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If you've wondered what about the difference between your role and God's role in your spiritual formation, this book will show you how to rest in Christ while pursuing a life of holiness.
Description: The Discipline of Grace offers a clear and and thorough explanation of the gospel and what it means to be a believer.
Written by Navigator author Jerry Bridges, this book explores how the same grace that brings us to faith in Christ also disciplines us in Christ. In learning more about grace, you also will learn about God's character, His forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit.
The Discipline of Grace
ISBN-13: 9781576839898
Trim Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/4
Cover: Paperback
256 Pages
Percentage Discounts for Bulk Purchases of Single Items
Downloadable
Part of a Series
Available in Spanish
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Balanced and Biblical
Jerry Bridges laid out a believer’s responsibilities in The Pursuit of Holiness. His later book, Transforming Grace, emphasized God’s work within the believer. In The Discipline of Grace, Bridges brings the two together.
Although the table of contents doesn’t reflect it, there are two parts to the book. The first chapters are about God’s grace. A believer’s standing with God does not depend upon their performance. “Our own performance is never good enough to be acceptable to Him. The only way we can relate to God is through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ.” So a Christian’s focus in the pursuit of holiness must be Christ. For that reason, believers need the gospel every day. They should hear it, they should read it, and they should preach it to themselves.
The second half of the book deals with a believer’s responsibility in the pursuit of holiness. Only God can cause a seed to grow, but a farmer still has to cultivate the soil, plant the seed, fertilize, and water. Bridges says the same principle applies to spiritual growth. Without God’s grace, it will never happen. But God has given certain means of grace that can’t be neglected. Believers cannot be unconcerned and passive about holiness yet expect to grow. Holiness must be a conviction and a lifetime commitment.
The desire to live a holy life should stem from a desire to honor God. Love for God should be the motivation. Obedience to God is the way to show that love. Reliance and dependence upon God should characterize a believer’s quest for obedience.
Though The Discipline of Grace is full of theology, new Christians should not fear. The author explains difficult concepts in an understandable way. The basics of the Gospel are present. But there is plenty for the seasoned student to ponder, too.
The book is also practical. I am convicted and challenged by it. But the author does not leave me convicted and challenged without reminding me of what I need to do. I say “remind” because The Discipline of Grace doesn’t say anything new. The concepts come directly from the New Testament.
The only criticism I have of the book is that there are too many quotes. In some places there is a quote in every paragraph. Bridges even quotes people quoting people. The quotes are good, but often unnecessary. I am interested in what Jerry Bridges has to say about the Bible. An occasional quote to show that the Puritans were in agreement with him is fine. Quoting an “obscure Scottish pastor” to say less clearly what the author has already said is too much.
Regardless of the criticism, this is an excellent book. It is biblical. It is balanced. It is challenging. And it is a joy to read. I would put it in the same class as Packer’s Knowing God. I suspect people will be reading it decades from now. I hope my children are.
Posted by John Bird on 12/22/2009 4:11:56 AM
Intrigued by the Title
Jerry Bridges is a best-selling author whose most popular book, The Pursuit of Holiness, has sold over one million copies. The Discipline of Grace is another wonderful book which offers a clear and thorough explanation of what it means to be a believer.
I was intrigued by the title and curious how Jerry Bridges would combine grace with discipline because, at first, they do seem like contradictory concepts. In this book Jerry Bridges explores how the same grace that brings us to faith in Christ also disciplines us in Christ. Bridges shares the secret about resting in Christ while pursuing a life of holiness as he explains what are God’s role and our role in spiritual formation.
Bridges writes that grace is as important for growing as a Christian as it is for becoming a Christian. We will always stand in need of grace. The Discipline of Grace is a thought-provoking look at legalism, discipleship, and spiritual freedom. In learning more about grace, the reader will also learn about God's character, His forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit. Bridges states that grace and holiness are linked; the same grace that leads believers to Christ also forms us spiritually in the areas of commitment, conviction, choices, watchfulness, and adversity.
If you've wondered what about the difference between your role and God's role in growing in Christ, this book is for you. The Discipline of Grace is a very thorough explanation of grace and what it means to grow in grace. I warmly recommend the book for anyone who wants to deepen his or her walk in God’s grace.
The Study guide was a positive surprise: 143 pages! Each session gives an excerpt of the book and questions for personal study and group discussion. A wonderful resource for a study group!
Posted by Mari-Anna Frangén Stålnacke on 12/20/2009 2:25:36 AM
The Tightrope
The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges is a guide for the balancing act all Christ-followers must perform: committing to the necessary spiritual discipline activity that requires our human effort and submitting to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit—requiring our inactivity. How to thrive and strive simultaneously? Bridges deftly handles these seemingly incompatible ends by illustrating and explaining the relevant Bible passages—primarily Paul’s letter to the Romans—encouraging Christians to “preach the gospel to themselves everyday.” The amazing grace that saves us at the moment of conversion is the same grace we count on to mold us into the image of Christ.
In order to determine the reader’s understanding of God’s unmerited favor to us, the author asks the reader to consider two scenarios: one in which we have a “good day” (up early, solid devotional time, vital union with God) and one in which we have a “bad day” (snooze button tapping, rushing out the door without a quiet time, generally ignoring the Lord). If at the end of each day we encountered someone eager to hear about making a decision to accept Christ for the first time, in which scenario would we feel more confident of the Holy Spirit’s presence as we witness? The good day or the bad day? Choosing either means we need this book!
Posted by Benjamin Wilcox on 12/11/2009 7:10:56 PM
Must read
Besides the Bible, The Discipline of Grace has had more positive impact on my understanding of grace, the centrality and necessity of the Gospel and daily living, my joyful pursuit of God's presence than any other book or magazine or article I've ever encountered.
Posted by Schimri Yoyo on 6/20/2007 10:13:00 AM
Wonderful Book
I must confess..I have only read the 1st three chapters of the book, but I allready feel that a word of encouragement is needed for the author that wrote it. I have long battled with the idea of grace and how it pertains to our obedience of the gospel. Mr. Bridges words punch through the fog of 'grace as an excuse of sin' and 'rigid legalism', which for a while I thought were my only options and give a clear picture of our daily lives as redeemed sinners, living to obey, but not putting faith in obedience. Living to obey, but out of joy of the wonderful news, which is the gospel, that Christ has dispelled the dark curses that used to hang over our heads when we were not Christians. It is a nessesary book and I look forward to finishing it! And seeing more people read it.
Posted by Beebe Hargrove on 4/17/2007 1:47:00 PM
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