Jesus come? You need to get this question answered right before you can even begin to make up your mind about Jesus."

[Tim Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

it really is a simple book. Jesus calls. We follow. that is the message found within One.Life by Scot McKnight. We have one life. what will we do with it? How will we live it?

what i appreciated about this book was how Scot took an honest look at questions... the questions of faith that lead to more questions... which lead to more and more questions.
as the questions arise, McKnight paints a picture that describes kingdom, love, justice, peace, wisdom, the church, commitment, eternity, etc.

God's plan is for our one.life to intersect with those things and McKnight wets the appetite for more. after reading, i want more... i feel compelled to share with others what it looks like to follow Christ... truly follow Christ.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it. Reminded me of Crazy Love. His style is very much like "so if this stuff Jesus said is true, what are you going to do about it?" The one very small part of the book I had trouble with was a brief discussion on hell. McKnight has a unique, contrived, and unbiblical view of hell.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a straightforward approach to teaching about Jesus of Nazareth and the whole point of his kingdom focused message. Essentially, since all only have One.Life what are you going to do with it and he suggests that it should be about Jesus' Kingdom.Life. In particular, I appreciated the radical candor in which which Scot McKnight addresses the reader to challenge our own preconceived notions about what Jesus time on earth was all about. This read was a great start to the 2022 year and recommend it for anyone looking for a fresh new perspective.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many good quotes in this book.

He writes about "Jesus' kingdom dream." I've always been a little confused about Jesus' concept of "the Kingdom." I am still not real clear on that but it is probably some mental block on my part.The book seems to be written for millennials although, of course, very helpful for any age person. One of the first key ideas is simply about how spiritual formation is not just about one's individual relationship with God, intimacy with the Triune God. I've read many "spiritual formation" books and the focus is, well, almost mystical, ethereal....hearing God's voice, contemplation, meditation, prayer. McKnight makes the focus community and justice. He wrote a lot about caring about the poor and homeless NEXT DOOR. He mentioned how millennials are keen for experience of serving the poor in an exotic place but not caring about the poor in their community. I would like to say this is NOT just an issue with young people. For my generation (the 1980s), our focus was correct biblical truth and doctrine. I can remember people saying, "Jesus said the poor will always be with you." And then there were those who wanted to be missionaries but rarely thought of the lost next door. So this is a proverbial thing.

He has an excellent chapter on love and sex. The pattern in the chapters are One Life, Kingdom Life, Justice Life, Peace Life, Church Life etc. This book could be read with a group and read a few times.

In the chapter on Vocation: Some people have such a strong sense that they MUST DO SOMETHING that really matters. He wrote about his grandparents. They were poor but raised children very well and didn't that matter?

[Reid Mccormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How can I discern the Lord’s will for my life?”

This is a question we all have; especially young men and women finishing high school or college. Our theology constantly reiterates that God is in control and that He has a master plan for this world and He has a special plan for you. You would think that such control would impart assurance, instead we wallow in uncertainty.

What if I get it wrong? I get a maximum of 100 years on this earth, what happens if I choose the wrong vocation, the wrong spouse, the wrong church? We want to be fully immersed into God’s plan, but what is God’s plan?

I picked up this book from a friend’s shelf. It looked like an interesting book, another volume in the “God’s Plan” genre. Professor Scot McKnight guides us through our life and its various aspects: love, justice, peace, sex, vocation, etc. But most importantly, he helps us define how following Jesus should impact our life. I was really impressed how McKnight walked me through the Christian faith in an innovative way. It was almost like I was listening to the good news for the first time. Follow Jesus is not about following rules but embracing a life of love.

This is a great book for a college student looking to find his or her own faith.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Scot McKnight's trademark style he unfolds here what it means to follow Jesus with your life. I like what he says here, because he is holistic in his approach and not one dimensional about discipleship but covers a lot of ground (salvation,the kingdom, justice, peace, wisdom, sex, vocation, the cross and resurrection, and more). The chapters are short and pithy making this ideal for a book group. His context as a professor (and the fact that this book was birthed out of his Jesus of Nazareth class) makes this an ideal book for college age followers of Christ. Having done college ministry I think this would have been a helpful resource.

Not that it doesn't say anything to older folks as well, but a lot of examples are drawn from student life.

This is not my favorite McKnight book, but I don't dislike it either. I think the King Jesus Gospel (which came out after this) is the better and more important book of the two. But as always McKnight is thoughtful and informed, but accessible.

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a lot of what Scot McKnight says. He's a scholar, and he tries not to overstate his case, and he's also passionate and provocative. Like other "radical restatements of true Christianity", he characterises the current situation in such dire terms that I find it hard to relate to his critiques. I do love the church-centric perspective of this book. His "love, justice, peace, wisdom" grid for expressing the Christian life is taking me a while to figure out. The forgiveness of the cross and the new life of the resurrection are present and significant in McKnight's thinking, but (predictably) not as central as I want them to be. In avoiding the pitfall of over-emphasising Christianity as a one-time decision, has he shifted the balance too far from what Christ has done towards what his followers ought to do?

[Brad Kittle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a great reviewer of books, I don't have the time or patience for it! Scott's book was very good and I would rate much of it a 4 star and I do recommend it with this caution...we can never minimize the centrality of the cross and the out working of the new birth in our lives. Salvation is wholly and entirely through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We are brought into his Kingdom society by an act of God's grace and then and only then can we proceed to live the kingdom life. Jesus said' "my kingdom is not of this world." And I believe he meant it!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Scot McKnight’s posture and viewpoint in his writings. And it’s why I decided to read this book, even though is came out in 2010. As a university pastor was looking to see if this would be a good book to give to a new Christian or a young disciple. The first 50 pages of this book had me reimagining the essences of Jesus’s call to live into this kingdom life after him. For that I’m grateful. Admitted I felt this book ran out of steam half way and I found myself skimming by the end. In the end, it’s something I might pull from for the chapters on Kingdom and Imagine and maybe Vocation.

[Brett Shilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. McKnight presents a well-thought out & clear introduction to what it means to follow Jesus in this life. He touches on a great number of themes & yet doesn't lose clarity & cohesiveness throughout the book.

[L Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to warm up to this book because I couldn’t tell where the author was going at first. But things began to come together as the chapters progressed.

The summary (not spoiler) is that we all have one life, so what are we going to do with it. For Christians/followers of Jesus, the question is more intense. What does it mean to use your one life and truly follow Jesus? What did Jesus mean by “the kingdom?” The author believes most have not really looked as closely as we should to understand what Jesus envisioned the kingdom to be so he walks through what he believes is Jesus’ vision of it.

This is not a book that leans left or right. It often goes beyond our categories and earthly ideas. It builds on itself through the chapters until you have a more complete description and definition towards the end. It strips away much of the things that humans have muddled the message of Jesus with.

For me, it was logical and lined up with the gospels and the New Testament as a whole. Some may not agree with his thoughts about a new heaven and new earth at the end, but I found it thought provoking and logical. The book definitely challenges us to live differently, better, more fully and completely for Jesus instead of compartmentalizing that aspect of our life. I love his question - how can I live so that at the end I have no regrets?

[Franklin Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that drew me to this book was one of the endorsements on the back cover saying that the reader had vowed to read everything by Scot McKnight after reading this book. Now I see why.
This is one of those books that challenges you to really live out the Jesus calling…to give your One. Life to the One who created you and calls you to a relationship.
Particularly moving to me were the chapters about Kingdom Life (versus a personal spirituality) and the chapter that defines Love.
While I’m not too critical about books, I rarely give out five stars.
But this is a book to be read and re-read. It will be on my easy access shelf to review again soon.

[Karina Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scot packs so much into this book and while that sounds like a good think I think it’s actually its downfall. I appreciate his perspective shift from salvation culture to kingdom culture. I found it challenging how many broad sweeping statements there were without either Scripture to back the statements up or practicalities to bring those statements to life application. He had so much he wanted to say he simply didn’t have time to with all the topics he tried to cover. Maybe next time I’ll read just the first half of the book

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was tasked with reading The King Jesus Gospel by the same author as part of my school assignment for Liberty University. The author mentioned this book as well as a few others, and I decided to listen to it. I’m not particularly pleased with the narration. (It seemed a bit dull for this exciting topic), but I loved the book. It’s a great companion book for The King Jesus Gospel and I believe it adds insight and depth to several sections as well!

