Jerry Bridges, Author of Transforming Grace

“The grace 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. We all quote Paul’s well-known words in Ephesians chapter 2. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith––and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, so that no one can boast. John Newton’s beloved him amazing Grace is said to be the all-time favorite him in United States. Do I say the grace of God is one of the least understood subjects in the Bible?

Even Christian literature available on the subjects of grace seems to deal almost exclusively with salvation. 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 we’ve performed well—whatever well is in our opinion—can we expect God to bless us. If we haven’t 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.”