In this book, Jerry Bridges does what he does best: teaches us how to think rightly about holiness and spiritual formation. He starts and ends with the gospel so that through it we learn of both our need for holiness and the way by which we are conformed to the image of Christ. As always, Jerry takes this foundation of right thinking to application, clearly laying out how we are to go about living holy lives. Because of his sincere devotion to the study of Scripture and holy living, there is no one today more trustworthy to read on this subject than Jerry.
REVEREND WILLIAM VOGLER, pastor, Grace Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Lawrence, Kansas; moderator of the 27th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Jerry Bridges has marvelously, attractively, and clearly communicated in this informative and inspirational treatise that Gods saving grace in Christ invites us to come just as we are. This book should be not only read and absorbed personally but also used to share with others as an excellent instrument of life-changing disciple-making.
HARRY L. REEDER, III, pastor and teacher, Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama
Jerry Bridges tells us what we must never forget: Gods ultimate purpose for His people is to conform them to the image of His Son. Combining his characteristic brevity and lucidity, Bridges reminds us why it matters and how it is accomplished.
ALISTAIR BEGG, pastor, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
If you cut Jerry Bridges, he bleeds Bible. In a day when there is so much confusion about grace, Jerry shows how a true understanding of grace is the only sure foundation for spiritual transformation. This book is essential reading for those who want to know how to pursue holiness and live by grace without resorting to legalistic self-effort. As a pastor, this is the book I want my people to read in order to get a biblical view of how to grow in holiness and joy.
REVEREND MARK BATES, senior pastor, Village Seven Presbyterian Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Jerry Bridges gets the gospel. He knows how it transforms unbeliever and believer alike, and his life mission is to ensure that we know it as well. This book is Bridges latest installment exalting in a gospel that is both glorious and profoundly functional for everyday life. Im grateful hes given us this gift, and Im eager to pass it on to friends and family to encourage them.
DAVE HARVEY, author of Rescuing Ambition ; church planter, Sovereign Grace Ministries
NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators, an international Christian organization and leader in personal spiritual development. NavPress is committed to helping people grow spiritually and enjoy lives of meaning and hope through personal and group resources that are biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical.
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2012 by Jerry Bridges
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ISBN-13: 978-1-61747-922-9 (hardback); 978-1-61291-164-9 (paperback)
Cover design by studiogearbox
Cover images by Nat Photos/Getty
Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.
Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ( ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other versions used include: the Holy Bible, New International Version ( NIV ). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, used by permission of Zondervan; the New American Standard Bible ( NASB ), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version ( KJV ).
Bridges, Jerry.
The transforming power of the Gospel / Jerry Bridges.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN 978-1-61747-922-9
1. SanctificationChristianity. 2. Christian life. I. Title.
BT765.B8 2012
234.8dc23
2011034259
Printed in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 17 16 15 14 13 12
Build: 2015-01-21 09:42:43
Dedicated to the memory of
William Jackson Bridges
19262005
Faithful Servant of Jesus Christ
and a
True Older Brother
He served his own generation by the will of God.
A CTS 13:36 ( KJV )
Contents
Preface
S piritual transformation is the process through which we grow more and more into the likeness of Christ. Since 1951, when I first came in contact with The Navigators ministry, I have sought to understand and live out the principles of that process. I have by no means arrived, either in understanding or application, but I have learned a lot and hopefully have grown some over these sixty years.
Early in the 1970s, God opened opportunities to teach informally what I was learning, first with The Navigators and later to a wider audience in the United States. Then I was invited to teach at several seminaries and Christian colleges. These opportunities required a more disciplined approach to what I was teaching, and I eventually developed a curriculum of twenty to twenty-five lectures, depending on the requirements of the school. In order to reach a wider audience, I condensed that material into ten lectures to be given during a two-day seminar. This book is essentially that seminar in written form.
I do not submit this book as a comprehensive work on spiritual transformation. For one thing, it does not include all that I have written in other books such as The Pursuit of Holiness or Transforming Grace . And there are other contemporary writers who have approached this subject from different angles and have much to say to us.
Why then this book? The answer is to teach what I have learned more deeply in the last twenty-five years about the importance of the gospel in our transformation and the vital necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit in the process.
I gladly acknowledge that I stand on the shoulders (though somewhat precariously) of some of the great giants of the faith of previous centuries. That is why you will find numerous quotations from them. I hope their words, in addition to the many Scriptures cited, will give you confidence that what I have written is not new and novel but is essentially the teaching of Scripture and is consistent with the teachings of these respected men of the last four centuries.
I want to acknowledge with gratitude the help of several people. First is my wife, Jane, who patiently endured many occasions of frustration as I struggled to put into concise words the thoughts in my head. Then Don Simpson, a personal friend and senior editor at NavPress, who has worked with me chapter by chapter as the book was being written with both helpful suggestions and the encouragement I so often needed.
