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The Gospel for Real Life: Turn to the Liberating Power of the Cross... Every Day
The gospel provides for our eternal salvation, but how does it benefit us day to day? Find out from author Jerry Bridges how the gospel sets you free from sin's defeat and daily transforms you into Christlikeness.
Includes study guide.
Includes study guide.
199 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Jerry Bridges
106 books612 followersJERRY BRIDGES was an author and conference speaker. His most popular book, The Pursuit of Holiness, has sold over one million copies. Jerry was on the staff of The Navigators for over fifty years, and currently served in the Collegiate Mission where he was involved primarily in staff development, but also served as a speaker resource to the campus ministries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
December 21, 2017
I enjoy all Jerry Bridges' books and this was no exception. He had a great way of simplifying theology for the lay reader. This is not one of his best books: it is an overview of the Gospel message seeking to help readers to apply Gospel truths to their everyday lives. However, I found some of it a little repetitive and some of the examples he uses seem to be slightly off topic.
Bridges main focus in this book is to dispel the myths surrounding our relationship with God as believers. He wants Christians to understand that they really are justified by faith alone. He quotes Richard Lovelace:
Many Christians below the surface of their lives are guilt-ridden and insecure and draw the assurance of their acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience.
There are some great quotes addressing how God views us. These are things which are widely misunderstood in the church today. If we truly understand God's hatred of sin (and sinners) then it actually enhances the Gospel message and makes it more incredible that God chose to save us "whilst we were yet sinners."
When Paul described us as God's enemies, he was not at that point describing our sinful hatred of God but rather His righteous hatred of us because of our sin. Because of the sinful connotations we associate with human hatred, it is difficult for us to conceive of God's holy hatred towards people. But God's hatred is simply His just and holy revulsion and His holy antagonism toward those who rebel against Him. More important than His use of the word wrath, however, are His frequent references to hell as the ultimate, eternal expression of God's wrath. (Matthew 5 vs 22, 18 vs 9, Mark 9 vs 47, Luke 12 vs 5)
It is for this reason that:
We should never cease to be amazed that the One who established the Law and determined its curse should Himself ransom us from that curse by bearing it in our place.
I recommend this book which also has a study guide at the back. However, if you are new to Bridges then start with Trusting God or Respectable Sins. I'm about to also re-read The Pursuit of Holiness so that I can do a comprehensive review....
Bridges main focus in this book is to dispel the myths surrounding our relationship with God as believers. He wants Christians to understand that they really are justified by faith alone. He quotes Richard Lovelace:
Many Christians below the surface of their lives are guilt-ridden and insecure and draw the assurance of their acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience.
There are some great quotes addressing how God views us. These are things which are widely misunderstood in the church today. If we truly understand God's hatred of sin (and sinners) then it actually enhances the Gospel message and makes it more incredible that God chose to save us "whilst we were yet sinners."
When Paul described us as God's enemies, he was not at that point describing our sinful hatred of God but rather His righteous hatred of us because of our sin. Because of the sinful connotations we associate with human hatred, it is difficult for us to conceive of God's holy hatred towards people. But God's hatred is simply His just and holy revulsion and His holy antagonism toward those who rebel against Him. More important than His use of the word wrath, however, are His frequent references to hell as the ultimate, eternal expression of God's wrath. (Matthew 5 vs 22, 18 vs 9, Mark 9 vs 47, Luke 12 vs 5)
It is for this reason that:
We should never cease to be amazed that the One who established the Law and determined its curse should Himself ransom us from that curse by bearing it in our place.
I recommend this book which also has a study guide at the back. However, if you are new to Bridges then start with Trusting God or Respectable Sins. I'm about to also re-read The Pursuit of Holiness so that I can do a comprehensive review....
June 12, 2024
Rounding up to 4 stars
An easily digestible yet powerful recapitulation of the Gospel.
There’s nothing groundbreaking or innovative here, but that’s exactly the point. We need to be continually reminded of the gospel so that we can saturate our minds with these important truths daily. Indeed, we should daily preach the gospel to ourselves because it is otherwise so easy to fall into a “works righteousness” whereby we try to earn the love of God through our obedience. Instead, we need to be constantly reminded of our acceptance to God by being in Christ, and the Holy Spirit will continue His work to sanctify us and make us more Christlike.
