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Unloved: The Rejected Saints God Calls Beloved
Do you feel unloved by God?
Encounter stories of God’s love for the unlovedChallenge the lie that you must earn God’s loveReflect on God’s love with study questions for each chapterFind comfort in God’s love for you in JesusThere is good you can’t earn God’s love. Whatever you have done or whatever has been done to you—none of it qualifies or disqualifies you from God’s love.
In The Rejected Saints God Calls Beloved, Elyse M. Fitzpatrick tells stories of God’s faithfulness toward the misunderstood and often unfaithful saints of the Bible.
Hosea and GomerSarah and AbrahamHagar and Photine (the woman at the well)Tamar and JudahNaomi, Ruth, and BoazBathsheba and DavidMary and JosephThese women and men suffered and failed and were often maligned. And yet they were also loved by God. His love for these messy saints reminds you that God also loves you—generously, lavishly, and freely. Jesus came for the outcasts, men and women burdened by shame or guilt and seen as unloved. And he calls you his beloved.
Encounter stories of God’s love for the unlovedChallenge the lie that you must earn God’s loveReflect on God’s love with study questions for each chapterFind comfort in God’s love for you in JesusThere is good you can’t earn God’s love. Whatever you have done or whatever has been done to you—none of it qualifies or disqualifies you from God’s love.
In The Rejected Saints God Calls Beloved, Elyse M. Fitzpatrick tells stories of God’s faithfulness toward the misunderstood and often unfaithful saints of the Bible.
Hosea and GomerSarah and AbrahamHagar and Photine (the woman at the well)Tamar and JudahNaomi, Ruth, and BoazBathsheba and DavidMary and JosephThese women and men suffered and failed and were often maligned. And yet they were also loved by God. His love for these messy saints reminds you that God also loves you—generously, lavishly, and freely. Jesus came for the outcasts, men and women burdened by shame or guilt and seen as unloved. And he calls you his beloved.
170 pages, Paperback
Published February 26, 2025
4 people are currently reading
1626 people want to read
About the author
Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
55 books473 followersAuthor of 20+ books on the Christian life and the gospel's impact on everyday living, Elyse is a frequent speaker at women's conferences nationally and internationally.
Elyse's ministry is summed up in these simple words: No fluff, No bricks, just the good news of a crucified and risen Christ.
In 1971 she married her sweetheart Phil and together they raised three children and are enjoying six really adorable grandchildren.
Together they attend Valley Center Community Church in the hills of the North County of San Diego where Phil is an elder.
Elyse's ministry is summed up in these simple words: No fluff, No bricks, just the good news of a crucified and risen Christ.
In 1971 she married her sweetheart Phil and together they raised three children and are enjoying six really adorable grandchildren.
Together they attend Valley Center Community Church in the hills of the North County of San Diego where Phil is an elder.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 20, 2025
Many of us have struggled with the nagging question, “Does God love me?” Even though we might know with our minds that He does, we still feel the pestering pressure of this doubt tugging at our heartstrings.
That’s where Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book “Unloved” enters the scene, helpful in its highlights of stories about “the rejected saints God calls beloved.” This book reminds us of the truth that God’s love is not earned but already a reality for us. Nothing—absolutely nothing—can disqualify the believer from His love. He loves us, and God’s faithfulness renders this truth as one we can always rest in—even when we fall short in our own faithfulness to Him.
This book is highly impactful. I found the chapter about Bathsheba and David to be especially moving and helpful.
As you read this book, you will repeatedly encounter the truth that you are beloved through the stories of Scripture, experiencing reminder after reminder that He lifts the burden of shame and guilt. You will discover that it is not what you do or don’t that earns God’s love, but the very truth that He loves you because of what His Son has done for you.
Highlights:
“…we must accept that we are unable to earn anything from God. Ever. Although this might not look like good news, it is actually the best news we could ever hear. That's because, if we let it, it will destroy all our self-trust and force us to free-fall onto the mercy of God, the only place where sinners can find rest.”
“Our relationship with God is based solely on the work of Jesus Christ. . . All our earning has already been done.”
“Certainly, if Jesus knew that we had to pay our way into relationship with him, he would have abandoned us long ago. But he didn’t because we don’t.”
“Our fight is to believe that we are beloved, even when, to our eyes, the opposite seems true.”
“Jesus is the only one who has ever loved women and men perfectly, the way they should be loved: seeing both the darkness and the beauty of their souls and longing for their complete wholeness and joy.”
Total: 4 Stars
Readability: 4
Impact: 4
Content: 4
Enjoyment: 4
Thank you to Lexham Press for gifting me a copy of this book as a part of the launch team. I am leaving this review voluntarily and was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.
That’s where Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book “Unloved” enters the scene, helpful in its highlights of stories about “the rejected saints God calls beloved.” This book reminds us of the truth that God’s love is not earned but already a reality for us. Nothing—absolutely nothing—can disqualify the believer from His love. He loves us, and God’s faithfulness renders this truth as one we can always rest in—even when we fall short in our own faithfulness to Him.
This book is highly impactful. I found the chapter about Bathsheba and David to be especially moving and helpful.
