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Saving the Saved: How Jesus Saves Us from Try-Harder Christianity into Performance-Free Love
White-knuckling can never get you where you want to go. But grace can.
You already know because you’ve repeated attempts to earn God’s love and approval get you nowhere and leave you exhausted. When performance taints our relationship with him, the Christian life can turn into an unholy hustle. It was never meant to be like this.
In Saving the Saved, Pastor Bryan Loritts reveals the astonishing truth that God doesn’t want your spiritual scorekeeping. He simply wants your surrender. The punchline of the gospel of Matthew is just that—a message of grace and performance-free love to do-good, try-harder Jews who thought they had to earn their way into God’s favor. It’s an ancient message, yet it can be a lifeline to us today as we live in a world of performance metrics. Just as Matthew wrote to the Jews in his gospel, we were never meant to flounder under the pressures and anxieties of show Christianity. Make no we are called to live in obedience, but Jesus wants us to save us from the illusion that our actions can ever earn God’s acceptance of us.
In Pastor Bryan’s relevant, uncompromising style, Saving the Saved proclaims the good news that once the pressure is off to perform, we are free to abide. Beyond the man-made rules and the red tape, there is a God who knows you by name. Come and meet him as you’ve never known him before.
You already know because you’ve repeated attempts to earn God’s love and approval get you nowhere and leave you exhausted. When performance taints our relationship with him, the Christian life can turn into an unholy hustle. It was never meant to be like this.
In Saving the Saved, Pastor Bryan Loritts reveals the astonishing truth that God doesn’t want your spiritual scorekeeping. He simply wants your surrender. The punchline of the gospel of Matthew is just that—a message of grace and performance-free love to do-good, try-harder Jews who thought they had to earn their way into God’s favor. It’s an ancient message, yet it can be a lifeline to us today as we live in a world of performance metrics. Just as Matthew wrote to the Jews in his gospel, we were never meant to flounder under the pressures and anxieties of show Christianity. Make no we are called to live in obedience, but Jesus wants us to save us from the illusion that our actions can ever earn God’s acceptance of us.
In Pastor Bryan’s relevant, uncompromising style, Saving the Saved proclaims the good news that once the pressure is off to perform, we are free to abide. Beyond the man-made rules and the red tape, there is a God who knows you by name. Come and meet him as you’ve never known him before.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2016
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September 22, 2016
Saving The Saved by Bryan Loritts
Covers Matter
Every now and then, as a reader, I stumble across a book that just piques my interest. Saving the Saved by Brian Lorrits was one of those books. The title and subtitle immediately jumped out at me, as did the excellent cover art (you can't judge a book by its cover, but you can definitely read one because of it!). I've had very few encounters with Brian Loritts, so this was a great introduction to some of his writings and preaching. With a controversial title like Saving the Saved, I figured this book could help me in my battle to mortify self-righteousness and flee from a performance–based view of God's love. Honestly, God used this book far more than I could’ve ever imagined! I felt as though Loritts was probing into my life, digging out all the struggles I've battled since college ministry, and helping me sort through them personally.
Perfect Love vs. Performance-Based Love
Saving the Saved is a book about how a performance-based view of God's love dampens our joy, increases our guilt, and diminishes the glory of our great God. We want a reason to live, and as Lori’s says, "You want this. I want this. That’s why we’re on our way to the gym, embarking on another diet and trying with all our might to make better moral choices." He urges us to look to Christ rather than the internal lawyer which seeks to push us to perform more (and condemn us when we don't meet our standards). This is an important message for conservative Evangelicals in a day and age where liberal Christianity runs rampant, and our attempts to avoid liberalism and antinomianism (anti-law) could lead us to swing the pendulum too far. The answer to these issues is not to run to legalism and performance, but rather to God himself seeking His abiding love.
Biblical Foundation
The foundation of this book was from a sermon series Loritts preached on the Gospel according to Matthew, so the core of the message comes from his experience there. This is vital because it takes readers directly to the biblical texts for future study and a direct encounter with God through His Word. As he parses through many of the stories in Jesus' life, Loritts reminded me that Matthew is a book that must be near and dear to my heart if I want to have a fighting chance against a performance-driven view of God's love.
Personal and Practical
Loritts uses a variety of personal and practical illustrations to drive home many of his great points. It is good to see a black author who was able to pull from multi-cultural references (not just from the black culture) and use black dialect while maintaining theological soundness and academic prowess. This makes for an enjoyable and refreshing read. His confession of sin, especially in regards to his own performance-driven struggles and unforgiveness in a situation of racism, is very helpful in reminding readers that pastors, preachers, authors, and leaders still struggle with this sin. This is a good way to model gospel-centered repentance and how it leads believers to lean into God's performance-free love.
The Greatest Aspect
The greatest aspect of this book, in my opinion, is that Loritts shows how a performance mindset can impact a multitude of areas in our walks with God. He shows that even well-meaning people can fall into this trap of thinking that God will love them more if they simply do better. He points out how our views of God � specifically our wrong views of him � are at the root of this mentality. You don't just have a performance problem, you have a God problem, and this can only be resolved by seeing God for who He really is. This is a God-centered book that is loaded with application for those areas in which we may not recognize that we are driven by a performance mindset.
I was thoroughly challenged by this book and would recommend it to anyone who struggles with performance-based Christianity. This could be especially useful for discipleship in multi-ethnic backgrounds, though I would certainly use it in my rural church in central Kentucky as well. After this encounter with Lorrit, I will certainly be looking for more of his books!
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Covers Matter
Every now and then, as a reader, I stumble across a book that just piques my interest. Saving the Saved by Brian Lorrits was one of those books. The title and subtitle immediately jumped out at me, as did the excellent cover art (you can't judge a book by its cover, but you can definitely read one because of it!). I've had very few encounters with Brian Loritts, so this was a great introduction to some of his writings and preaching. With a controversial title like Saving the Saved, I figured this book could help me in my battle to mortify self-righteousness and flee from a performance–based view of God's love. Honestly, God used this book far more than I could’ve ever imagined! I felt as though Loritts was probing into my life, digging out all the struggles I've battled since college ministry, and helping me sort through them personally.
Perfect Love vs. Performance-Based Love
Saving the Saved is a book about how a performance-based view of God's love dampens our joy, increases our guilt, and diminishes the glory of our great God. We want a reason to live, and as Lori’s says, "You want this. I want this. That’s why we’re on our way to the gym, embarking on another diet and trying with all our might to make better moral choices." He urges us to look to Christ rather than the internal lawyer which seeks to push us to perform more (and condemn us when we don't meet our standards). This is an important message for conservative Evangelicals in a day and age where liberal Christianity runs rampant, and our attempts to avoid liberalism and antinomianism (anti-law) could lead us to swing the pendulum too far. The answer to these issues is not to run to legalism and performance, but rather to God himself seeking His abiding love.
Biblical Foundation
The foundation of this book was from a sermon series Loritts preached on the Gospel according to Matthew, so the core of the message comes from his experience there. This is vital because it takes readers directly to the biblical texts for future study and a direct encounter with God through His Word. As he parses through many of the stories in Jesus' life, Loritts reminded me that Matthew is a book that must be near and dear to my heart if I want to have a fighting chance against a performance-driven view of God's love.
Personal and Practical
Loritts uses a variety of personal and practical illustrations to drive home many of his great points. It is good to see a black author who was able to pull from multi-cultural references (not just from the black culture) and use black dialect while maintaining theological soundness and academic prowess. This makes for an enjoyable and refreshing read. His confession of sin, especially in regards to his own performance-driven struggles and unforgiveness in a situation of racism, is very helpful in reminding readers that pastors, preachers, authors, and leaders still struggle with this sin. This is a good way to model gospel-centered repentance and how it leads believers to lean into God's performance-free love.
The Greatest Aspect
The greatest aspect of this book, in my opinion, is that Loritts shows how a performance mindset can impact a multitude of areas in our walks with God. He shows that even well-meaning people can fall into this trap of thinking that God will love them more if they simply do better. He points out how our views of God � specifically our wrong views of him � are at the root of this mentality. You don't just have a performance problem, you have a God problem, and this can only be resolved by seeing God for who He really is. This is a God-centered book that is loaded with application for those areas in which we may not recognize that we are driven by a performance mindset.
I was thoroughly challenged by this book and would recommend it to anyone who struggles with performance-based Christianity. This could be especially useful for discipleship in multi-ethnic backgrounds, though I would certainly use it in my rural church in central Kentucky as well. After this encounter with Lorrit, I will certainly be looking for more of his books!
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
May 5, 2018
As someone who grew up in the church, went to bible school and seminary, and is now a pastor; Bryan’s words were a perfect reminder that God gives us grace and love, not because we proved ourselves to Him, but because He loves us.
February 1, 2020
Saving the Saved was a book about which I had mixed feelings. There were a couple things in the beginning that made me think I wasn't going to like the book, but as I continued reading I found some elements that were great and I loved. So mixed feelings -- some things I didn't like, others I did. lol
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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.*Ìý
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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.*Ìý
September 18, 2020
This is the second book I've read by Pastor Bryan Loritts. I really enjoy his Black Pastor perspective. I'm also very interested in his "Kainos Movement" which is dedicated to creating Biblical multi ethnic churches. I would love to see this happen at my church, Cypress. I loved his phrase "performance free love" to describe the love that Jesus has for his disciples. It is very freeing to know we do not have to perform for Jesus, we only have to respond to his amazing love and grace with works of gratitude. Great book. Thanks Hailee for loaning it to me!
October 26, 2022
This book honestly had a next level use of illustrations, word pictures, and stories to describe different aspects of Gods love. One of my favorites came from him talking about Grace: �(grace is like a rear view mirror) our sin isn’t meant to be stared at. You glance at rear view mirrors because they give perspective for what’s behind so you can make the best decisions moving forward�. Only complaint on book is some of his main points felt repetitive at times. Other than that, great read.
October 17, 2016
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by BookLook/Zondervan Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
This is a book that without reading is easy to condemn too harshly. Upon beginning to read this book I found a lot to dislike about it. Its continual harping on the meritocracy and its advocacy of performance-free love had about it all the hallmarks of someone who had remembered that we are saved by grace and not by works but had forgotten that we are justified through our works done through faith and not by dead faith or mere verbal profession of belief. Although the book ended up being far better than I initially expected it to be, there were still some fundamental problems that I had with the book and that require some discussion. For one, the author spends a great deal of time railing against those who have a performance ethic of Christians, but in reality fails to note that the Pharisees and their modern equivalents were not in fact good people. They certainly pretended to be, but they were not virtuous. At best they were continent, and often they were intensely hypocritical [1]. Once we realize that fact, we can be a lot less bothered by whatever meritocratic ways we find in our world, because we are all broken and in need of mercy and grace, and none of us can achieve salvation on our own efforts, and so anyone who presents that they have it all under control in our world is attempting to deceive us and themselves, and perhaps others as well, and is deserving of pity rather than contempt.
The contents of this book are divided into three parts. After introducing with a call to arms against a supposed meritocracy of works-based morality, the first part of the book looks at what goodness isn't--reflecting on soul songs and the longing for the good life, pointing out the universal need for grace, reminding the reader that man-made goodness doesn't cut it, criticizing the human tendency for pride, and looking at the transformation that results from independence as we reflect on our higher and lower natures, in five chapters. The second part of the book looks at authentic goodness by changing the focus from performing to abiding, reminding us that our failure is never final, and pointing our attention to the resurrection and its implications for us in three chapters. The third and final part of the book looks at how we practice performance-free love in our own lives by setting a difficult and painful example of forgiveness towards others, practice generosity, practice peace over worry, practice graciousness in marriage, and see genuine love as being a way of being saved from ourselves and our own bent towards inhumanity towards others in the book's last five chapters, before a thoughtful acknowledgments section that provides some context on where the author was when he was writing this book.
This book has a lot to offer, once one reads enough of it to see what the author is really getting at, but at its core it suffers from a major tone problem. A great deal of the misunderstanding that this book can prompt at a reader looking at the book before reading it at some length is due to the mismatch between the author's words and his approach. The title of the book is Saving the Saved, but those who are "saved" are not, in fact, saved, because they believe in a false gospel of earning salvation through righteousness. If this book is being written for people who believe in this false gospel, the work is entirely too harsh and lacking in compassion to do more than anger those who would accuse the author of falling prey to some sort of antinomianism. If the book is being written to those who think themselves above the sort of performance-driven moralism of our contemporary age, then it would gratify their own ungodly pride and arrogance, which is a far worse sin than being an anxiety-prone performance-based believer. Either way, the author comes up short, as this is a book long on a certain sort of truth and all too short on love and charity, for all that the book talks about those subjects at considerable length. This is a book that has good theory to teach, despite its sometimes muddled approach, but it is a missed opportunity in providing the sort of model that would encourage readers to put graciousness into practice.
[1] See, for example:
This is a book that without reading is easy to condemn too harshly. Upon beginning to read this book I found a lot to dislike about it. Its continual harping on the meritocracy and its advocacy of performance-free love had about it all the hallmarks of someone who had remembered that we are saved by grace and not by works but had forgotten that we are justified through our works done through faith and not by dead faith or mere verbal profession of belief. Although the book ended up being far better than I initially expected it to be, there were still some fundamental problems that I had with the book and that require some discussion. For one, the author spends a great deal of time railing against those who have a performance ethic of Christians, but in reality fails to note that the Pharisees and their modern equivalents were not in fact good people. They certainly pretended to be, but they were not virtuous. At best they were continent, and often they were intensely hypocritical [1]. Once we realize that fact, we can be a lot less bothered by whatever meritocratic ways we find in our world, because we are all broken and in need of mercy and grace, and none of us can achieve salvation on our own efforts, and so anyone who presents that they have it all under control in our world is attempting to deceive us and themselves, and perhaps others as well, and is deserving of pity rather than contempt.
The contents of this book are divided into three parts. After introducing with a call to arms against a supposed meritocracy of works-based morality, the first part of the book looks at what goodness isn't--reflecting on soul songs and the longing for the good life, pointing out the universal need for grace, reminding the reader that man-made goodness doesn't cut it, criticizing the human tendency for pride, and looking at the transformation that results from independence as we reflect on our higher and lower natures, in five chapters. The second part of the book looks at authentic goodness by changing the focus from performing to abiding, reminding us that our failure is never final, and pointing our attention to the resurrection and its implications for us in three chapters. The third and final part of the book looks at how we practice performance-free love in our own lives by setting a difficult and painful example of forgiveness towards others, practice generosity, practice peace over worry, practice graciousness in marriage, and see genuine love as being a way of being saved from ourselves and our own bent towards inhumanity towards others in the book's last five chapters, before a thoughtful acknowledgments section that provides some context on where the author was when he was writing this book.
This book has a lot to offer, once one reads enough of it to see what the author is really getting at, but at its core it suffers from a major tone problem. A great deal of the misunderstanding that this book can prompt at a reader looking at the book before reading it at some length is due to the mismatch between the author's words and his approach. The title of the book is Saving the Saved, but those who are "saved" are not, in fact, saved, because they believe in a false gospel of earning salvation through righteousness. If this book is being written for people who believe in this false gospel, the work is entirely too harsh and lacking in compassion to do more than anger those who would accuse the author of falling prey to some sort of antinomianism. If the book is being written to those who think themselves above the sort of performance-driven moralism of our contemporary age, then it would gratify their own ungodly pride and arrogance, which is a far worse sin than being an anxiety-prone performance-based believer. Either way, the author comes up short, as this is a book long on a certain sort of truth and all too short on love and charity, for all that the book talks about those subjects at considerable length. This is a book that has good theory to teach, despite its sometimes muddled approach, but it is a missed opportunity in providing the sort of model that would encourage readers to put graciousness into practice.
[1] See, for example:
March 5, 2019
Performance free love
I thought the book was a good reminder about God’s performance free love for us. But how do you get there? The author had some good humor in it and was very honest with his readers. However it didn’t really describe on how to get from striving to an abiding relationship with Jesus. I was ready for the book to be over.
I thought the book was a good reminder about God’s performance free love for us. But how do you get there? The author had some good humor in it and was very honest with his readers. However it didn’t really describe on how to get from striving to an abiding relationship with Jesus. I was ready for the book to be over.
September 20, 2018
It is exceptionally rare that I cannot finish a book but this book just didn't grab me at all once I began reading. Too many pop culture references and slow moving points. Love the topic, couldn't do the book. I quit about 1/3 of the way in, skimmed to the end and realized it wasn't getting better.