Overall, this is great stuff and it’s presented well. I believe I’ve enjoyed every Bridges book I’ve read. Thankfully, he has written many more.
An easily digestible yet powerful recapitulation of the Gospel.
There’s nothing groundbreaking or innovative here, but that’s exactly the point. We need to be continually reminded of the gospel so that we can saturate our minds with these important truths daily. Indeed, we should daily preach the gospel to ourselves because it is otherwise so easy to fall into a “works righteousness” whereby we try to earn the love of God through our obedience. Instead, we need to be constantly reminded of our acceptance to God by being in Christ, and the Holy Spirit will continue His work to sanctify us and make us more Christlike.
Overall, this is great stuff and it’s presented well. I believe I’ve enjoyed every Bridges book I’ve read. Thankfully, he has written many more.
October 21, 2024
This book is fantastic. I’ve not read Jerry Bridges’ other works, but if this book is any indication, he has a knack for discussing even complicated topics in a way that is easily understood, digestible, and applicable.
I highly recommend reading this book AND I highly recommend it as a book that you can recommend to both faithful believers, nominal Christians, and nonbelievers alike.
I highly recommend reading this book AND I highly recommend it as a book that you can recommend to both faithful believers, nominal Christians, and nonbelievers alike.
January 5, 2024
Good book about the good news!
I have never read anything by Mr. Bridges that was not captivating and edifying. This book is no different. I would highly recommend this work for a Sunday School class or group Bible study. So much on the scope and glory of the Good news of Jesus Christ.
I have never read anything by Mr. Bridges that was not captivating and edifying. This book is no different. I would highly recommend this work for a Sunday School class or group Bible study. So much on the scope and glory of the Good news of Jesus Christ.
January 21, 2014
This book was helpful for me as a woman who became a Christian at a young age and was then forever in Christian circles after that. It's easy to form the mindset that, because I am a Christian and have gone to church my whole life, I know all there is to know about the Gospel, namely Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection and what that means for me and others. But the Gospel isn't something that is stagnant or was intended to be believed once and then not ever revisited again. The Gospel transforms and, according to Bridges, should be revisited each and every day of a believers' life. Bridges book touches on each aspect of the Gospel - the state of human beings, the need for salvation, redemption, reconciliation, justice, grace, adoption, sanctification, glorification, the great commission, and I'm sure that I am leaving many other great things out.
He uses many different real-life examples to help illustrate biblical ideas and concepts that might be harder to grasp (and still can be hard to grasp because of the fact that people have finite minds) if not explained in an applicable way. He brings in a lot of Scripture throughout the chapters, which is absolutely necessary in any book regarding the Bible since what he states is not based on his own authority but on God's true words.
Also, he provides study questions for every two chapters that can be used for book studies, which is what I have used it for.
I have been blessed by many of the truths shared in Bridges' book as well as the opportunities I have been given to discuss the Gospel on deeper and more meaningful levels. Bridges does a great job of asking simple yet thought-provoking questions that get a person thinking about what the Gospel truly means objectively and then how it's objectivity can relate to them subjectively.
He uses many different real-life examples to help illustrate biblical ideas and concepts that might be harder to grasp (and still can be hard to grasp because of the fact that people have finite minds) if not explained in an applicable way. He brings in a lot of Scripture throughout the chapters, which is absolutely necessary in any book regarding the Bible since what he states is not based on his own authority but on God's true words.
Also, he provides study questions for every two chapters that can be used for book studies, which is what I have used it for.
I have been blessed by many of the truths shared in Bridges' book as well as the opportunities I have been given to discuss the Gospel on deeper and more meaningful levels. Bridges does a great job of asking simple yet thought-provoking questions that get a person thinking about what the Gospel truly means objectively and then how it's objectivity can relate to them subjectively.
April 3, 2018
My husband read this aloud to us in family time over the last couple months. It’s good and in typical Jerry Bridges’ style, easy to understand. We benefited from it for sure, it’s just not my favorite of his books. The chapter on assurance of salvation was my favorite.
February 24, 2018
An excellent, clear understanding of the gospel and how it affects my life. This book makes me want to read other books by Bridges.
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March 8, 2022I have appreciated the writing of Jerry Bridges for a long time now, and only recently realized that he had written this book. I found it a very encouraging read. It definitely lived up to the title he gives it in the preference "Gospel 101", because he helps to explain in great detail, with much scriptural evidence, what the gospel is, why believers need to preach it to their own hearts every day and how we live in light of it.
August 18, 2024
This book is baller. If we believe the gospel is as foundational as it is, then we have to have to know it cold. And this book is a great place to start. Bridges does a great job of providing many different lens with which to view this wonderful thing our Lord has done, and he is also diligent to include abundant references which are worth checking out along the way. Well-written, engaging, a worthwhile resource for sure. 4.5 stars.
April 16, 2020
It was... fine. The spiritual equivalent of eating flavorless oatmeal every morning at breakfast for a year: there's nutrition there, and for those who are malnourished it is probably even of benefit, but for anyone seeking variety or flavor, you unfortunately won't find it here.
May 23, 2022
This book was close to 3/5 stars, but the fundamental truths of the gospel found in it are so clear that it deserves a 4. The main “fault” of this book is that it can feel overly simplistic and basic. However, when I approached a chapter in prayer and humility I was consistently shown how much my heart needs basic truth reinforced every day. Bridges is clear, and fairly concise. This is an excellent book for any young Christian seeking to grasp the core aspects of the gospel, but if you can muster up some Christ-like humility this books is good food for believers at any stage of their walk. In the end the only thing tempting me to rate this book lower than a 4 is my own sinful pride in thinking I “already understand these truths”.
May 14, 2021
Jerry Bridges was a treasure. He had a clear, unassuming goal: write accessible books about old truths illustrated in contemporary ways and explained in simple yet faithful language. His books aren’t flashy, but they have served millions of believers all without drawing much attention to the author.
I picked up The Gospel for Real Life about 14 years ago while in college. It was one of the first non-fiction Christian books I read, and it came into my life during a time when I was- unknowingly at first- trying to figure out what I believed about important doctrines and about God himself. I literally haven’t picked up the book since I first read it many years ago. Nevertheless, it stuck with me in a profound way and I remain truly glad and thankful that it was *this* book that I read in college instead of more popular Christian works of the time. For it set me on a trajectory in which God became big, holy, majestic, and truly loving— all in a way that made sense of the whole of Scripture. I became more aware of my own sin and need before Him, and while it took a few years for these truths to humble me in appropriate ways they certainly made me zealous for God.
The book has stuck with me so much that when I sat down to plan the reading for my men’s discipleship group, this book was one of the first to be added even though I hadn’t even looked at it in a decade. Reading again now, on the eve of discussing it with several brothers, I marvel again at the truths Bridges wrote about that captivated me in college and continue to affect me today. Such a simple concept: take the gospel apart piece by piece to examine from many angles and show the wonder of God’s holy love and plan to save us all while carefully explaining how this gospel impacts us in our daily lives.
If there is one critique it would be the need for a little more emphasis on how God through the Gospel creates a people-that is, a church- and how God’s people help us turn to the gospel as we also help them. He gets close to this at the end of chapter 13. Further, the final chapter does helpfully remind readers that the gospel does not promote an attitude of self-interest, but compels us to join the great enterprise of spreading the gospel.
I enthusiastically recommend this book to you, and especially to new or young believers!
I picked up The Gospel for Real Life about 14 years ago while in college. It was one of the first non-fiction Christian books I read, and it came into my life during a time when I was- unknowingly at first- trying to figure out what I believed about important doctrines and about God himself. I literally haven’t picked up the book since I first read it many years ago. Nevertheless, it stuck with me in a profound way and I remain truly glad and thankful that it was *this* book that I read in college instead of more popular Christian works of the time. For it set me on a trajectory in which God became big, holy, majestic, and truly loving— all in a way that made sense of the whole of Scripture. I became more aware of my own sin and need before Him, and while it took a few years for these truths to humble me in appropriate ways they certainly made me zealous for God.
The book has stuck with me so much that when I sat down to plan the reading for my men’s discipleship group, this book was one of the first to be added even though I hadn’t even looked at it in a decade. Reading again now, on the eve of discussing it with several brothers, I marvel again at the truths Bridges wrote about that captivated me in college and continue to affect me today. Such a simple concept: take the gospel apart piece by piece to examine from many angles and show the wonder of God’s holy love and plan to save us all while carefully explaining how this gospel impacts us in our daily lives.
If there is one critique it would be the need for a little more emphasis on how God through the Gospel creates a people-that is, a church- and how God’s people help us turn to the gospel as we also help them. He gets close to this at the end of chapter 13. Further, the final chapter does helpfully remind readers that the gospel does not promote an attitude of self-interest, but compels us to join the great enterprise of spreading the gospel.
I enthusiastically recommend this book to you, and especially to new or young believers!
January 7, 2021
Bridges helps his readers discover to a greater degree the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:8) found in the gospel that are available to the believer each and every day. His quest to encourage the followers of Christ to “preach the gospel to ourselves everyday” is continued in this book. Though saved, the believer’s actions are still tainted by sin, thus one’s standing and acceptance with God is still not based upon works, but through the blood of Christ those works are sacrificed and accepted by a loving Father who sees all of his children as he views Christ. This is a very helpful resource that shows how the gospel impacts us daily, not just for eternity.
August 24, 2013
This book is a common man's theological and practical guide to living the Christian life.
By reading and re-reading the contents and replaying these Biblical principles in my head, my hard heart can become more soft toward God and people.
I do like the repetition and summary after summary of the Biblical concepts.
I recommend this book.
Bridges answers the questions
- What is the Gospel we should preach to ourselves, everyday?
- Why do WE, WHO ARE ALREADY BELIEVERS, need to preach it to ourselves?
- How do we do it?
1. Begin each day with "I am accepted by God based ONLY on the infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus."
- we can't begin to see the GOOD news unless we see our DEEP need, every day
-the Gospel is the solution to our greatest problem - our guilt, our condemnation, and alienation from God
- seeing our deep spiritual need and the unsearchable riches in Christ to meet this need is the answer
2. The Cross is essential because "our sins are higher than our heads" Ezra 9:6
- the Cross satisfies His justifiable wrath against our sin
- the Cross is His love toward us
- He suffered what we should have suffered
Why the Cross??
- God's holiness demanded it as punishment for our sins
- God's love provided it to save us from our sins
3. Jesus' entire life was one of suffering obedience and obedient suffering; He assumed OUR obligation and liability, obeying and suffering in OUR place, as our representative and our substitute.
4. Justice - getting exactly what one deserves which is met fully and completely in the cross of Christ; because Jesus is my Savior, I can say, "God's justice toward me is fully and completely satisfied."
- Only God's infinite wisdom and superabundant love could devise such a plan that both satisfies His justice and meets my desperate need for mercy.
5. The cup of God's holy wrath (His righteous anger at our sin), was fully exhausted in the death of Christ on the cross.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- Isaiah 53:4Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Result: great humility and gratitude in us:
HUMILITY that we were the cause of our Savior's unimaginable suffering and
GRATITUDE that He so willingly and lovingly experienced God's wrath that we might not suffer it ourselves.
6. Propitiation addresses the wrath of God being exhausted and expiation addresses the work of Christ in removing and putting away our sin (ex- the scapegoat)
7. God demanded the ransom price, because of His holy wrath required it, and He paid it in the death of His son. It was God's justice that Jesus satisfied.
8. Reconciliation assumes a previous state of alienation and hostility caused by the offensive actions of one or both parties.
- Even though God is the One offended by our sin, He is the One who makes amends to Himself through the death of Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
- we bring nothing to our salvation except the sin that caused it
9. Right standing with God is ONLY based on the imputed righteousness of Christ, our "robe of righteousness".
- God treated Christ as we deserved to be treated so that He might treat us as Christ deserved to be treated.
FAITH: renouncing and trust in our own good works and relying entirely on the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.
10. Paul's 'garbage righteousness' (good works that he thought would increase his standing before God and his esteem before men) was exchanged for Christ's perfect righteousness which motivated his life of service.
