Grace. Perhaps one of the most talked about, and one of the most misunderstood and “manhandled” aspects of the Christian faith. In his latest book, Andy Stanley tackles this core, and vitally important, aspect of the relationship between God and mankind.
Recently, I read an advanced copy of The Grace of God. In accordance with FTC regulation 16 CFR, Part 255, I received the copy free from the publisher as part of the BookSneeze book review program. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are solely mine.
In the book, Stanley leads us along the thread of grace that runs throughout the Bible. Instead of simply dealing with familiar New Testament stories of God’s grace, he starts at the very beginning. He writes to help the reader see the importance and freedom of grace in all of God’s dealings with mankind. Grace doesn’t make sense to us, and we don’t do a good job living in it, but without it, we are lost.
I approached the book with a little bit of skepticism. Not because of who Stanley is, his writing style, or the topic, but wondering what he would write that hasn’t already been written. Stanley solidly reminds us that grace is not a New Testament concept, but a biblical concept. Grace is an unchanging characteristic of God’s character, and he takes the reader through many biblical stories to develop a bigger view of grace.
I especially liked the first grouping of chapters as it explored God’s grace towards Old Testament characters. Later there were some familiar and some fresh New Testament stories of grace. He drew out common themes and teachings, but it worked as they built on what had already been looked at earlier.
I appreciated his approach, candor, and challenge. As a pastor, it caused me to think about how I accept grace, extend grace, and live out grace. Do I add requirements to grace? If I do, then it is no longer grace. Grace is undeserved, unmerited, and unearned. It is God extending His goodness and graciousness to us because He wants to.
I would definitely recommend this book. May Christians be people of grace in light of the grace of God.
