"The Discipline of Grace" Review

“The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges was sent to me by NavPress through their Blogger Review Program.

Before I read this book, I had heard of several other books by Jerry Bridges, but I had never read one. It is a little bit difficult for me to give a straight review of this book, since it is so deep theologically, so I will just give a basic overview.

The message that I took away from this book was the idea that Christians should continue to “preach the gospel” to themselves every day. I thought this was a great thought and something that I need to work on in my life. We should never forget the sacrifice of Christ that gives us salvation and eternal life with Him. Our relationship with God isn’t based on whether we are having a good day or a bad day or how we feel – it is based on what Christ did for us through His grace.This book builds on the author’s earlier work, “The Pursuit of Holiness” by pointing out the role of God’s grace in the pursuit of the holiness of the believer. The main message of the first few chapters is how we need to realize that God’s grace doesn’t just save us through faith in Christ, but that it continues to work in our lives after salvation. The last few chapters go more into how this is lived out in our daily lives.

That was what I took away most from this book, and that was really just in the first few chapters! I have to say that after that, I got a little bogged down in the rest of the book. I think this book would be a great study to do with a group. Since I read it by myself, it was hard to grasp all of the points that were made. I think I would have to go back and study it again to really get more out of it. I also was not crazy about the fact that in the last part of the book, the author quoted (a LOT) from Puritan theologians rather than just quoting Scripture. I am sure the Puritans have a lot of knowledge to give, but I prefer to back those ideas up with Scripture as well.


Overall, I will give “The Discipline of Grace”….. 3 ½ BookWorms
 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."