March 24, 2017
I've always "known" Christianity is not about "earning" your salvation... that Jesus willingly died for the sins of every person and conquered death by rising again, so we can be forgiven and reconciled with God... but it's disturbingly easy to try to earn God's favor anyway. This book is a powerful reminder (or maybe eye-opener for some) that Christianity is not moralism. It's grace. Loritts dives into the book of Matthew and builds a solid scriptural foundation for the idea that we don't have to perform to earn our significance. It's refreshing, encouraging, and such good news to tired, striving ears. 4.5 stars!
January 30, 2021
This book echoed much of what God has been teaching me lately--that He doesn't love me because of my accomplishments or performance. While the world we live in is a meritocracy where those who perform the best and achieve the most get the most attention, God loves us simply because He is love. When we center our life on this love we no longer have to have our worth tied to how we measure up or how much we achieve.
May 28, 2025
Try-harder Christianity follows man’s efforts, not Christ’s.
Kinda read this in two chunks (so maybe that impacted my read) but I loved the message behind the book, wasn’t as many takeaways as expected but always a good reminder!!! I would say for a similar, more simple/compact read, I would recommend “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness� by Tim Keller. I think that book opened my eyes to a lot of the things that this book touched upon.
Kinda read this in two chunks (so maybe that impacted my read) but I loved the message behind the book, wasn’t as many takeaways as expected but always a good reminder!!! I would say for a similar, more simple/compact read, I would recommend “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness� by Tim Keller. I think that book opened my eyes to a lot of the things that this book touched upon.
February 3, 2018
This book is a great blessing, for truly the love of our Father is unconditional,
The clarity and presentation is very understandable, the supernatural life is where it is at. We must relish His provision and learn He only wants our faith - reminds me of Mt. 10:28-30
The clarity and presentation is very understandable, the supernatural life is where it is at. We must relish His provision and learn He only wants our faith - reminds me of Mt. 10:28-30
December 27, 2018
Not a bad read. This book loosely follows the book of Matthew. It provides examples of Jesus' teachings indicating that you don't have to (you really can't) earn the love of your savior. The chapter on the uselessness of worrying may have been my favorite.
February 19, 2018
Great read!
This was an excellent read! This book is certainly relevant and timely for any Christian living in our modern, fallen world.
This was an excellent read! This book is certainly relevant and timely for any Christian living in our modern, fallen world.
May 16, 2018
Great little book
December 31, 2023
Bryan Loritts have a beautiful reminder that we are saved through our faith and not by our actions. We do not have a “performance based� love!
January 10, 2017
Bryan Loritts has always managed to shake my foundations and beliefs with his sharp intellect and deep knowledge of theology. Saving the Saved is another clear example of his ability to present a topic that both cuts and informs. The book does not shy away from the impacts of legalism while confirming the call for obedience to God. The only downside to this book could be the need to be all things. So many items are addressed here that it sometimes leaves you wanting more of just a single topic. For example, work being expressed as one of the greatest examples to give glory to God could have been a book by itself.
December 7, 2016
This is a very practical book in which the author deals with Meritocracy. He points out how ingrained a works mentality is all around us. He urges Christians to abide in the love of Christ, not because of who we are or what we have done, but on the basis of what Christ has done for us. The author shares much from his personal experiences. It is a much needed and very helpful book.
December 9, 2016
I recevied a complimentary copy.
The Pastor has great views of his own and incorporates them with God and the Bible. This is really a book based on mixed opinion and facts. I think if you pull from the Gospel what you need to make a point, it may not be clear to everyone or accurate. However, this is a good read and will benefit someone of Christian faith.
The Pastor has great views of his own and incorporates them with God and the Bible. This is really a book based on mixed opinion and facts. I think if you pull from the Gospel what you need to make a point, it may not be clear to everyone or accurate. However, this is a good read and will benefit someone of Christian faith.
January 20, 2017
Outstanding book about the problem of a morality-focused Christian life and the important focus of grace. I enjoyed the author's personal anecdotes -- a fresh perspective as an African-American pastor -- which elevated the theological points in the book. Highly recommended for Christians who are close to spiritual burnout or have grown frustrated in trying to earn God's love.
March 26, 2017
I enjoyed reading this book and benefited from it. However, I would recommend it to new believers in Christ and those struggling with an arminian or Roman Catholic theology (maintaining salvation by works). The chapter on marriage is excellent!
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