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a Scott McKnight book a few years back, from memory it was on fasting and from memory I was not that excited about it, but this one was a solid easy read, with some good positive challenging moments to assist you with growing in Christ.
in a time where the church lives on the fringes of the gospel and sits itself in the political market place we need to get back to the central calling we have, the cross of Christ and the gospel.

[Alex Marque · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the tradition of the Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship,” McKnight has written an unrelenting and uncompromising biblical picture of following Jesus. It is as exciting as it is convicting and yet grace and forgiveness is never absent from this kingdom imagination of following Jesus. This will definitely be a book a reread to more slowly digest to take following Jesus into new depths in my own life.

[Kyle Klee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book for anyone who could use a rekindling of hope in our One.Life. Anyone who could use inspiration and reminders of who we are whose we are. This book is very well written, flows very nicely and is just simply a book about the everlasting love of Christ and how we should love our neighbor in light of that fact. Please read it!

[Tim Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first five chapters were amazing! I was thinking: “this is the best book I’ve read all year”! I was so inspired to continue to follow Jesus with my ONE.LIFE.

The rest of the book is good, but a bit repetitive. It was a bit of a slog to finish honestly.

Still, I would recommend the first five chapters to everyone! Amazing!

[Brad Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about missional, "kingdom living" loving God and loving others

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking and challenging my claim of being a Jesus follower. What does that really look like.

[Ryan and Sara Wendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on discipleship! I highly recommend reading this book!

[Sara Welshimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great ideas!

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

[Rocky Woolery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scot has delivered a great challenge to the usual understanding of what it means to be a Christian (a follower of Christ). After challenging the usual assumptions he then does a great job of instilling in the reader what it means to be a real follower of Christ. He also helps to see how following Christ impacts, and why it impacts, every area of a followers life.

This is by far one of the best books I have read in the last year.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book. It captures much of McKnights thinking about discipleship and spiritual formation and puts it in an accessible form. It's a much needed balance to the spiritual formation world that is often focused only on the inner life.

It has a number of helpful sections and will get you thinking, regardless.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing book on discipleship. Scot McKnight writes easily, with no frills and a touch of humor. He's the kind of professor you can tell you would have loved in college: smart but accessible, challenging but kind. A few chapters are incredible-- the community chapter shines, for example-- and I really enjoyed the first half of the book and learning what it really means to orient yourself as a follower of Jesus and his kingdom vision. The second half of the book was less strong, I felt, devoting whole chapters to hot button issues like sex and hell, which removed me from the universal nature of what it means to follow Christ down into hot button issues and morality. I also felt the book was written for a less mature audience, namely college students or people in their early twenties, so at times it felt too elementary or that it discussed issues that I no longer struggle with. I would recommend it though, especially for college students or people new to the Christian faith and who would like a simple primer on what it really means to follow Jesus.

[Steve Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scot McKnight does it again. While not the same at Jesus Creed, this book builds on some of the same themes and does so in a concise manner. The writing is perfect for a college student and the topic is a must for that age group. McKnight challenges all to know that if you are not a kingdom-minded, obedient follower of Christ, you are just a poser. A kingdom-minded follower's life is characterized by love, justice, peace and wisdom. A kingdom-minded follower is committed and working within the normative context of a church.

Dr. McKnight doesn't pull any punches here. He says it with the same vigor and force as the prophets, John the Baptist and, yes, Jesus Christ, himself. There's no room in the church for half hearted following of Jesus. I know I need to check myself and my motivation after reading this book.

[Yipeng · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not here to argue about tiny parts of the book and whether Dr McKnight 'got it right' or something. Those issues may or may not exist, but the book as a whole isn't necessarily about tiny details like that.

If you are a Christian, a real Christian, then you should follow your Saviour. You should take it seriously.

I think his main point is excellent, his writing is accessible and easy to follow, and his words make you think about your faith. I believe this is what makes this book a good one.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written for self-identifies Christians, of which I am not but there is a lot more for me to agree with here than disagree with from the authors take on Jesus and Jesus message on how to conduct a life, to how important it is for all of us regardless of how we define ourselves to focus on changing what we can in our own circles of influence and building bridges rather than barriers. I won't read it again, but I am glad I read it.