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The Unvarnished Jesus: The Beauty of Christ & His Ugly Rivals
Powerful, trustworthy… beautiful?
Samuel G. Parkison makes a startling Jesus is the most beautiful man to ever exist. His defence is theoretical and he knows him to be ultimate beauty and he has experienced him to be so.
Deconstructing cultural notions that beauty is subjective or sentimental, Parkison constructs an impressive picture of God’s breathtaking beauty. On this firm foundation, the only building to rise is one that testifies to Jesus, the God–man, as the most beautiful man that ever lived.
There’s beauty on every page of Jesus’ story. From before time, the beautiful foreknowledge of the Father prepared for the beauty of the incarnation. From this beautiful birth came a ministry brimming with beauty, and a death that overflowed with it. This beautiful sunset is followed by a resurrection the beautiful declaration that salvation is secure. Having ascended, with beauty unbound, he now reigns forever as our ceaseless intercessor.
Through the pages of this journey, the unvarnished Jesus radiates with a true beauty like nothing and no one else. His rivals, the lesser versions, knockoffs and dupes, are ugly in comparison to the beautiful Jesus of the Holy Scriptures. He is the only one through whom satisfaction and communion with God, the ultimate beauty we’re wired to desire, is found.
This is a beauty that everyone needs to know and experience. With sidebars and a glossary to distil complex terms, readers are invited to delve deeper into the beauty of Jesus. There’s beauty in the big words, and it’s within the grasp of every reader.
So, put the proposition to the test. Read and revel in Jesus; he’s beautiful.
Samuel G. Parkison makes a startling Jesus is the most beautiful man to ever exist. His defence is theoretical and he knows him to be ultimate beauty and he has experienced him to be so.
Deconstructing cultural notions that beauty is subjective or sentimental, Parkison constructs an impressive picture of God’s breathtaking beauty. On this firm foundation, the only building to rise is one that testifies to Jesus, the God–man, as the most beautiful man that ever lived.
There’s beauty on every page of Jesus’ story. From before time, the beautiful foreknowledge of the Father prepared for the beauty of the incarnation. From this beautiful birth came a ministry brimming with beauty, and a death that overflowed with it. This beautiful sunset is followed by a resurrection the beautiful declaration that salvation is secure. Having ascended, with beauty unbound, he now reigns forever as our ceaseless intercessor.
Through the pages of this journey, the unvarnished Jesus radiates with a true beauty like nothing and no one else. His rivals, the lesser versions, knockoffs and dupes, are ugly in comparison to the beautiful Jesus of the Holy Scriptures. He is the only one through whom satisfaction and communion with God, the ultimate beauty we’re wired to desire, is found.
This is a beauty that everyone needs to know and experience. With sidebars and a glossary to distil complex terms, readers are invited to delve deeper into the beauty of Jesus. There’s beauty in the big words, and it’s within the grasp of every reader.
So, put the proposition to the test. Read and revel in Jesus; he’s beautiful.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 12, 2025
9 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Samuel G. Parkison
8 books194 followersSamuel G. Parkison (PhD) is Associate Professor of Theological Studies at the Gulf Theological Seminary in the UAE. He is also the Director of Publishing at Credo Magazine. He is the author of several books, including To Gaze Upon God (IVP Academic, 2024) and The Unvarnished Jesus (Christian Focus, 2025).
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 6, 2024
Was happy to read a pre-pub version and give an endorsement for this new book.
My endorsement:
"In this book Christology and beauty are wedded together the way they belong. While beauty may not be the first thing which comes to mind when Christian’s think of Christ, Parkison convincingly shows how vital affirming the beauty of Christ is for both theology and the Christian life. Readers would do well to give this book a slow read and marvel at the beauty of the Lord."
My endorsement:
"In this book Christology and beauty are wedded together the way they belong. While beauty may not be the first thing which comes to mind when Christian’s think of Christ, Parkison convincingly shows how vital affirming the beauty of Christ is for both theology and the Christian life. Readers would do well to give this book a slow read and marvel at the beauty of the Lord."
January 5, 2026
What a great book to read at the start of the year, reflecting on the beauty of Jesus. Wonderful.
It’s worth saying that this is a book that requires effort to be put in to get the joys out of it. If you’re looking for something for a more casual reader try “Beauty is your destiny” by Philip Ryken.
It’s worth saying that this is a book that requires effort to be put in to get the joys out of it. If you’re looking for something for a more casual reader try “Beauty is your destiny” by Philip Ryken.
November 29, 2025
Stunning book! I so appreciate Dr Parkinson’s love for the Gospel and doctrine, as this leads to doxology. It was beautifully devotional for me as he walked through Christ’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and finished work in the ascension!
July 15, 2025
Parkinson’s prayers and poetry - stellar. His advocacy for classical Trinitarianism, simplicity, immutability, impeccability, the hypostatic union, communication of idioms, timelessness, and inseparable operations, rejections of Christological heresies are also top notch.
Beauty is real.
13 - “So, most Christians are realists when it comes to truth and goodness, but for some reason, when it comes to beauty, we embrace a total subjectivism.”
30 - “God incomprehensible we thank you for your gracious accommodation. We are creatures of the dust, unable to even cause our own hearts to pump blood, much less lay hold of your awesome ways We marvel that you would stoop to reveal yourself to us. Since you are infinite in all your perfections, any finite description of you falls utterly short, yet you have chosen to describe yourself to us in such ways out of compassion for us in our limitations. Your self-revealed analogies are gifts befitting earth-dwellers like us. We dare not refuse the gifts you give us, so we gladly speak back to you the analogies you have given us. You are our rock, though you are spirit and have no body, You are our shield, though no arrows could ever approach you. You nourish us like a mother eagle, though you have no need to hunt, for you are the provider of all. From your nostrils puff smoke of wrath at unrighteousness, and from your mouth pours fire at sin. You protect us with your strong arm. You show us pity as our Father. You know our frame and remember that we are but dust. You are all these things for you have told us so-and yet you are infinitely more, and what more can we say? We are beggars and borrowers. We speak your words back to you, think your thoughts after you. We praise you for your goodness, praise you for revealing your goodness to us, and praise you for giving us words to form our praise of you. You are ben, made For all things are from and through and to you All the all-beautiful, and we see your beauty in the things that have been made. For all things are from you and to you. All glory belongs to you forever and ever. Amen.”
41 - “we can no longer call anything earthly “ordinary…” Every fetus that has ever existed-whether miscarried, grown, or murdered—is, by virtue of existing as a human, in good (nay, the greatest) company. The most dignifying and beautifying thing God ever did for humanity was the Son's incarnation. The Word became flesh. We can never go back. Beauty has made his irreversible mark on the earth.”
83 - “Christ's passive obedience refers to his life of suffering—culminating with his death on the cross—whereby he bears the consequences of law-breaking. "By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3b). Christ's active obedience refers to his meritorious life of law-keeping, whereby he acquires the blessing of eternal life, which Adam forfeited all those years ago.”
85 - “Again, Christ's impeccability is mysterious to us, but this does not mean we cannot and should not affirm it logically In fact, it is a truly logical doctrine. Impeccability is only illogical if we forget the doctrine of the hypostatic union.”
97 - “But we must always remember that the analogy flows in one direction: we cannot take experiences of our indignation and project that back up onto God just because the word is used, as if God is inviting us to "sympathize" with him at all. This needle is incredibly hard to thread: to accept the accommodated language God gives us in Holy Scripture without projecting our own creaturely experiences of that language back up into God.”
110 - “Universal atonement would mean universal intercession, which could result in nothing other than universal salvation because his intercession is always effective… The author does not write that by a single offering, “he has offered perfection" or "has made perfection possible,” but rather that by a single offering, be "HAS perfected." “
⭐️ 129 - “It also should not surprise us that Jesus is mistaken for a "gardener" in this passage. In one sense, that is exactly what he is; he is the Second Adam, who undoes in a garden all the tragedy set into motion by the first Adam, who brought about the curse of sin in a garden. Adam was a gardener-priest, who, rather than working the garden and bearing the fruit of life for the sake of ordered praise and worship as he had been commanded, ushered in the tomb of death and decay. And now, here stands Christ, the final gardener-priest, standing in another garden with another woman, having defeated death and springing out of the tomb as the first-fruits of the New Creation.”
174 - “Our Beautiful Shepherd, you feed us continually with your nourishing Word, you empower us with the blood-bought blessing of your Spirit's presence, you rule over us as our benevolent King. Lord Jesus, we lift our hearts to pray with the innumerable saints who have gone before us, and we plead with you to make your kingdom come, that your will might be done here on earth as it is in heaven! You are King of all creation, and we long to see your dominion rightly celebrated from coast to coast, so that your beauty—which transfixes the eyes of our hearts with the sight of faith-might be the fall-satisfying object of our glorified vision. So, we pray, come, Lord Jesus! Amen.”
183 - “He dies to save his flock, he atones for the actual sins of his people, not the possible sinsof a possible people. This Jesus is more beautiful than his rival because the work he performs on behalf of his people is more beautifully effective. He sheds his blood for no one in the abstract, and his beloved Bride in the particular, and for that, his bloodshed is an infinitely beautiful display of love.”
Beauty is real.
13 - “So, most Christians are realists when it comes to truth and goodness, but for some reason, when it comes to beauty, we embrace a total subjectivism.”
30 - “God incomprehensible we thank you for your gracious accommodation. We are creatures of the dust, unable to even cause our own hearts to pump blood, much less lay hold of your awesome ways We marvel that you would stoop to reveal yourself to us. Since you are infinite in all your perfections, any finite description of you falls utterly short, yet you have chosen to describe yourself to us in such ways out of compassion for us in our limitations. Your self-revealed analogies are gifts befitting earth-dwellers like us. We dare not refuse the gifts you give us, so we gladly speak back to you the analogies you have given us. You are our rock, though you are spirit and have no body, You are our shield, though no arrows could ever approach you. You nourish us like a mother eagle, though you have no need to hunt, for you are the provider of all. From your nostrils puff smoke of wrath at unrighteousness, and from your mouth pours fire at sin. You protect us with your strong arm. You show us pity as our Father. You know our frame and remember that we are but dust. You are all these things for you have told us so-and yet you are infinitely more, and what more can we say? We are beggars and borrowers. We speak your words back to you, think your thoughts after you. We praise you for your goodness, praise you for revealing your goodness to us, and praise you for giving us words to form our praise of you. You are ben, made For all things are from and through and to you All the all-beautiful, and we see your beauty in the things that have been made. For all things are from you and to you. All glory belongs to you forever and ever. Amen.”
41 - “we can no longer call anything earthly “ordinary…” Every fetus that has ever existed-whether miscarried, grown, or murdered—is, by virtue of existing as a human, in good (nay, the greatest) company. The most dignifying and beautifying thing God ever did for humanity was the Son's incarnation. The Word became flesh. We can never go back. Beauty has made his irreversible mark on the earth.”
83 - “Christ's passive obedience refers to his life of suffering—culminating with his death on the cross—whereby he bears the consequences of law-breaking. "By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3b). Christ's active obedience refers to his meritorious life of law-keeping, whereby he acquires the blessing of eternal life, which Adam forfeited all those years ago.”
85 - “Again, Christ's impeccability is mysterious to us, but this does not mean we cannot and should not affirm it logically In fact, it is a truly logical doctrine. Impeccability is only illogical if we forget the doctrine of the hypostatic union.”
97 - “But we must always remember that the analogy flows in one direction: we cannot take experiences of our indignation and project that back up onto God just because the word is used, as if God is inviting us to "sympathize" with him at all. This needle is incredibly hard to thread: to accept the accommodated language God gives us in Holy Scripture without projecting our own creaturely experiences of that language back up into God.”
110 - “Universal atonement would mean universal intercession, which could result in nothing other than universal salvation because his intercession is always effective… The author does not write that by a single offering, “he has offered perfection" or "has made perfection possible,” but rather that by a single offering, be "HAS perfected." “
⭐️ 129 - “It also should not surprise us that Jesus is mistaken for a "gardener" in this passage. In one sense, that is exactly what he is; he is the Second Adam, who undoes in a garden all the tragedy set into motion by the first Adam, who brought about the curse of sin in a garden. Adam was a gardener-priest, who, rather than working the garden and bearing the fruit of life for the sake of ordered praise and worship as he had been commanded, ushered in the tomb of death and decay. And now, here stands Christ, the final gardener-priest, standing in another garden with another woman, having defeated death and springing out of the tomb as the first-fruits of the New Creation.”
174 - “Our Beautiful Shepherd, you feed us continually with your nourishing Word, you empower us with the blood-bought blessing of your Spirit's presence, you rule over us as our benevolent King. Lord Jesus, we lift our hearts to pray with the innumerable saints who have gone before us, and we plead with you to make your kingdom come, that your will might be done here on earth as it is in heaven! You are King of all creation, and we long to see your dominion rightly celebrated from coast to coast, so that your beauty—which transfixes the eyes of our hearts with the sight of faith-might be the fall-satisfying object of our glorified vision. So, we pray, come, Lord Jesus! Amen.”
183 - “He dies to save his flock, he atones for the actual sins of his people, not the possible sinsof a possible people. This Jesus is more beautiful than his rival because the work he performs on behalf of his people is more beautifully effective. He sheds his blood for no one in the abstract, and his beloved Bride in the particular, and for that, his bloodshed is an infinitely beautiful display of love.”
February 20, 2025
This was such a clear and uplifting book. When teaching theology I always attempt to do so in a worshipful way, but this is easier said than done. This book modeled worshipful theology so well. It encouraged my heart and strengthened my Christology.
One of the other strengths of the book is the clear writing. Parkison does a great job at describing classic Christology in a very accessible way.
Would highly recommend. This would work especially well for introducing the layperson to Christology.
One of the other strengths of the book is the clear writing. Parkison does a great job at describing classic Christology in a very accessible way.
Would highly recommend. This would work especially well for introducing the layperson to Christology.
Read
August 2, 2025This is the best potential "first book" on christology I've come across (I'm sure there must be a better one but I've been looking in disappointment for a while...). For a christian looking to take their first steps into deeper knowledge of the faith beyond a catechism it's one of the books I'll now recommend.
It's a lay aimed intro to the Person and Work of Christ; with a wonderful framing (Christ is the most Beautiful man); AND I didn't see any serious errors in it or any major face palm moments. There are some delightful doxological moments, that I'm likely to return to.
Comparing it with "12 things God can't do" the accessible intro to divine attributes I've recommended to others a lot; this book is a little harder and a little less clear; Parkison sometimes throws in advanced concepts e.g. Inseparable Operations and Eternal Generation but gives rather hand wavy explanations, not wrong but not tight; and hence open to misunderstanding.
I'm unsure how to rate it - parts of it are 5 star material for sure but the hand wavy treatment of some advanced concepts is quite an issue.
I think its delightful doxological framing will enable it to be of great spiritual use to its readers even whilst it warns them against errors like kenoticism and EFS BUT, I'm a little nervous that some readers who are new to these topics could come away either a) confused about some of the advanced concepts OR worse b) thinking that such areas of theology are vagaries built on hand waving. If a reader wishes to see these doctrines clearly demonstrated from scripture they'll need a heftier book e.g. Jamieson and Witman's Biblical Reasoning - I wish there was something in between the two but I haven't found one yet.
It's a lay aimed intro to the Person and Work of Christ; with a wonderful framing (Christ is the most Beautiful man); AND I didn't see any serious errors in it or any major face palm moments. There are some delightful doxological moments, that I'm likely to return to.
Comparing it with "12 things God can't do" the accessible intro to divine attributes I've recommended to others a lot; this book is a little harder and a little less clear; Parkison sometimes throws in advanced concepts e.g. Inseparable Operations and Eternal Generation but gives rather hand wavy explanations, not wrong but not tight; and hence open to misunderstanding.
I'm unsure how to rate it - parts of it are 5 star material for sure but the hand wavy treatment of some advanced concepts is quite an issue.
I think its delightful doxological framing will enable it to be of great spiritual use to its readers even whilst it warns them against errors like kenoticism and EFS BUT, I'm a little nervous that some readers who are new to these topics could come away either a) confused about some of the advanced concepts OR worse b) thinking that such areas of theology are vagaries built on hand waving. If a reader wishes to see these doctrines clearly demonstrated from scripture they'll need a heftier book e.g. Jamieson and Witman's Biblical Reasoning - I wish there was something in between the two but I haven't found one yet.
July 8, 2025
The Unvarnished Jesus is a simple, yet beautifully written theological work that applies the aesthetic aspect of Christ's person and work to the systematic locus of Christology. His argument is simple, "beauty is an essential attribute of God, If this is the case, the God-man therefore must be the most beautiful man ever to exist" (2). After introducing the concept of divine beauty in ch. 1, Parkison carefully goes over the major tenets of Christology, such as the incarnation (ch. 2), the hypostatic union (ch. 3), the atonement (ch. 4), the resurrection (ch. 5), and the ascension (ch. 6), with a helpful conclusion that summarizes his foremost points in each chapter (ch. 7).
Each chapter helpfully lays out some of the key theological terms used in Christological discussions, while also contrasting the orthodox formulations against heterodox and heretical positions (such as Arianism, Apollonarianism, Kenoticism, and EFS). Parkison doesn't shy away from tackling difficult theological topics, yet his prose is clear and to the point. He convincingly shows that beauty is a proper extension of each of the orthodox positions regarding Christology, and that his ugly rivals, held by many heretics or heterodox theologians, diminishes the glory, honor, and splendor of our Lord. Of all the chapters, his discussion of the hypostatic union in ch. 3 and its implications with regard to the imputation of Christ's whole obedience (active and passive), all while displaying the beauty of Christ's saving work for human sinners, was a wonderful display of simple yet profound theology.
One critique I have of The Unvarnished Jesus, and an area that Parkison could have developed further in his discussion on the atonement, is the absence of an exposition of Isa 52:13–53:12 (hereafter Isa 53). Isaiah 53 gets a passing comment in his discussion of how the OT speaks about penal substitutionary atonement. Yet of all the passages in Scripture, this one is unique in giving a prophetic description of Jesus's appearance during his passion. He is one who had "no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him" (53:2). Christ, "who knew no sin", yet became sin "so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21), for a time in the humiliation of his passion, takes on an embodied form of sin, one that his marred, bruised, beaten, and appalling. This is the wonderful paradox of salvation, and to this book's point, the paradox of the beauty of Christ. "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are" (1 Cor 1:28). Christ displayed his beauty in the ugliness of the cross, bringing to shame those that sought to conquer him through strength and worldly valor. It is this reality of horror that makes his resurrection and ascension all the more beautiful, since his resurrection body is glorified. Though not an omission that entirely takes away from the book's main argument, a more thorough discussion of Isa 53 would have enriched Parkison's elaboration of the atonement.
Parkison has written a book that will stimulate, compel, and invigorate Christians to behold the beauty of their creator. Not often does a work of theology include wonderful prayers and dense poetry, yet I hope this books changes that. Whether you are looking for an edifying book that will help you gaze upon the beauty of your savior, or you're interested in how aesthetics intersects with theology, The Unvarnished Jesus is a helpful primer for greater intellectual endeavors.
Each chapter helpfully lays out some of the key theological terms used in Christological discussions, while also contrasting the orthodox formulations against heterodox and heretical positions (such as Arianism, Apollonarianism, Kenoticism, and EFS). Parkison doesn't shy away from tackling difficult theological topics, yet his prose is clear and to the point. He convincingly shows that beauty is a proper extension of each of the orthodox positions regarding Christology, and that his ugly rivals, held by many heretics or heterodox theologians, diminishes the glory, honor, and splendor of our Lord. Of all the chapters, his discussion of the hypostatic union in ch. 3 and its implications with regard to the imputation of Christ's whole obedience (active and passive), all while displaying the beauty of Christ's saving work for human sinners, was a wonderful display of simple yet profound theology.