As you read this book, you will repeatedly encounter the truth that you are beloved through the stories of Scripture, experiencing reminder after reminder that He lifts the burden of shame and guilt. You will discover that it is not what you do or don’t that earns God’s love, but the very truth that He loves you because of what His Son has done for you.
Highlights:
“…we must accept that we are unable to earn anything from God. Ever. Although this might not look like good news, it is actually the best news we could ever hear. That's because, if we let it, it will destroy all our self-trust and force us to free-fall onto the mercy of God, the only place where sinners can find rest.”
“Our relationship with God is based solely on the work of Jesus Christ. . . All our earning has already been done.”
“Certainly, if Jesus knew that we had to pay our way into relationship with him, he would have abandoned us long ago. But he didn’t because we don’t.”
“Our fight is to believe that we are beloved, even when, to our eyes, the opposite seems true.”
“Jesus is the only one who has ever loved women and men perfectly, the way they should be loved: seeing both the darkness and the beauty of their souls and longing for their complete wholeness and joy.”
Total: 4 Stars
Readability: 4
Impact: 4
Content: 4
Enjoyment: 4
Thank you to Lexham Press for gifting me a copy of this book as a part of the launch team. I am leaving this review voluntarily and was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.
February 26, 2025
This review contains affiliate links
I received Unloved compliments of Lexham Press in exchange for my launch team participation.
Unloved is the latest title by author, podcaster, and biblical counselor Elyse Fitzpatrick. In this book, Elyse takes readers through various biblical accounts and helps them understand how those who might seem unloved are actually deeply loved by God. Readers learn that this love God showed to saints past, is for present saints and their hearts can be reminded of it by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I enjoyed that many of the accounts examined in Unloved are from the Old Testament. There were many stories I was familiar with and gained a deeper understanding of because of the context Elyse provided. I’ve already been greatly blessed by Hagar’s accounts in Genesis because I find it so exciting that the first time the Angel of the Lord appears is to a woman. Elyse included details about this account that I hadn’t been aware of which helped me see it better. I felt the same was true with the other accounts she wrote about.
By human standards, it often seems that those who act in the most externally acceptable fashion are the most worthy of God’s love. Elyse reminds readers that there is nothing they can do to earn God’s favor because it’s already been earned for them by Jesus. Unloved is essentially a repeated reminder of the gospel message and encourages readers that if they belong to Christ, nothing can separate them from God’s love.
This book was a comforting and encouraging read because of these repeated reminders. I find when it comes to studying God’s attributes, His love is one that often receives less emphasis than others so it was helpful for me to be reminded that He truly loves me. I enjoyed Unloved and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of God’s love.
I received Unloved compliments of Lexham Press in exchange for my launch team participation.
Unloved is the latest title by author, podcaster, and biblical counselor Elyse Fitzpatrick. In this book, Elyse takes readers through various biblical accounts and helps them understand how those who might seem unloved are actually deeply loved by God. Readers learn that this love God showed to saints past, is for present saints and their hearts can be reminded of it by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I enjoyed that many of the accounts examined in Unloved are from the Old Testament. There were many stories I was familiar with and gained a deeper understanding of because of the context Elyse provided. I’ve already been greatly blessed by Hagar’s accounts in Genesis because I find it so exciting that the first time the Angel of the Lord appears is to a woman. Elyse included details about this account that I hadn’t been aware of which helped me see it better. I felt the same was true with the other accounts she wrote about.
By human standards, it often seems that those who act in the most externally acceptable fashion are the most worthy of God’s love. Elyse reminds readers that there is nothing they can do to earn God’s favor because it’s already been earned for them by Jesus. Unloved is essentially a repeated reminder of the gospel message and encourages readers that if they belong to Christ, nothing can separate them from God’s love.
This book was a comforting and encouraging read because of these repeated reminders. I find when it comes to studying God’s attributes, His love is one that often receives less emphasis than others so it was helpful for me to be reminded that He truly loves me. I enjoyed Unloved and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of God’s love.
February 26, 2025
When I learned about Elyse Fitzpatrick’s new book Unloved. The Rejected Saints God Calls Beloved, I was intrigued by the title. As I began to read it, I confess the tone of the book was unexpected. I found the points the author made interesting, and worth considering. The delivery, however, left me wondering if maybe I wasn’t the intended audience.
The chapters often felt like a Sunday school lesson with the main ideas frequently repeated and presented conversationally. I found this distracting. It made it challenging to keep reading. But I wanted to honour my commitment to read the book, so I kept reading. The book slowly won me over. Where the style was not within my personal preference, the point “Unloved” makes is one I needed to ponder and remember afresh.
Central to Fitzpatrick’s thesis is that “our contentment, happiness, and peace all rest on whether we believe that we are loved” (12). She exposes meritocracy in the first chapter–one’s worth established by one’s effort and merit–which she proceeds to debunk in the subsequent chapters, one biblical character at a time. Fitzpatrick presents figures like Abraham, Sarah, David, and Naomi, to name a few, in all their lack of splendour. I haven’t come across such deeply human portraits of revered Biblical figures, very often. Echoing the subheading in a chapter, “Seeing the good news in a shocking story” (37), is something this book did very well.
