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Hit List: Taking Aim at the Seven Deadly Sins
The Christian life is a war and one of your most lethal enemies hangs its helmet inside your heart. This infernal, internal enemy is sin, which even after new birth continues to reside in every believer. As followers of Jesus, we’ve been given a simple mission regarding sin: search and destroy. Put it to death.
But in the words of Cornelius Plantinga Jr., “sin has a thousand faces.” It is one thing to oppose sin in principle, quite another to actually do the bloody work of crucifying specific sin patterns in our lives. Sometimes these patterns are difficult to detect. Always they fight back, tooth and nail, mounting vehement resistance in counter-maneuvers of a variety and complexity that would send General Schwarzkopf’s mind spinning like a tilt-a-whirl.
The most famous faces of sin are the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. Not merely corrupting vices in themselves, these seven are gateway sins leading to countless others. They are the leading undercover operatives for the world, the flesh, and the devil—that evil complex of powers arrayed against our souls. And while we may recognize these sins by their names, we are often misled by the subtlety of their methods and ways. These sins are masters of disguise, adept at masking their true nature in charades of harmlessness, acceptability, and fun.
In Hit List, Brian Hedges helps us take aim at the seven deadly sins by providing detailed dossiers for each one and equipping us with rich gospel resources for replacing vice with the virtue of Christ.
But in the words of Cornelius Plantinga Jr., “sin has a thousand faces.” It is one thing to oppose sin in principle, quite another to actually do the bloody work of crucifying specific sin patterns in our lives. Sometimes these patterns are difficult to detect. Always they fight back, tooth and nail, mounting vehement resistance in counter-maneuvers of a variety and complexity that would send General Schwarzkopf’s mind spinning like a tilt-a-whirl.
The most famous faces of sin are the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. Not merely corrupting vices in themselves, these seven are gateway sins leading to countless others. They are the leading undercover operatives for the world, the flesh, and the devil—that evil complex of powers arrayed against our souls. And while we may recognize these sins by their names, we are often misled by the subtlety of their methods and ways. These sins are masters of disguise, adept at masking their true nature in charades of harmlessness, acceptability, and fun.
In Hit List, Brian Hedges helps us take aim at the seven deadly sins by providing detailed dossiers for each one and equipping us with rich gospel resources for replacing vice with the virtue of Christ.
130 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 2014
13 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Brian G. Hedges
25 books107 followersBrian G. Hedges is the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Church in Niles, Michigan and the author of multiple books including Christ Formed in You, Christ All Sufficient, Watchfulness: Recovering a Lost Spiritual Discipline, and With Jesus: Finding Your Place in the Story of Christ.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 26, 2014
I had the honor of endorsing this book and said the following about it:
"We live in a culture in which spirituality is on the rise, including a resurgence in mysticism, Gnosticism, and every other -ism. Many are confused about what they believe and why it matters, and sin is often minimized or hidden. Hedges draws on the best wisdom of the church to help readers better grasp the seven deadly sins and how the gospel frees God’s people from them. As Hit List blows away misconceptions about the sinfulness of man, readers will be captivated by the magnificence of what Jesus has done so sinners can put their sin to death and grow in the grace of God. This is an excellent and needed book. It can convict you of your sinfulness while pointing you to the sufficiency of the finished work of the Savior—Jesus Christ.”
"We live in a culture in which spirituality is on the rise, including a resurgence in mysticism, Gnosticism, and every other -ism. Many are confused about what they believe and why it matters, and sin is often minimized or hidden. Hedges draws on the best wisdom of the church to help readers better grasp the seven deadly sins and how the gospel frees God’s people from them. As Hit List blows away misconceptions about the sinfulness of man, readers will be captivated by the magnificence of what Jesus has done so sinners can put their sin to death and grow in the grace of God. This is an excellent and needed book. It can convict you of your sinfulness while pointing you to the sufficiency of the finished work of the Savior—Jesus Christ.”
November 26, 2014
When it comes to sin we are all guilty. Furthermore, we know we are not supposed to sin but yet we so often fall prey to falling short of God’s expectations for us. Our daily list of sins is likely rather lengthy. The question is do we understand the how and why of sin’s entanglement into so many areas of our lives and more importantly, how to sever its hold and influence. Brian Hedges, in his latest book Hit List, explores the seven deadly sins which form the crux of where all sins find their root.
First off, let me say I do not often make the statement that a book is a must read, other than the Bible of course. With that said, let me begin this review by stating that out of the more than 100 books I have read and reviewed this year, Hedges’ effort tops them all. From the first page to the final thoughts in this book, I found myself informed, challenged, and spurred to deal with the pernicious seven deadly sins and their progeny. Hedges masterfully guides the reader through each of the seven deadly sins, exploring in a scholarly manner what each sin is all about while providing the reader with biblical truth on how to deal with those issues in their life.
I was truly amazed at how much information is packed into this little over 100 page book. Hedges engages a number of respected authors, digging into the history of theological insight regarding the seven deadly sins of pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. While the seven deadly sins was something I had heard of for quite some time, I was honestly quite clueless as to the background of how this list was created and why these particular sins were considered by many to be the gateway drug if you will to so many of the sinful behaviors we observe and participate in on a daily basis. Essentially, these seven deadly sins are the most wanted when it comes to rebellious actions against a holy God.
Since Hedges’ entire book is so excellent, let me focus on a couple of highlights, the first being as noted earlier, the obvious research that went into writing this book. Hedges does a marvelous job of weaving some valuable quotes into his presentation of the material. What this demonstrates is that he reveals to the reader the consistent opinion of theologians both present and from days past on the issue of the seven deadly sins. The only issue I have with that is now I want to go out and purchase all of the books Hedges cites! Of course that is not necessarily a bad thing now is it?
Second, there is no fluff in this book. Every page contains hard hitting, informative and useful information. After reading what Hedges has to say, the reader will have received a history lesson on the seven deadly sins, a primer on what each sin is all about, why we should avoid those sins at all costs, and what Scripture says we are to do about these particular sins. For instance, in the case of sloth, Hedges aptly notes “As an untilled field lying fallow becomes a seedbed for a wild crop of weeds, so a slothful heart becomes fertile ground for vice.” I would submit most believe slothfulness only applies to lazy people, those who sit on the couch and watch television all day long. Hedges smashes that incorrect perception, declaring “sloth is dangerous because it stunts our growth in Christ – so much so, in fact, that were it not for God’s preserving and sanctifying grace, it could actually cause us to quit and thus fall away from faith in Christ. Make no mistake; sloth can do real and serious harm to your faith.” This means that all of us have to do war with this particular sin of physical and spiritual laziness.
I highly recommend this book for all believers. As Christians, we are called to do battle with sin, what the Puritans called mortifying sin. If you are truly serious about dealing with sin in your life, I recommend you read this book and apply the sound biblical truths Hedges shares. As noted by one of the endorsers of this book, outside of John Owen’s thoughts on the mortification of sin, Hedges book is a clarion call for the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit and the word of God to cut to the root of sin in your life. Give this a book a read as soon as possible!
I received this book for free from Cruciform Press for this review. 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.”
First off, let me say I do not often make the statement that a book is a must read, other than the Bible of course. With that said, let me begin this review by stating that out of the more than 100 books I have read and reviewed this year, Hedges’ effort tops them all. From the first page to the final thoughts in this book, I found myself informed, challenged, and spurred to deal with the pernicious seven deadly sins and their progeny. Hedges masterfully guides the reader through each of the seven deadly sins, exploring in a scholarly manner what each sin is all about while providing the reader with biblical truth on how to deal with those issues in their life.
I was truly amazed at how much information is packed into this little over 100 page book. Hedges engages a number of respected authors, digging into the history of theological insight regarding the seven deadly sins of pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. While the seven deadly sins was something I had heard of for quite some time, I was honestly quite clueless as to the background of how this list was created and why these particular sins were considered by many to be the gateway drug if you will to so many of the sinful behaviors we observe and participate in on a daily basis. Essentially, these seven deadly sins are the most wanted when it comes to rebellious actions against a holy God.
Since Hedges’ entire book is so excellent, let me focus on a couple of highlights, the first being as noted earlier, the obvious research that went into writing this book. Hedges does a marvelous job of weaving some valuable quotes into his presentation of the material. What this demonstrates is that he reveals to the reader the consistent opinion of theologians both present and from days past on the issue of the seven deadly sins. The only issue I have with that is now I want to go out and purchase all of the books Hedges cites! Of course that is not necessarily a bad thing now is it?
