Here is my plan of attack for sharing my thoughts as I read this book. At the end of each chapter are 3 Discussion Questions which are designed to sum up the chapter. I am going to answer these as best I can by summing up what Bridges says in the book. If there are other things that strike me outside of this I will make some additional comments. On to chapter 1 entitled “Too Old Soon, Too Late Smart”
Q1: Spiritual transformation requires dependent responsibility. How does this differ from living by the concept of “Let go and let God”? Let go and let God essentially means that just as you can do nothing for your salvation but trust in Jesus, so you can do nothing for your transformation but trust in Jesus. This is not biblical. Dependent responsibility assumes that while we are dependent on the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us, we are responsible to obey the moral commands and exhortations of Scripture. In other words we can’t expect the Spirit of God to do what He wants to do if we are not willing to put God’s Word into practice and seek to live according to His ways.
Q2: If we live in denial about our sin, we will not grow. How does the gospel free us up to honestly face our sin? Because the gospel tells us that, despite the fact that we continue to sin after we are saved, because of the death of Christ God no longer counts that sin against us. And it gives us motivation and courage to daily fight sin that we might more reflect the holiness of our Savior.
Q3: Why do believers in Christ still need the gospel everyday? Because the gospel daily reminds us that from God’s point of view, our relationship with Him is not based on how good or how bad we’ve been but upon the perfect goodness and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And because we are performance oriented by nature, and because our culture reinforces this orientation, we need this daily reminder.
Next Week: Chapter 2 – The Holiness of God
Agreed! And I like #2 in Chapter 1, “The more we grow in Christlikeness, the more sin we will see in our life. He brings us along gradually as he works to transform us”. And that is why the Gospel is so important in our daily lives, because this is the foundation of our transformation. I can read a verse/chapter one time, and the next time I read it, it tells me something different. That’s a different sin or area in my life that needs transforming.