One critique I have of The Unvarnished Jesus, and an area that Parkison could have developed further in his discussion on the atonement, is the absence of an exposition of Isa 52:13–53:12 (hereafter Isa 53). Isaiah 53 gets a passing comment in his discussion of how the OT speaks about penal substitutionary atonement. Yet of all the passages in Scripture, this one is unique in giving a prophetic description of Jesus's appearance during his passion. He is one who had "no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him" (53:2). Christ, "who knew no sin", yet became sin "so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21), for a time in the humiliation of his passion, takes on an embodied form of sin, one that his marred, bruised, beaten, and appalling. This is the wonderful paradox of salvation, and to this book's point, the paradox of the beauty of Christ. "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are" (1 Cor 1:28). Christ displayed his beauty in the ugliness of the cross, bringing to shame those that sought to conquer him through strength and worldly valor. It is this reality of horror that makes his resurrection and ascension all the more beautiful, since his resurrection body is glorified. Though not an omission that entirely takes away from the book's main argument, a more thorough discussion of Isa 53 would have enriched Parkison's elaboration of the atonement.
Parkison has written a book that will stimulate, compel, and invigorate Christians to behold the beauty of their creator. Not often does a work of theology include wonderful prayers and dense poetry, yet I hope this books changes that. Whether you are looking for an edifying book that will help you gaze upon the beauty of your savior, or you're interested in how aesthetics intersects with theology, The Unvarnished Jesus is a helpful primer for greater intellectual endeavors.
March 30, 2025
From the ardent skeptic to the fresh convert to the seasoned disciple, we all need to see Jesus more clearly. This book points us to the real Jesus—as revealed in Scripture—again and again, showing how the real, “unvarnished” Christ is far superior and far more beautiful than all the imposters that sinful humanity has made in our own image.
My only concerns were in the presentation, not the content. The use of some more academic language, while understandable, may be off-putting to those unfamiliar with it. Further, Parkison’s use of poetry (including Milton and several selections from Shakespeare) felt too much of a tonal shift in their chapters.
Still, this book is a mostly accessible, highly Christ-honoring reminder of the inestimable beauty of Jesus. Worthy of widespread, careful, and grateful reading. Truly, there is no one else like Jesus. Thanks to Parkison for once again showing him to us so clearly and beautifully.
My only concerns were in the presentation, not the content. The use of some more academic language, while understandable, may be off-putting to those unfamiliar with it. Further, Parkison’s use of poetry (including Milton and several selections from Shakespeare) felt too much of a tonal shift in their chapters.
Still, this book is a mostly accessible, highly Christ-honoring reminder of the inestimable beauty of Jesus. Worthy of widespread, careful, and grateful reading. Truly, there is no one else like Jesus. Thanks to Parkison for once again showing him to us so clearly and beautifully.
November 20, 2025
Excellent book on the person and work of Christ. Extremely comprehensive and easy to understand. I loved the blocks throughout the book which explained key theological terms. This is a must read for all lay members of churches so that the church can be grounded upon sound doctrine. Dr. Parkinson did an excellent job and I look forward to more of his works being published for the church!
March 31, 2025
A great and encouraging book looking at the beauty of Christ. Parkison walks through the various aspects of the gospel and points at how Christ is truly beautiful and that it is is beauty we should appreciate.
May 27, 2025
Such a beautiful example and introduction to Christology which shows why our Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, is the most beautiful man ever. Loved it!
March 26, 2025
This book was such a wonderful meditation on Jesus. I can’t wait to go back and reread. Parkison does a fantastic job of diving into deep theological truths (like the hypostatic union or impeccability of Christ), and making it accessible all the while. Best of all, Parkison sets his goal, in meditating on these glorious truths, on helping people to love, worship, and ever increasingly be in awe and wonder of the all-worthy, infinitely beautiful Jesus. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews