The Gospel for Real Life

I recently have been knocking out lots of books on my 2011 Book List. I am quite behind on reviews though, so here is the first of many. I spent the semester reading through The Gospel for Real Life with a student whom I disciple. She and I both thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I recommend that every Christian read it. Jerry Bridges has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Respectable Sins is another book of his that is a favorite of mine. His writing is simplistic and clear, yet very thorough and thought provoking.

In 2009, I read Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney. In this book Mahaney said, "Let there never be a lengthy period of time where you aren't receiving inspiration and instructions related directly to the cross, since that's where we find a fresh, sustaining conviction of His personal love." Mahaney's challenge is the very reason that I decided to read Gospel for Real Life, and I certainly have no regrets. One thing I have learned over the past few years about myself is that I am quick to look away from the cross and become completely inwardly focused. Instead of focusing on what Jesus did for me, I become focused on what I can do for Jesus. This is why I especially need to constantly be focusing my attentions towards the cross, and as Bridges would say, "the unsearchable riches of Christ."

The Gospel for Real Life is basically exactly what the title suggest...what is the gospel and why do we need to preach it to ourselves everyday. Bridges discusses why the cross was necessary, how the justice of God was satisfied, how are sins have been forgiven, and how we have been redeemed and reconciled to God. Furthermore, Bridges outlines what happens once we have become a child of God: how we can have confidence in our salvation and how we are becoming like him (the process of sanctification). Finally, Bridges ends the book with our response--taking the gospel to the world. As simple as this may sound for those of you who have been walking with the Lord for quite some time, it was incredibly refreshing for me to read this book and be reminded of the basic truths of the gospel. Being in full-time ministry, I can easily become engulfed with theological issues that are not essential to my salvation. The truths of this book are essential to my faith, and what I need to be preaching to myself from the moment I wake each day. I will leave you with a few of my favorite quotes from the book--Bridges says it a lot better than me!

"We can't begin to appreciate the good news of the gospel until we see our deep need."

"The cross then, is an expression of God's wrath toward sin as well as His love to us. It expresses His holiness in His determination to punish sin, even at the cost of His Son. And it expresses His love in sending His Son to bear the punishment we so justly deserved."

"During those awful hours when Jesus hung on the cross, the cup of God's wrath was completely turned upside down. Christ exhausted the cup of God's wrath. For all who trust in Him there is nothing more in the cup. It is empty."

"Above all, however, we should accept this wonderful truth that Jesus bore the curse in our place and paid our ransom price, not because it seems reasonable by any human standards, but because God in His Word has declared it to be so."

"We bring nothing to our salvation except our sin that made it necessary."

"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."

"Only to the extent we believe God has indeed put our sins behind His back will we be motivated and enabled to effectively deal with those sins in our daily lives."

"But the gospel is not about God and me. The gospel is about God and the world. It is about God who 'was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself'...God intends that everyone who has embraced the gospel become a part of the great enterprise of spreading the gospel. What our particular part in this great enterprise may be will vary from person to person, but all of us should be involved."