Second, there is no fluff in this book. Every page contains hard hitting, informative and useful information. After reading what Hedges has to say, the reader will have received a history lesson on the seven deadly sins, a primer on what each sin is all about, why we should avoid those sins at all costs, and what Scripture says we are to do about these particular sins. For instance, in the case of sloth, Hedges aptly notes “As an untilled field lying fallow becomes a seedbed for a wild crop of weeds, so a slothful heart becomes fertile ground for vice.” I would submit most believe slothfulness only applies to lazy people, those who sit on the couch and watch television all day long. Hedges smashes that incorrect perception, declaring “sloth is dangerous because it stunts our growth in Christ – so much so, in fact, that were it not for God’s preserving and sanctifying grace, it could actually cause us to quit and thus fall away from faith in Christ. Make no mistake; sloth can do real and serious harm to your faith.” This means that all of us have to do war with this particular sin of physical and spiritual laziness.
I highly recommend this book for all believers. As Christians, we are called to do battle with sin, what the Puritans called mortifying sin. If you are truly serious about dealing with sin in your life, I recommend you read this book and apply the sound biblical truths Hedges shares. As noted by one of the endorsers of this book, outside of John Owen’s thoughts on the mortification of sin, Hedges book is a clarion call for the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit and the word of God to cut to the root of sin in your life. Give this a book a read as soon as possible!
I received this book for free from Cruciform Press for this review. 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.”
April 5, 2015
Great read. The biggest strength was how methodical Hedges was as he looked at each of the seven deadly sins through a biblical lens. There were many opportunities for personal reflection and the study questions, which I normally would skip in most books, were well thought out and timed. I recommend this for anyone tired of trying to deal with their sins unsuccessfully. That's pretty much everyone, though!
June 15, 2020
Short, sharp and solid.
A very helpful and practical read on the 7DS. Great insights into assessing both the symptoms and roots of each of the sins as well as offering both theological and practical solutions to combating them. Lots of good quotes and anecdotes for illustrative and application purposes.
A very helpful and practical read on the 7DS. Great insights into assessing both the symptoms and roots of each of the sins as well as offering both theological and practical solutions to combating them. Lots of good quotes and anecdotes for illustrative and application purposes.
February 7, 2022
A great little primer on putting root sins to death in the Christian life.
March 2, 2016
This was a great book. I'm beginning to like the Cruciform Series. They are short, gospel-centered, and to the point. Brian Hedges does a wonderful job at getting to the root of our sin, which is idolatry. As he says in his book, "Each one of our sins, in other words, is a case of misdirected, disordered love. " Helpful read for any Christian serious about mortifying sin through the power of God's grace. Recommended.
February 15, 2015
Really enjoyed this book. Explained much if the root causes and symptoms of the "seven deadly sins" but just seemed to scratch the surface on putting them to death. Still a helpful book, especially in regards to sloth and gluttony.
December 21, 2015
Worth your time
Easy read that will convict you with each chapter but also provide hope and direction for each vice. It incorporates scripture and many other popular Christian writers as well.
Easy read that will convict you with each chapter but also provide hope and direction for each vice. It incorporates scripture and many other popular Christian writers as well.
November 22, 2016
Great book. Well written. Brief and to the point. This book is in a series to accomplish exactly what it set out to do: keep it short and simple. However, Hedges has a way of making the Gospel more than simple but rather magnificent in our pursuit to killing sin.
November 21, 2014
This book is pack of full of punches for me! Wow! I really did need to read this book. Great book to read! I too would encourage you all to read this.
December 10, 2014
Good, solid book on the 7 deadly sins. very good for small group study, nice quick read. though small it is full, no wasted pages, paragraphs, or sentences in this. Definitely recommended.
March 10, 2015
Good Introduction On Sins
Appreciated the books brevity and yet insightful essential, it was great to see this book tackles where most sin arises from
Appreciated the books brevity and yet insightful essential, it was great to see this book tackles where most sin arises from
December 4, 2021
Great book, really enjoyed reading it.
April 6, 2017
Very helpful little book on the 7 Deadly Sins. My favorite of the 5-7 books I read on the subject.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews