Killjoys: The Seven Deadly Sins

by Marshall Segal

Relentless romance. Fierce warfare. Superior pleasure. Our hearts were designed to enjoy a full and forever happiness, not the pitiful temporary pleasures for which we’re too prone to settle. Pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust are woefully inadequate substitutes for the wonder, beauty, and affection of God. They will rob you, not ravish you. They will numb you, not heal you. They will slaughter you, not save you. Killjoys was written to lead you deeper in love with our God and further into war against your sin. The truths, warnings, and promises in these pages are meant to chart a life-giving path to greater holiness and greater joy.

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

114 pages, ebook

First published January 30, 2015

About the author

Marshall Segal is executive assistant to John Piper, a graduate of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, and regularly writes on the topics of singleness and dating.

Reviews

[Amanda Hunsberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of essays on the seven deadly sins. It's concise & very convicting. Each sin is presented in a unique light such that I approached thinking, "Oh this one doesn't really apply to me," and left thinking, "Lord forgive me." Great read.

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dug it.

*2nd time through. Still dug it.

[Molly Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Convicted on every page!

[Anthony Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. A good work to help identify specific manifestations of sin in your own life. Not heady or academic; a book for the layman and occasional reader. The effervescent reader could knock it out in an evening and still have plenty of time before bed. Would be a good tool for a book club or discipleship/pastoral setting. Will revisit periodically.

[Isa Gueno · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was so good. I’m so glad I took my time reading it. I will be convicted until further notice. Thank you for the recommendation Carly!!!!!!

[Amanda Hux · Rating 5 out of 5]

TOO good. Haven’t been on here in so long 😆

[Sailie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kind of book you should read at least once a year— excellent explanations of the roots of sin and how to fight them actively in faith.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was on point with descriptions of what are commonly referred to as the seven deadly sins. Each chapter is immersed with examples from scripture. It is a great collaborative work; each chapter written by a different person but produced by Desiring God (meaning the pdf is available for free on their website.)

[Joel Rockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed this book. Short, well written, and very convicting. The chapters on Pride, Envy, and Anger were especially helpful for me. Read this book. It's short, but it will cut to the heart.

[Abby Cooledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learning the way of devoting in every way to seeing and savoring the superior worth of Christ! such a good read.

Pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust— the 7 deadly sins! We have to fight to find joy in the right places!!!!!!

Emmie thought it was fitting I pictured my sin as Inside Out characters. That’s all i’ve got to say!

[Brandon Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great small read, and the differing authors & topics of each chapter make for an easy read, especially for those who can only read a chapter at at time.

[Joanna Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this 2021 and revisited this time again. Time and time again my go to in categorizing sin and the heart.

[Jessica Sharda · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you abby c for letting me borrow this! really good book & used lots of scripture which I appreciate :)

[Aisha Noble-Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapters of greed, gluttony and especially lust, were my favourite. The application of how we can fight each sin at the end of each chapter were very helpful. Fine work by the Desiring God ministry.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Came into it skeptical because all sin is sin, but chapter 1 spoke what I was thinking in regards to classifying sins in the categories of venial and mortal, ““This ranking of sin obscured the fact that all sin, small or great, is rebellion. At its essence, sin is the declaration that something other than God is more to be desired than God. Thus, all sin is deadly because it is worthy of infinite judgment. Secondly, the mortal/venial distinction severed the relationship between root and fruit, disconnecting patterns of sinful behavior from the core idolatries of the heart. Thus, Aquinas’s distinction weakened the diagnostic usefulness of the seven-sin taxonomy. Nevertheless, his distinction between venial and mortal sin has remained the doctrine of the Roman church to the present time.” Then shortly after, ““contemporary Protestants probably make more mention of the seven deadly sins than many of their forebears.9 This kind of categorization still threatens to encourage the idea that some sins are more or less serious, and may cause some to hold lightly or even dismiss certain other sins. As a diagnostic, though, the system holds great value, creating questions and categories that help us see and defeat our darkest inclinations.”

Reading the rest of the book acknowledging these as diagnostics instead of THE 7 sins (that if I’m avoiding them I’m doing just fine), but as a scope into how sin does kill our joy when we chose our way over God’s way! Short read but super applicable if you happen to be a sinner… (spoiler alert: you are…)

[Jo Yee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book that made me cry even at the Introduction pages. M Segal analogized perfectly the story of Hosea (well, Hosea is my favorite Bible book) thru the adulterous woman, Hannah and how her husband not only forgave her but even loved her more despite her adultery. And we are all like this, we are adulterous creatures. We are Christ's bride yet we continously committed spiritual adultery with these seven men (seven sins -- pride, envy, anger, greed, slot, glutonny and lust). But God did not stop loving us but His grace abounds.

This is such an excellent book. I thought I already knew these capital sins (anyway, these were being taught since Elementary) but this book gave new relevations of how to look at these sins in this season of my life.

After reading it I was ready to read it again. Which I will. Highly recommended.

[Kudakwashe Manjonjo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any good spiritual book, Killjoys leaves you in moments of self-reflection. you find yourself maybe not feeling a sort of way for all 7 sins, but one or two I think will catch you off-guard and really enquiring deeper into how and why you are. The best parts of the book are how it doesn't leave you hanging in your guilt but gives you ideas as to how to deal with them.

The greatest of those solutions the book constantly reminds us is loving God with all our heart, mind and soul. Really good concise read

[Stephen Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short book every Christian should read devotionally. It addresses the subtle sins that sneak into our souls and so easily take hold of us. It unearthed several areas of unhealth in my own heart and I plan to revisit sections consistently to be reminded of the truth anchored in scripture that I need to hear again and again. Pipers final chapter on lust is pure gold, something every person, particularly every guy should read.

[Andrea C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book took me a long time to finish merely because of the difficulty of the topics, convicting my own heart and wanting to savor each bit of practical advice. Every chapter focused on each of the "seven deadly sins," identifying them, their roots, the battle, and where true life and joy is found. A small book with huge implications that I would recommend to anyone who wants to fight sin.

[Andrew N Dow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical Weaponry Against Sin

Just read the sample, you will be hooked. I started the introduction and before long found myself halfway through the study. Well worth your time and money. Great expositions on the roots of our most deadly temptations and weaknesses. I will revisit the practical insights of each individual study again and again.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great exploration of the “seven deadly sins” and history behind the classification of these sins in a post-Biblical world. This book goes deeper in each of the seven sins and how to counter them. It is a little “fire and brimstone” at times but I choose to see it more as a tool instead of a judgmental church sermon.

[Danny Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something beautiful about a book without wasted pages. This book is more like a series of essays than a book, and because of such, delivers information quickly and decisively. The authors do a good job of taking a sin, seeing what is at the heart of that sin, and giving strategies to fight.

[Target · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Desiring God team did a nice brief job of explaining many faces, dangers, and ways to kill the seven deadly sins that have plagued humans since their existence and continue to grow into many masked faces. Thanks be to God who enabled such brilliant minds to devote their writing to such a great cause.

[Carmen Keeton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so amazing! Had to reread and take my time with it because it was full of good information.

I loved how it describes each sin, defining it, and clarify them on what each sin was or was not.

I loved how it describes how that specific sin affects us.

I especially love how there is a biblical response to fighting each sin.

[Francine Maximiliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensacional! Killjoys é um livro que te desafia, para cada pecado e suas raízes há formas de combatê-los utilizando os frutos do espírito. São vários artigos escritos por ministros conhecidos, como John Piper. Vale a pena ler e reler.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Timothy Durey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simple, straightforward and applicable read regarding the historic 7 deadly sins and how the Scripture speaks of them. The reading was engaging and convicting. I would encourage anyone to read this.

[Chris Wofford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really challenging book. My prayer time was on my face in tears confessing my sins of anger and greed. The other areas were challenging, also, but these sections really revealed to me the condition of my heart.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book. Easy to understand and enjoyable to read. This is probably the best Christian book about seven deadly sins. Now I know the root of each sin and ways to fight them. I recommend this to anyone who keen to kill their seven deadly sins in their life.

[Paul Pompa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful read. Very practical look at seven deadly sins, with biblical tactics in addressing them.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick but thorough examination of the seven deadly sins, their roots, and their fruits. It is easy to see how I will use this as a reference for ministry in the future.