A Look at a Book
by Tommy Prewitt

BOOK REVIEW:
God Unlimited
by Norman Grubb

Norman Grubb’s God Unlimited reads as several different books bound in one jacket. Scattered throughout its pages are a seminal Christian theological treatise, a personal testimony, an Idiot’s Guide to Living, a gentle letter of advice, a recount of a spiritual journey with a close friend, and a daily journal of a serious Christian forever searching for God’s “Ultimate Reality.” Each page contains theses nuances, and I am sure affects each reader differently. Whatever their impact, Norman’s words are those of a sure-footed Christian veteran who has cared enough about his personal spiritual life to search both the Scriptures and his own heart for the secrets to living a life in Christ.

God Unlimited is not a basic Christian primer for one who does not know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Make no mistake: the basic gospel of evangelical Christianity is clearly enunciated here. Because of sin, we are separated from God and condemned to an eternity in Hell, and only through repentance of our sins and acceptance by faith of the shed blood Jesus Christ on the Cross is our eternal relationship with God restored.

God Unlimited is for the more mature Christian. The prevailing thought in 21st century evangelical Christianity is that since Jesus Christ died for us on the Cross and we accepted Him as our personal Savior, it is then up to us to live a “good Christian life.” This is where many Christians experience a second crisis, knowing that they are not living up to their end of the agreement. This book is for those Christians who have reached this second crisis. The truth is that because we have died and risen with Christ, he lives His life through us. This is the message of God Unlimited, and the refinement and propagation of this truth was the unrelenting life work of Norman Grubb.

The content of God Unlimited will be familiar to those who have read any of Norman’s other books. This book was published in 1962, some years after The Law of Faith. Norman was 65 at the time, what he describes as “old age.” He went on to live to age 98, writing, traveling, and teaching almost up to the very end. He wrote Who Am I? and Yes, I Am in those later years. Many of us knew Norman at the time these latter books were written, perhaps explaining their more widespread popularity. Out of print since the late 1970’s, God Unlimited has recently been republished by Zerubbabel Press and is currently available for purchase through The Intercessor.

I have found this book to be quite readable, perhaps more easily so than some of Norman’s other works. Those close to Norman say that a different, stricter editorial process was applied to God Unlimited when it was originally published. This may have resulted in a style that is more familiar to American readers.

This book deserves a place on every bedside table and a reading at every Bible study. The message is important, and the impact is lifechanging.

Tommy is a practicing surgeon in Boone, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Cissy, and his children, Dixon (8), Gwynn (7), and Grace (5). He is also on the ediorial staff of The Intercessor.