Digital Logos Edition
When we are gripped by the astonishing fact of Christ's love for us, we desire to draw close to Him. But what can we do to deepen our relationship with Jesus? What does He expect of us? And how can we be more like Him?
In Growing Your Faith, author Jerry Bridges, one of the most respected Bible teachers of our time, presents the essential elements of Christian life in highly readable, surprisingly practical form. Jerry shows us how to:
When we more fully open our hearts to the truth of His gospel and acknowledge the role of the Holy Spirit in our pursuit of holiness, we can make genuine progress in our spiritual lives. And that's a big part of what it means to follow Christ.
For the glory of God and the increase of our joy in God, we Christians all need to grow spiritually. With simple but searching exposition and illustration, veteran teacher Jerry Bridges shows us how. This is a truly wise book. It will enrich all who read it.
—J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College
Jerry Bridges (1929–2016) was an evangelical Christian author, speaker, and staff member of The Navigators, an international, interdenominational Christian ministry focusing on mentoring, discipling, and building relationships. Bridges earned his undergraduate degree in engineering at the University of Oklahoma before serving as an officer in the United States Navy during the Korean War. He joined the Christian discipleship organization The Navigators in 1955, where he served as an administrative assistant to the Europe Director, office manager for the headquarters office, Secretary-Treasurer of the organization, and as Vice President for Corporate Affairs before moving to a staff development position with the Collegiate Mission.
“God’s unmerited favor? While it is not wrong, I believe it is inadequate. So here is a definition that I believe captures the biblical meaning of grace: Grace is God’s favor through Christ to people who deserve His disfavor.” (Page 19)
“The first bookend we need to set in place is the righteousness of Christ.” (Page 20)
“The same is true in spiritual growth. It doesn’t just happen. In fact, it doesn’t even happen by spiritual osmosis, that is, by just being around other believers and unconsciously assimilating their spirituality. Spiritual growth occurs as a result of intentional and appropriate effort. The word intentional implies a diligent pursuit of a clear goal. Appropriate indicates that we must use the God-given ways of growth given to us in the Bible. We usually refer to these ways of growth as ‘spiritual disciplines.’” (Page 17)
“The common element of their design is the word dependence. We are dependent upon the righteousness of Christ for our acceptance with God, and we are dependent on the power of Christ for our ability to pursue spiritual growth.” (Page 23)
“All hardship of whatever kind has a disciplinary purpose for us. There is no such thing as pain without a purpose in the life of a believer.” (Page 148)