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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gem..., April 3, 2009
This review is from: The Bookends of the Christian Life (Hardcover)
There is a lot of talk about being `gospel-centered' and `preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' but what does this look like practically? Is there a practical framework within which to think and live in this posture?
Enter Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington. Bridges and Bevington provide an extended metaphor to explain two provisions on which believers must rely-the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bookends of the Christian Life aims to help readers understand and apply the doctrines of justification and sanctification. As is usually the case with Bridges, the book is written simply, clearly and biblically.
The authors are not just giving doctrinal overviews here either. They are mixing it up in our kitchens. In the section on the righteousness of Christ, the authors unveil the twin joy killing enemies of self righteousness: self-imposed moralism and self-imposed guilt. They show how these errors undermine the work of Christ by seeing his righteousness as inadequate. There are also several application questions that are routinely asked throughout the chapters to help readers see how their individual lives intersect with the issues at hand. This is truly helpful.
Some of the intensely practical questions that are answered in the book are:
* How can I overcome persistent guilt?
* How can I deal with the pressure to measure up?
* Where can I find the motivation it takes to grow?
* How can I live the Christian life with both my head and my heart?
* How can I be sure God loves me?
* How can I change in an authentic and lasting way?
As you read this book you are struck with the gospel-wrought humility that has been forged in their hearts. These men are aware of their sin and overjoyed with the reality of the work of Christ. So this book is as refreshing as it is helpful!
As a pastor I am regularly looking for books to recommend that are gospel centered, clear, and personal. The authors do not compromise doctrine for application or vice versa. In this sense the book is a gem. It is written in a simple, understanding way but at the same time they are dropping 100 lb. truth on your lap. The book itself is fairly short (160 pages), small (7.2 x 5.2 x 0.6' ) and weighs in at only 7 oz. So it is not a long or difficult read. But it is a book that talks to you, in a good way, after you put it down.
They have also published a free study guide on the website (www.TheBookendsBook.com).
I am excited about how this book has used the gospel to personally refreshed me on the twin bookends of the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. I am eager to share with others as well.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A unique guide to gospel-blessed and gospel-driven life!!!, April 26, 2009
This review is from: The Bookends of the Christian Life (Hardcover)
In this small 160 page unique book, Jerry Bridges and coauthor Bob Bevington come together to give their scriptural based insight for guiding believers to the provisions of a gospel-blessed and gospel-driven life and leading them to a victorious and genuine Christian life. They ask believers to think of their lives as a long bookshelf containing spiritual and temporal books which represent all their activities in life. Just as bookends are needed at each end of a bookshelf to support and stabilize the books so that they can remain upright, the same way God has also made provision to place two bookends on the bookshelf of our lives when we become united to Christ by faith. The first bookend is the "The Righteousness of Christ" while the other is "The Power of the Holy Spirit". Though they are provided by God, it's the believers' responsibility to lean their books on them, relying on them to support, stabilize and secure all their books - everything they do. Not only do the authors explain the worth of these two bookends in believers' lives but they also discuss some Gospel enemies which tend to shift away the focus of believers from these bookends.
The authors write from a very personal point of view by choosing to use pronouns "we" or "us" in many instances and often quoting from their favorite books. It is quite evident while reading the book that they themselves have been living out these wonderful gospel truths in their lives and that is why they are able to put their point across so effectively. This short powerful book effectively explains how believers must depend on the above two gracious provisions of God in order to lead gospel-centered lives. It has proved to be a great motivator to me in my spiritual journey and I sincerely believe that it shall be a blessing to all believers.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Jerry Bridges, March 31, 2009
This review is from: The Bookends of the Christian Life (Hardcover)
I met Bob Bevington a couple of years ago. He and I both somehow ended up at a youth conference and we began to chat while walking from the venue to a nearby hotel; we were the only adults around so we must have naturally gravitated toward one another. We were surprised to learn that we were both under contract to write a book--I was writing The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment while he was working with Jerry Bridges on a book they were to co-author. Since that time he and Bridges have written two books together, the second of which is The Bookends of the Christian Life.
This book relies upon a metaphor that extends from cover-to-cover: the metaphor of bookends. I think we have all experienced the difficulty of putting books on a bookshelf without using any bookends. You know what happens. The books on the end inevitably tip over and once they fall, the ones beside them fall too. Soon the whole line of books has tipped over and several of them may have crashed to the floor. The solution, of course, is to install a couple of sturdy bookends on either side of the shelf. This will support the whole row, keeping them right where they are supposed to be.
"Think of your life right now as a long bookshelf," say Bridges and Bevington. "The books on it represent all the things you do--both spiritual and temporal. There's a spiritual book for each activity of your Christian growth and service, perhaps with titles such as Church Attendance, Bible Study, Daily Quiet Time, Sharing the Gospel or Serving Others. The temporal books might include Job Performance, Educational Pursuits, Recreation and Leisure, Grocery Shopping, Driving the Car, Doing the Laundry, Mowing the Grass and Paying the Bills, to name a few. Our temporal books are intermingled with spiritual books on our bookshelf, since all our activities are to be informed and directed by the spiritual dimension. ... Without adequate bookends, even if we succeed in getting all our books to remain upright, their stability is precarious at best."
Through the bookend metaphor, the authors use this book to teach about God's solution. "When we become united to Christ by faith, God places a set of bookends on the bookshelf of our lives. One bookend is the righteousness of Christ; the other is the power of the Holy Spirit. Though they're provided by God, it's our responsibility to lean our books on them, relying on them to support, stabilize, and secure all our books--everything we do."
The authors dedicate half of this book to each of the two bookends. In the first half they look at the righteousness of Christ as a means of assurance in our day-to-day relationship with God. It is only because of the righteousness of Christ that God can see us as righteous. As our sin was transferred to Christ on the cross, his righteousness was credited to us. And so we live now in the present reality of being justified before the Father. In the second half they turn to the power of the Holy Spirit to fight with us and for us as we battle against indwelling sin. Here we see both the Spirit's monergistic work in giving us new life, in giving the gifts of repentance and faith, but we also see the necessity of synergistic work where we cooperate with the Spirit in putting sin to death (though obviously this is a qualified, uneven synergism much in the same way my six year-old daughter may help me shovel the driveway).
In each case Bridges and Bevington look to gospel enemies that can cause our books to begin to tip over and in both cases they offer a series of focal points that will help the reader keep his life and his faith focused on that particular bookend. As he progresses, the reader will find answers to such questions as: How can I overcome persistent guilt? How can I deal with the pressure to measure up? Where can I find the motivation it takes to grow? How can I live the Christian life with both my head and my heart? How can I be sure God loves me? How can I change in an authentic and lasting way?
In The Bookends of the Christian Life Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington look at the Christian life through a wide-angle lens, examining the framework that supports, stabilizes and secures the believer's life in Christ. They teach elements of a distinctly biblical worldview, leaning upon the righteousness of Christ on one hand and upon the power of the Holy Spirit on the other. This is a deeply pastoral book that constantly encourages the reader to look to Christ and to depend on the Holy Spirit. I have read it twice and have benefited from it both times. A wise and powerful book, it is one I heartily recommend.
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