A quick search online defines beloved as: a noun; a much loved person. That’s straightforward enough. But to live as someone beloved, to walk in this life knowing oneself as “a much loved person”, there’s nothing straightforward about that. As a Christian, I find the word heavy with meaning I don’t always know how to carry. “Unloved” helped me understand and grab hold of the truth that in Christ, I am beloved.
I was given the book for free but was not required to provide a positive review.
The chapters often felt like a Sunday school lesson with the main ideas frequently repeated and presented conversationally. I found this distracting. It made it challenging to keep reading. But I wanted to honour my commitment to read the book, so I kept reading. The book slowly won me over. Where the style was not within my personal preference, the point “Unloved” makes is one I needed to ponder and remember afresh.
Central to Fitzpatrick’s thesis is that “our contentment, happiness, and peace all rest on whether we believe that we are loved” (12). She exposes meritocracy in the first chapter–one’s worth established by one’s effort and merit–which she proceeds to debunk in the subsequent chapters, one biblical character at a time. Fitzpatrick presents figures like Abraham, Sarah, David, and Naomi, to name a few, in all their lack of splendour. I haven’t come across such deeply human portraits of revered Biblical figures, very often. Echoing the subheading in a chapter, “Seeing the good news in a shocking story” (37), is something this book did very well.
A quick search online defines beloved as: a noun; a much loved person. That’s straightforward enough. But to live as someone beloved, to walk in this life knowing oneself as “a much loved person”, there’s nothing straightforward about that. As a Christian, I find the word heavy with meaning I don’t always know how to carry. “Unloved” helped me understand and grab hold of the truth that in Christ, I am beloved.
I was given the book for free but was not required to provide a positive review.
March 19, 2025
How do sinners become saints? In Unloved, Elyse M. Fitzpatrick presents the rejected saints God calls beloved.
Fitzpatrick begins the book by asking if we see our Christian faith as a meritocricy – thinking we can gain favor with God by living the correct way. Fitzpatrick argues that we cannot work hard to earn God’s love, and that his grace reaches even the messiest of sinners. She tells stories from the Bible to prove her point.
Sin is Met with Grace
The featured Bible characters are Hosea, Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Judah, Tamar, Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, David, Bathsheba, Joseph, and Mary. Fitzpatrick writes in a way that highlights the reality of the scandals, abuse, and evil in their stories. These are not stories that you would find on a children’s flannelgraph!
Through examining these men and women of the faith, Fitzpatrick concludes that our standing with the Lord does not depend on our performance, but on the grace of the Father, the love of the Son, and the work of the Spirit. After reading this book, I am thankful that the Bible is full of these stories where sin is met with grace, and where sinners can have hope in God.
I received a media copy of Unloved and this is my honest review.
Fitzpatrick begins the book by asking if we see our Christian faith as a meritocricy – thinking we can gain favor with God by living the correct way. Fitzpatrick argues that we cannot work hard to earn God’s love, and that his grace reaches even the messiest of sinners. She tells stories from the Bible to prove her point.
Sin is Met with Grace
The featured Bible characters are Hosea, Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Judah, Tamar, Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, David, Bathsheba, Joseph, and Mary. Fitzpatrick writes in a way that highlights the reality of the scandals, abuse, and evil in their stories. These are not stories that you would find on a children’s flannelgraph!
Through examining these men and women of the faith, Fitzpatrick concludes that our standing with the Lord does not depend on our performance, but on the grace of the Father, the love of the Son, and the work of the Spirit. After reading this book, I am thankful that the Bible is full of these stories where sin is met with grace, and where sinners can have hope in God.
I received a media copy of Unloved and this is my honest review.
February 27, 2025
In Unloved, Elyse Fitzpatrick unpacks some of the most familiar biblical stories, reframing what we thought we knew about them. In each of these chapters, she brilliantly contrasts the love and grace of God with the concept of meritocracy. This book effectively highlights God’s immense love for us and how counter-cultural that love is.
I recommend this book to anyone who doubts God’s love for them or is seeking to shed the meritocracy mindset.
I was given the book for free but was not required to provide a positive review.
I recommend this book to anyone who doubts God’s love for them or is seeking to shed the meritocracy mindset.
I was given the book for free but was not required to provide a positive review.
May 5, 2025
I will re-read this book...It's worth reading again...Lot's of soul searching, lot's of thought...and I love that Bible scripture is referenced so that you can do your own research and dig even deeper into the stories...
August 17, 2025
I recommend this book to anyone who feels unloved. It's an encouraging and helpful book.
March 1, 2025
This book is a beautiful and needed reminder of God’s faithfulness and love for his messy and often destructive children. She walks us through stories in the Bible with the lens of God’s love, compassion, and grace. We are reminded of the failures of our “heros” of the faith and God’s pursuit of them. We are reminded too of those harmed by the “heros” of the faith. Jesus came for those of us burdened by shame and guilt. He came for the outcast, the oppressed, the rejected AND those who cast out, reject and oppress. Jesus is the faithful one who loves the unloved. Elyse tells us the beautiful story of the gospel woven through the lives of saints just like us.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews