Marriage by Paul David Tripp
Marriage by Paul David Tripp is an updated and repackaged version of his previous book What Did You Expect? In the new version, the title and cover have changed and there are two new chapters. Tripp says in the Preface to the 2021 edition that the older title seemed to communicate that the book was about “misguided or failed marriage expectations” when in reality the book is actually about “six marriage commitments that result from looking at marriage through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The new edition intends to bring those commitments to the forefront. After reading this book, I think this was a great choice and a helpful rebrand.
I’ve not read every Christian book on marriage by any stretch, but I have read several. In my opinion, there is no better book on the topic than Tripp’s Marriage. The gospel is critical to every good marriage, but is so often missed. Tripp hammers the importance of the gospel at every turn. He is relentless in taking the reader back to their need for Jesus time and time again. The value of this cannot be overstated. If I recommend one marriage book for Christians, it would be this one.
Especially helpful to me was Tripp’s dealing with the sin of selfishness. He shows multiple times and in multiple ways that all of our sins have selfishness at the root and selfishness is truly antithetical to the gospel. This is an important message and I think many couples will find it eye opening. I also really love the case studies he shares from counseling sessions he’s done with couples. In a world where we tend to isolate ourselves, these are priceless and so helpful.
My major critique of this book is the length. Tripp says the same thing in different ways a lot and it can be very repetitive. Don’t get me wrong, I found it very beneficial, but I think the length and repetition really limits this book as a resource to put into the hands of struggling Christian couples. If we’re being honest, the average person isn’t much of a reader these days (sadly). Handing them a book of this size will cause them not to read it before they ever give it a chance. This material is truly helpful so I’m asking Paul Tripp to now give us an abridged version. We need to be able to refine the gold in this book so we can put it into the hands of others who may be intimidated by such a thick volume.
Ultimately, if you read one book on marriage, this should be it. The 2021 edition has been updated with two more helpful chapters and discussion questions. Even if it takes some time, you need to read this book. It is one I will go back to over and over again.
Pick up Marriage by Paul David Tripp on Amazon. (affiliate)
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Crossway in exchange for a fair and honest review.
