Transforming Grace: A Review

Jerry Bridges, author of this recently reprinted book was a well-known Christian writer and speaker. His numerous books have sold over 3.5 million copies. He served on the staff of the Navigators for more than sixty hears before his death in 2016. Jerry is survived by his wife, Jane, two children and seven grandchildren.

I like books about grace mostly because I need it so much.

From the preface to this book:

The grace of God is one of the most important subjects of Scripture. At the same time it is probably one of the least understood.

All Christians by definition believe in grace. Many of us frequently quote Paul’s well-known words in Ephesians 2:8-9: ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.’ And john Newton’s beloved hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ is said to be the all-time favorite in the United States. Why then do I say the grace of God is one of the least understood subjects in the Bible?

When we think of grace, we almost always think of being saved by grace. The Bible teaches we are not only saved by grace, but we also live by grace every day of our lives. It is this important aspect of grace that seems to be so little understood or practiced by Christians.

Here are some of the important points that Jerry Bridges talks about in this book:

We all need grace:

Here is a quote from R.C. Sproul that Jerry Bridges quotes,

Perhaps the most difficult task for us to perform is to rely on God’s grace and God’s grace alone for our salvation. It is difficult for our pride to rest on grace. Grace is for other people—for beggars. We don’t want to live by a heavenly welfare system. We want to earn our own way and atone for our sins. We like to think that we will go to heaven because we deserve to be there.

Grace does not do away with God’s law. Jerry Bridges reminds us that His laws are commands for how we should live; the definition of what love is which is the fulfilling of the law.

Bridges emphasizes that God’s law is not just a request it is a command. So we really do need God’s grace.

I would encourage anyone who would like to study a good book about grace to check this one out. Visit your book store or click here to order it on line and for more information about this book.