- there is a direct correlation between faith in the righteousness of Christ and zeal in the cause of Christ. The more a person counts as loss his own righteousness and lays hold by faith of the righteousness of Christ, the more he will be motivated to live and work for Christ.
11. Faith is the gift of God, even though we were spiritually dead and totally gripped by worldly anti-god culture which was under the dominion of Satan and slaves to our own sinful nature.
12. We are children of God NOT children of wrath; we are adopted, with full rights: His provision, protection, encouragement, comfort, discipline.
13. We can have confident assurance of eternal life from 1) the promises of the Bible, 2) the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and 3) the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
14. Our Glorious Present - we are children of God
Our Glorious Future - we will be like Him, which is His ultimate purpose for us
15. If we are to be holy, we must get to the cross and stay there
16. The urgency of great commission comes by understanding that God always wanted to bless others by first blessing His people: that they trust in Christ and come under His full reign.
- this begins by us praying
-'going', and/or
- providing the finances so others go and spread the good news
Comment: to live with a daily sense of the Gospel, gives me peace / love toward God, myself, and others
By reading and re-reading the contents and replaying these Biblical principles in my head, my hard heart can become more soft toward God and people.
I do like the repetition and summary after summary of the Biblical concepts.
I recommend this book.
Bridges answers the questions
- What is the Gospel we should preach to ourselves, everyday?
- Why do WE, WHO ARE ALREADY BELIEVERS, need to preach it to ourselves?
- How do we do it?
1. Begin each day with "I am accepted by God based ONLY on the infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus."
- we can't begin to see the GOOD news unless we see our DEEP need, every day
-the Gospel is the solution to our greatest problem - our guilt, our condemnation, and alienation from God
- seeing our deep spiritual need and the unsearchable riches in Christ to meet this need is the answer
2. The Cross is essential because "our sins are higher than our heads" Ezra 9:6
- the Cross satisfies His justifiable wrath against our sin
- the Cross is His love toward us
- He suffered what we should have suffered
Why the Cross??
- God's holiness demanded it as punishment for our sins
- God's love provided it to save us from our sins
3. Jesus' entire life was one of suffering obedience and obedient suffering; He assumed OUR obligation and liability, obeying and suffering in OUR place, as our representative and our substitute.
4. Justice - getting exactly what one deserves which is met fully and completely in the cross of Christ; because Jesus is my Savior, I can say, "God's justice toward me is fully and completely satisfied."
- Only God's infinite wisdom and superabundant love could devise such a plan that both satisfies His justice and meets my desperate need for mercy.
5. The cup of God's holy wrath (His righteous anger at our sin), was fully exhausted in the death of Christ on the cross.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- Isaiah 53:4Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Result: great humility and gratitude in us:
HUMILITY that we were the cause of our Savior's unimaginable suffering and
GRATITUDE that He so willingly and lovingly experienced God's wrath that we might not suffer it ourselves.
6. Propitiation addresses the wrath of God being exhausted and expiation addresses the work of Christ in removing and putting away our sin (ex- the scapegoat)
7. God demanded the ransom price, because of His holy wrath required it, and He paid it in the death of His son. It was God's justice that Jesus satisfied.
8. Reconciliation assumes a previous state of alienation and hostility caused by the offensive actions of one or both parties.
- Even though God is the One offended by our sin, He is the One who makes amends to Himself through the death of Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
- we bring nothing to our salvation except the sin that caused it
9. Right standing with God is ONLY based on the imputed righteousness of Christ, our "robe of righteousness".
- God treated Christ as we deserved to be treated so that He might treat us as Christ deserved to be treated.
FAITH: renouncing and trust in our own good works and relying entirely on the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.
10. Paul's 'garbage righteousness' (good works that he thought would increase his standing before God and his esteem before men) was exchanged for Christ's perfect righteousness which motivated his life of service.
- there is a direct correlation between faith in the righteousness of Christ and zeal in the cause of Christ. The more a person counts as loss his own righteousness and lays hold by faith of the righteousness of Christ, the more he will be motivated to live and work for Christ.
11. Faith is the gift of God, even though we were spiritually dead and totally gripped by worldly anti-god culture which was under the dominion of Satan and slaves to our own sinful nature.
12. We are children of God NOT children of wrath; we are adopted, with full rights: His provision, protection, encouragement, comfort, discipline.
13. We can have confident assurance of eternal life from 1) the promises of the Bible, 2) the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and 3) the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
14. Our Glorious Present - we are children of God
Our Glorious Future - we will be like Him, which is His ultimate purpose for us
15. If we are to be holy, we must get to the cross and stay there
16. The urgency of great commission comes by understanding that God always wanted to bless others by first blessing His people: that they trust in Christ and come under His full reign.
- this begins by us praying
-'going', and/or
- providing the finances so others go and spread the good news
Comment: to live with a daily sense of the Gospel, gives me peace / love toward God, myself, and others
February 19, 2021
Typical of Jerry Bridges, this book is a gentle and thorough presentation of the principles of the Christian life. Bridges writes with a sweet humility that presents truth clearly for even the youngest of believers. I highly recommend this book as a guide for discipling others, especially new believers, in the basics of Christian life. It was edifying to read as a believer of 30 years as a reminder of the foundational truths of the faith. A good friend who read this with me has been referring to it to explain difficult theological concepts in a clear, concise manner. This book is an excellent resource for every believer.
October 11, 2022
oh my goodness. this book was just so good. one of the best Christian books i have ever read. This had so many good points are reminders of how good god is and no matter where we are in life, he will always love us, we just have to follow and believe in him. there were some parts that drug on a little bit because I was tired of the author going on and on with the analogies and just wanted to hear what he had to say about the bible, but other than that, it was such a good read. HIGHLY RECOMMEND
December 7, 2023
Que aula sobre o Evangelho! Quero reler em breve!
October 18, 2018
All Bridges does for 172 pages is explain the gospel — and it’s a slam dunk! This book is a crash course in Soteriology. The gospel begins with the bad news: we are sinners and God is angry at our sin (ch. 2). The rest of the book spells out the good news. By Christ’s death on the cross and active righteousness (ch. 3), God’s justice is satisfied (ch. 4). This provides propitiation (ch. 5), expiation (ch. 6), and redemption (ch. 7) for those who are justified (chs. 9-10) by faith (ch. 11). Christians enjoy adoption (ch. 12), assurance (ch. 13), glorification (ch. 14), and ongoing sanctification (ch. 15). Such good news should make us tell the world (ch. 16)!
Helpful thoughts:
- Preach the gospel to yourself every day (p. 11).
- Helpful treatment of Adam and Christ as our representatives (p. 37).
- Great treatment of the two goats on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16). The sacrificed goat represents the propitiation of God's wrath. The goat that is sent away represents the expiation of our sins (pp. 58, 67).
This book is an overwhelmingly encouraging reminder of the truths of the gospel. It motivated me to worship and witness. I should live each day with more humility and more joy because of my current position with God (made possible by the righteousness of Christ).
Great quote: “The gospel believed every day is the only enduring motivation to pursue progressive sanctification” (p. 164).
Helpful thoughts:
- Preach the gospel to yourself every day (p. 11).
- Helpful treatment of Adam and Christ as our representatives (p. 37).
- Great treatment of the two goats on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16). The sacrificed goat represents the propitiation of God's wrath. The goat that is sent away represents the expiation of our sins (pp. 58, 67).
This book is an overwhelmingly encouraging reminder of the truths of the gospel. It motivated me to worship and witness. I should live each day with more humility and more joy because of my current position with God (made possible by the righteousness of Christ).
Great quote: “The gospel believed every day is the only enduring motivation to pursue progressive sanctification” (p. 164).
May 4, 2020
Every believer should read this. Bridges has given me a deeper understanding of my relationship with Christ and my responsibilities as a Christian.
December 23, 2020
Best book on the Gospel. Jerry Bridges gets the law/gospel distinction and reformed theology. This is the best intro to the gospel that will free your soul from the filth of your legalism.
April 25, 2022
But the free pardon of the cross uproots sin, and withers all its branches. Only the certainty of love, forgiving love, can do this....
For Christ's love compels us - 2 Corinthians 5:14
And where do we learn of His love? Where do we hear Him say, "I love you"? It is in the gospel. That is why we need to "preach the gospel to ourselves every day."
This is the truth of the gospel: we owe an enormous spiritual debt to God-a debt we can't begin to pay. But the gospel tells us that Jesus Christ paid our debt, we are no longer enemies and objects of His wrath, we are now His sons and daughters, heirs with Jesus Christ of all His unsearchable riches. This is the good news of the gospel.
No other love like this:")
For Christ's love compels us - 2 Corinthians 5:14
And where do we learn of His love? Where do we hear Him say, "I love you"? It is in the gospel. That is why we need to "preach the gospel to ourselves every day."
This is the truth of the gospel: we owe an enormous spiritual debt to God-a debt we can't begin to pay. But the gospel tells us that Jesus Christ paid our debt, we are no longer enemies and objects of His wrath, we are now His sons and daughters, heirs with Jesus Christ of all His unsearchable riches. This is the good news of the gospel.
No other love like this:")
August 7, 2017
It took me forever to finish this short book. I love Jerry Bridges' work, but this one just was hard to get through. It wasn't boring. It wasn't overly theological. I guess expectations are the key. I was expecting the book to be more applicable for "every day" life. It was mainly a succinct chapter by chapter explanation of the depth of the Gospel with two chapters in the end about how this can be put in your life everyday. Really just one chapter is "every day", and the second end-chapter is about where the Gospel will take you.
I think this book would be excellent for a new believer!
I think this book would be excellent for a new believer!
February 14, 2021
I am a huge fan of Jerry Bridges. God has used his books many times to convict me of areas in my life that need to be brought before the throne of God. As all of his books, Bridges does a wonderful job writing deep truths in a simple way that anyone could understand. This book takes you back the the very core of salvation and deeply explains every aspect of it. As believers it is always important to return to the basics of our salvation no matter how long we have been walking with God. However, I feel like this book is geared more to new believers or believers who have never taken the time to study what the gospel really is.
May 21, 2023
A very straightforward overview of key gospel doctrines. Found the chapters on justification and sanctification particularly encouraging. For believers seasoned and new: the gospel truths in this book are an encouragement. For those just beginning a relationship with Christ or seeking to learn more about Him the explanations and concepts in this book are still accessible.
I took off one star because if you are using this book as a Bible study the questions at the end of each chapter can sometimes be redundant or not cover the breadth of each chapter.
I took off one star because if you are using this book as a Bible study the questions at the end of each chapter can sometimes be redundant or not cover the breadth of each chapter.
January 24, 2023
This is my personal favorite of Jerry Bridges’ books! I highly recommend reading “Respectable Sins” first. This book feels like a resolution to that one. His authorship is just incredible. He defines all terms he uses so you know exactly what to expect him to discuss. He sees things from many viewpoints but then points everything back to Scripture. The book is accurate and encouraging. This book has been used by Spirit to convict and sanctify me greatly.
February 27, 2021
Such a powerful book and overall treatment of the gospel that is very accessible to all! He says the goal is to “preach the gospel to yourself” and he does an amazing job! Each chapter covers a different aspect of the gospel (sin, justification, forgiveness, adoption, etc). This was our staff’s favorite books we ever read for development. I will revisit often!
April 27, 2021
In this book, Jerry Bridges goes into detail about the Gospel, and how it should impact our daily lives. While some of this material can be difficult for younger readers as it goes into some advanced discussions, this book was an amazing read and a fantastic reminder of how the Gospel should be influencing my daily life. Highly suggest.
August 26, 2021
Excelente livro! O autor aborda a centralidade do evangelho e seus desdobramentos na vida cotidiana. É interessante também a maneira simples, mas profunda, como o autor aborda vários temas importantes da teologia como redenção, justificação, santificação, adoção, etc. No final do livro você encontra uma série de perguntas para reflexão que podem ser usadas para estudos em grupo ou individual.
February 9, 2022
This is a great book that is helpful for being reminded of how the gospel applies to our lives everyday. It is also very helpful for discipleship and instruction. The study guide edition has great questions at the end of each chapter.
February 19, 2023
Bridges does it again! Remarkable book for growing in and being reminded of the Gospel and it's work in our lives. Another highly recommendation for this book in preaching the gospel to ourselves daily!
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