This first one, Pure Grace, is really special to me, because I first started reading it when I was coming out of a really dry period in my life. I had somehow fallen into a lot of self-condemnation and didn't even realize how much I was living under law, feeling my performance was terrible and feeling down on myself. As I read Pastor Clark Whitten's explanations of the gospel of grace, it was like a fresh wind started to blow, clearing away the cobwebs of confusion and guilt! It was like waking up after a bad dream, you know, and remembering and coming back into the real world again. I still remember so vividly how it hit me all over again as I read this book that "I am righteous"!! We are righteous in Christ, which Pastor Whitten describes as a state of being, not something we attain by works. This wonderful book is good for anyone interested in the 'grace' definitions of words like repentance and confession. He has a beautiful chapter on "God's House" and how we are the new dwelling place of the Spirit! And another favorite chapter is the one on how we are Saved Completely, which gives lots of encouragement for any who have ever doubted their salvation or worried they could lose it - Clark helps us see that our salvation is safe because it's in God's hands, not our own, and held in place by a perfect new covenant based on Christ's performance, not ours!
Revelation to Transformation is by Paul White, a wonderful grace preacher. I have enjoyed reading his daily devotions over the years, and I thought I would enjoy a book by him also - and I did! This book is great. I love the questions and answers Pastor White scatters through the book as he is writing about different topics, so he can address questions that might be going through your mind as you read! For example, in a chapter discussing how the Bible says "All things are lawful", he lists a question that might be raised: "Even though all things are lawful for us, shouldn't we set some boundaries in our Christian walk?" and then he addresses the question. He has a great knowledge of scripture! I also love the section on the Holy Spirit's ministry to believers. He addresses the idea of transformation, and says it basically happens effortlessly as we gaze on the loveliness of Jesus and His finished work for us - Amen!
Perfect Love: Too Good To Be True?, by Dan Robins, is such an awesome book on the love and grace of God! I am in the midst of reading this right now. Last night as I stuggled with just feeling 'off' spiritually, I picked this book up and began reading at different spots. I was really encouraged and refreshed by God, and went to sleep happily knowing all was well between me and God because of His wonderful grace and the finished work of Jesus that made me righteous and close to God forever!! One quote I read really stands out in my mind: "You can never fail in God's eyes." With God, we can't fail, because we are the righteousness of God in Christ! All our sins have been taken away at the cross, and we are just loved, accepted, righteous, holy, and embraced by God now and forever, all because of what Christ has done, which we simply see as true with the eyes of faith. I love how this book talks about faith as seeing what is already true and has already happened, as in seeing that Jesus already reconciled us to God. The author makes a great point: Why try so hard to get something you already have? Why labor so hard to get God's acceptance and closeness when you already have all that through Christ? Yes, why indeed! This book is very joyful, speaking of God's great love and how we already have that love, can't ever lose that love, and can just sit back and enjoy that love!
Glimpses Into a Love Beyond Words, by Danny Randall, is another great book on the wonderful love of God! I haven't gotten very far into it yet, but what I have read I have really loved! The author is very warm and joyful, and I know God is going to refresh me with reminders of His love and grace through this book! The author talks about the great affection of God for us as our Father, and how He brings us into the family circle as equals, letting us share in the fellowship between the Father and Son. He also talks about how God is close to the broken-hearted and how our value to God is equal to that of Jesus Himself! I really want to have a deeper revelation of God's love, and this book will be great for just basking in that love that is so great we could never get to the end of it!
So I hope you enjoyed this little post sharing some of my new favorite grace books!