Bridges - Transforming grace: living confidently in Gods unfailing love

In typical Bridges style, this book is a warm, encouraging, and insightful guide to godly living. It gets to the core of the biblical meaning of grace.

R. C. SPROUL, president and chairman, Ligonier Ministries

Indeed, another inspired and powerful work by Jerry Bridges. Jerry brings us face-to-face with a reality we tend to forget: our own constant need for Gods grace.

CHUCK COLSON, founder, Prison Fellowship

L IVING C ONFIDENTLY IN G ODS U NFAILING L OVE

J ERRY B RIDGES

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1991, 2008 by Jerry Bridges

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ISBN-13: 978-1-60006-303-9

ISBN-10: 1-60006-303-9

Cover design by Gearbox

Cover photo by Paul Edmondson/Digital Vision

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ( NIV ). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Other versions used include: the New American Standard Bible ( NASB ), The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995; the Williams New Testament ( WMS ) by Charles B. Williams, 1937, 1965, 1966, by Edith S. Williams, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; and the King James Version ( KJV ).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bridges, Jerry.

Transforming Grace : living confidently in Gods unfailing love / Jerry Bridges.

270 p. ; 24cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 089109-96566

1. Grace (Theology). 2. Christian life.

234.B851t

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 11 10 09 08

To Mrs. Roger Mom Noyes
whom God used
to help me learn
more about His grace

Chapter One:
The Performance Treadmill

Chapter Two:
Grace Who Needs It?

Chapter Three:
Grace It Really Is Amazing

Chapter Four:
The Generous Landowner

Chapter Five:
Does God Have a Right?

Chapter Six:
Compelled by Love

Chapter Seven:
The Proof of Love

Chapter Eight:
Holiness: A Gift of Gods Grace

Chapter Nine:
Called to Be Free

Chapter Ten
The Sufficiency of Grace

Chapter Eleven:
The Least of All Gods People

Chapter Twelve:
Appropriating Gods Grace

Chapter Thirteen:
Garments of Grace

The grace of God is one of the most important subjects in all 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 Pauls 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 Newtons beloved hymn Amazing Grace is said to be the all-time favorite hymn 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. That is why Ephesians 2:8-9 is so familiar to us. Even Christian literature available on the subject of grace seems to deal almost exclusively with salvation. But 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.

My observation of Christendom is that most of us tend to base our personal relationship with God on our performance instead of on His grace. If weve performed well whatever well is in our opinion then we expect God to bless us. If we havent done so well, our expectations are reduced accordingly. In this sense, we live by works rather than by grace. We are saved by grace, but we are living by the sweat of our own performance.

Moreover, we are always challenging ourselves and one another to try harder. We seem to believe success in the Christian life (however we define success) is basically up to us: our commitment, our discipline, and our zeal, with some help from God along the way. We give lip service to the attitude of the apostle Paul, But by the grace of God I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10), but our unspoken motto is, God helps those who help themselves.

The realization that my daily relationship with God is based on the infinite merit of Christ instead of on my own performance is a very freeing and joyous experience. But it is not meant to be a one-time experience; the truth needs to be reaf-firmed daily. That is what this book is all about.

I often study some important topic of Scripture using what I call the Crock Pot or slow cooker method. That is, I let it cook slowly over the back burner of my mind for months, even years. That has been true with the subject of Gods grace. It has been on my back burner for more than ten years. Ive written three other books during that time, but my mind and heart have kept coming back to Gods grace.

As Ive studied this subject, and more particularly in recent months as I have focused my thoughts into the material for this book, Ive frequently felt like a child trying to dip all the water out of the ocean. The grace of God is so inexhaustible and at times overwhelming. I trust I have been able to express something of that feeling in the message of this book, and that you, too, will come to appreciate more the vast riches of Gods grace given to us through Christ.

Several people have played an important role in the writing of this book. My pastor, Rick Fite, read the complete manuscript and affirmed and encouraged me in this emphasis on grace. Another friend, Don Simpson, also read the manuscript and gave me valuable feedback and suggestions. Jon Stine, a very exacting editor, constantly challenged me to clarify my thoughts and to present a biblically balanced message. A number of friends across the country have prayed regularly for this work, but senior saint Grace Peterson has again been my Moses on the top of the hill while I have been fighting the Amalekites of concepts and thoughts, which often would just not come together. (Refer to Exodus 17:8-13 if youre not familiar with the Bible analogy Im using.)

Jessie Newton, my administrative assistant, has put my handwritten manuscript on a computer, ready to be typeset. This is the second book Jessie has typed for me, and she has done a superb job.