SimplyJesusBooks.com

Simply Jesus Books

Jesus saves. And he saves sinners. He rescues failures and reprobates as well as high achievers and saintly souls. Saving is his work, not ours.

Read a Selection

What I Write About

Faith. Specifically faith in Jesus Christ. Before time, the Father chose you and sent the Son, who became our Savior. And the Son sent the Spirit, who makes it possible for us to believe and be transformed. My purpose in writing is to explain the Gospel, discipleship, the Trinity, and theology in a practical and easy-to-read manner.

Faith as God’s Gift to Us

Unbelief is natural. Belief is always a miracle. Faith is not God’s condition for saving us. God loves all people unconditionally and his Spirit gives us faith. We are incapable of discovering God through philosophy or observing the universe. But at the right time, grace overwhelms us—each and every one of us before the end of all things.

The Bible & The Gospel

“Gospel” is a word from Middle English used to translate the Greek euangelion (from which we get words like “evangelism”). It means “good news.” Paul said that the Gospel was a mystery foreshadowed in the Jewish Bible but not fully revealed until Jesus was raised from the tomb and appeared from heaven, revealing his identity as God the Son.

Following Jesus

Jesus calls apprentices. If we find that we have faith in Jesus, then it is clear we must follow him in the path of apprenticeship. But we can do nothing apart from God’s enablement. So we must learn what “abiding in Christ” and “walking in the Spirit” mean. The world is only going to be changed by people bearing love like the kind Jesus showed us.

Simply Jesus

How to Know and Follow Him

Expected Release date May 2026

The God question won’t go away. And you have mixed feelings. Sometimes you’re almost convinced. You’ve wanted a simple, well-informed presentation about who Jesus is, what he did for us, how it works, and why he’s worth devoting your life to.

Or maybe you already believe in Jesus but feel a lack of enthusiasm or understanding about how to live a better life with him. You don’t want another gimmick from the church world. You want something solid, based on the Gospel.

Whether you’re not-yet-convinced or convinced but wanting more, Simply Jesus is for you. Jesus saves. And he saves sinners. He rescues failures and reprobates as well as high achievers and saintly souls. Saving is his work, not ours. And Jesus transforms those he saves.

In Simply Jesus, author Derek Leman distills and explains great scholarship on Jesus, the Gospel, and the New Testament with a practical focus on living life in Christ.

Previews and Articles

Sample My Writing

You will find here excerpts from Simply Jesus as well as articles on the theology of the Gospel of Mark.

  • Preview: Chapter 1 of Simply Jesus

    Chapter 1: Why Should We Be Saved? by Derek Leman Life rolls by us, like a film that will not stop, and we miss so much. We’re busy pursuing education, career, family, and a whole lot of other things. And behind all of that we sense something deeper, or perhaps we should say higher—something…

    Read More…

  • The Conversation Has Shifted

    There was a time when topics like God, salvation, sin, and Gospel were openly discussed and central to the culture. In most places these days, that is not the case. Tremendous pressure is exerted on us to avoid such topics. Internet discussions turn these topics into ideological war zones. It is widely believed that…

    Read More…

Derek Leman

Derek Leman

Author of the Simply Jesus Books

In 2026, I will publish Simply Jesus: How to Know and Follow Him. Upcoming volumes include Simply Paul, Simply John, and more.