Review of The Practice of Godliness Study Guide by Jerry Bridges

A couple years ago I read Jerry Bridges’ The Gospel for Real Life and Transforming Grace.  These two books were phenomenal and caused me to have a great amount of appreciation for Jerry Bridges—but more so a great appreciation of the Jesus he worships.  For that reason I was excited for the opportunity given me by the good folks at NavPress to review Bridges’ new small-group curriculum for The Practice of Godliness.

This curriculum has the complete text of Bridges’ book The Practice of Godliness.  Off to the side, which is really helpful, is a large blank space for notes.  Honestly, I wish more books had wider margins for notes.  I loved this particular part of the resource.  Also, at the end of each chapter there are helpful questions and biblical passages to interact with. 

I was unable to use this book in a small group setting but I did read it for my own personal use and sampled it as a pastor thinking about suggesting this as a resource for a Sunday school class.  That was one of my goals in reviewing this book—to determine whether I should encourage a class at our church to use this material.  I will be suggesting it. 

Bridges has a helpful balance of grace and the believers need to pursue holiness and godliness.  Bridges consistently reminds us that “godliness is no optional luxury for a few quaint Christians of a bygone era” (10).  For Bridges, godliness is devotion in action.  And he labors to show that godliness is more an attitude toward God and not an activity (11). 

Throughout the book Bridges relates various characteristics of the Spirit-filled life to the fear of God, our love for God (and his love for us), and a desire for God.  In the first part of the book Bridges develops the theological foundation for godliness (this is the first three sessions) and then he practically deals with the fruits of the Spirit in the next 8 sessions) and closes up the book by discussing love and painting a picture of the goal of godliness—Christ Himself. 

Often believers do not see how their character formation affects how they relate to God.  It is assumed that theology and godliness are optional and they have no bearing on our relationship with the all-loving Lord.  It is thought, how can my relationship with a God that loves unconditionally be shaped by my practice of godliness?  The two do not seem to go hand in hand.  But Jerry Bridges has once again masterfully shown us that our view of God shapes our character and our character shapes our view of God. 

It may read a little slow at times but it is certainly worthy of the effort.  I’ll be looking for a Sunday school class to take this study up.  I would suggest that you purchase this curriculum for your own personal study as well. 

Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

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."

Review of Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges

Author: Jerry Bridges

Pages: 208 pages

Publisher: NavPress

Price: 10.50

Genre: Christian Living


Quick Summary:

A pastor friend of mine once said, “We love grace, just not free grace”. In this book Jerry Bridges displays the beauty of free grace. His fundamental cry in this book is summed up nicely on the back cover: “Funny how the exceeding riches of God’s grace seem to run out the moment we’re saved. From then on, we tend to base our relationship with Him on our performance rather than on His grace.” Throughout this book the reader is consistently brought back to the sufficiency of unadulterated grace.

Practical and theological. Simple yet profound. This book would cause the greatest scholar to pause and grounds up the meat in such a way that even the newest of babes could feast on it. Grace shines in this work by Jerry Bridges.

What I Liked:

Since reading this book I have quoted it more than any other book. It is highly readable and its principles are not difficult to remember. This book is one of those rare jewels that stick with you. At least in my life it has been something the Lord has used to consistently remind me to “preach the gospel to myself”.

Here is an example of the simple yet profound statements throughout this book: “One of the best keep secrets among Christians today is this: Jesus paid it all. I mean all. He not only purchased your forgiveness of sins and your ticket to Heaven, He purchased every blessing and every answer to prayer you will ever receive. Every one of them—no exceptions.” It’s easy to understand but it takes a lifetime to chew on the truth in that statement. This book is filled with such excellent material.

A great mark of a Christian book is that it causes a deeper love for God and throughout reading it you break out into praise and awe. One of Bridge’s goals seems to have been to overwhelm us with the greatness of God and the freeness of His grace. He succeeds.

What I Disliked:

I have to dig pretty deep to find something that I do not like about this book. Perhaps one thing I could say to give some balance is that there are some places along the way that seem to drag a little—but maybe I just hadn’t drank my Mountain Dew yet. Truthfully the only thing I dislike about this book is that I’ve finished reading it.

Should You Buy It?

You would be absolutely foolish not to buy this book. Buy it, read it, give it away and then buy another. Whether you consider yourself a scholar or a simpleton you should buy this book. This book is for every type of person because God’s grace is for every type of person. If you do not buy this book you will be in dire need for grace! (Well, even if you do buy it you still need grace, but the point stands—buy the book!).

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Review of Jerry Bridges--The Gospel for Real Life

Author: Jerry Bridges

Pages: 208

Publisher: NavPress

Price: 8.99

Genre: Christian Living


Quick Summary:

All believers in Jesus Christ understand the importance of the gospel; at least its importance for the beginning stages of our relationship with Jesus. Yet, many believers live “lives of quiet desperation”. Jerry Bridges believes the reason is that we “have a truncated view of the gospel, tending to see it only as a door we walk through to become a Christian.” (14) To combat this “truncated view of the gospel” Bridges proposes that we preach the gospel to ourselves daily. This book is the unfolding of that gospel.

We begin the unfolding of the gospel where it ought to begin, at the Cross. And there, our author expounds its meaning and drives its implications into the core of our lives. Bridges teaches weighty doctrine; and he does so simply. He teaches on propitiation as if it is an every day word, and fleshes out its implications into our every day lives. We learn about justification. We learn about reconciliation. We learn about adoption. We learn about sanctification. All of this is written in an easy to read manner. Bridges is also careful to remind us that we are “not to be a terminus point for the gospel, but rather the way station in its progress to the ends of the earth.” Not only are we to enjoy the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ, we are also to spread that joy to the nations.

What I Liked:

Churches need this book. Bridges writes about very weighty theological topics in a very succinct and simple manner. It has been said that to really grasp something is to be able to communicate it simply. Bridges must really understand the gospel. Through beautiful story-telling, pointed analogies, and soul-stirring metaphors Bridges makes deep truths easily understood.

The principle behind this book and its Christ-centered, gospel-loving nature will make this a timeless classic. It causes the reader to want more. More of the gospel and more of our Savior. It reminds us that the gospel is meant for every day. To truly apply the principles in this book would revolutionize our individual lives and our churches.

What I Disliked:

“Dislike” is probably too strong of a word. One of the greatest qualities in this book is also one of its most distracting. The simplicity of this book can cause the deeper reader to get a tad bored. The material is wonderful and Bridges writes in such a way to combat that. It is probably more a reflection of my own heart and not being in awe of the great work of Christ as I ought to be as it is Bridges writing. Nonetheless, the reader does have to stay focused. This book is better read reflecting on a chapter at a time. Unless of course it is new material, then soak it up and read it three times over.

Should You Buy This Book?

Yes. Pastor’s buy a few for your congregation. Lead a study on this. It does have a study guide in the back. This would be very fitting for a small group. Buy one and live by it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars