The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness
Overview
Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. We know we need grace. Without it we'd never come to Christ in the first place. But being a Christian is more than just coming to Christ. It's about growing and becoming more like Jesus—it's about pursuing holiness. The pursuit of holiness is hard work, and that's where we turn from grace to discipline—and often make a big mistake. In The Discipline of Grace Jerry Bridges offers a clear and thorough explanation of the gospel and what it means to the believer. Explore how the same grace that brings us to faith in Christ also disciplines us in Christ.
If you've ever struggled with what your roles is and what role God takes in your growth as a Christian, this book will comfort and challenge you as you learn to rest in Christ while vigorously pursuing a life of holiness.
Top Highlights
“The pursuit of holiness requires sustained and vigorous effort. It allows for no indolence, no lethargy, no halfhearted commitment, and no laissez faire attitude toward even the smallest sins. In short, it demands the highest priority in the life of a Christian, because to be holy is to be like Christ—God’s goal for every Christian.” (Page 12)
“because God’s blessing does not depend on our performance.” (Page 14)
“The point of this good-day—bad-day comparison is this: Regardless of our performance, we are always dependent on God’s grace, His undeserved favor to those who deserve His wrath. Some days we may be more acutely conscious of our sinfulness and hence more aware of our need of His grace, but there is never a day when we can stand before Him on our own two feet of performance, when we are worthy enough to deserve His blessing.” (Pages 17–18)
“To preach the gospel to yourself, then, means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you.” (Page 59)
“When you set yourself to seriously pursue holiness, you will begin to realize what an awful sinner you are. And if you are not firmly rooted in the gospel and have not learned to preach it to yourself every day, you will soon become discouraged and will slack off in your pursuit of holiness.” (Page 60)
The Discipline of Grace offers a clear and thorough explanation of the gospel and what it means to the believer, and how the same grace that brings us to faith in Christ also disciplines us in Christ, and how we learn to discipline ourselves in the areas of commitment, convictions, choices, watchfulness, and adversity. The Discipline of Grace is highly recommended reading for anyone struggling to overcome the world in Christ.
—Midwest Book Review
I found this to be an excellent book. Bridges balances the ideas of grace, the need for real personal discipline, and the part God plays in the pursuit of holiness. . . . This is a book worth reading. It will encourage your heart and breath new life into your struggle to become more like Christ.
—Steven H. Sanchez, Emmaus Journal, Volume 4, 1995
Reviews
4 ratings
Patrick Anderson
2/24/2019
JS
8/16/2018
David Thomas
12/9/2016
David Easley
10/3/2016