Andy Stanley’s, “The GRACE of GOD,” was probably one of the best books I read this year. I’ve been a pastor for 20 years and thought I understood all about grace, but Andy truly showed me how amazing grace is by taking me through the entire Bible showing me God’s grace in places I least expected it.
The book was masterfully put together and organized in a clear concise way. I enjoyed the trip Andy took me on as he went through the Old Testament and into the New Testament to help me discover some aspects of grace that I would normally miss. In his acknowledgment, Andy credits Thomas Nelson with encouraging him to write the book and providing him with someone (Mark Gaither) to help organize his thoughts on the matter.
There were plenty of write me downs:
- Grace is never just enough, but more than enough.
- Grace plus anything is anything but grace.
- Grace is not reserved for good people; grace underscores the goodness of God.
- God initiated a relationship with his people before he even told them what the rules were.
- The Law is an expression of God’s grace. (Chapter 4… Great Chapter!)
- God’s Law reminds us of our need for grace.
- The purpose of the Law was not to make us good, but to keep us free.
- Grace is slow to judge and quick to deliver.
- The Grace of God has no load limits.
- Grace is predictably unpredictable.
- Receiving grace is often easier than dispensing it.
- Grace is inviting to the unrighteous and threatening to the self-righteous.
- Grace is not earned; it is offered.
My favorite chapter wasn’t even listed as a chapter, but was a prologue that dealt with all the “what-abouts” of grace. What about obedience? What about disobedience? What about repeated misbehavior? What about bad habits? What about justice? What about repentance? I LOVED the way Andy tied in all these “what-abouts” to the story of the Prodigal Son! The book would be worth the price just for those 6 pages of insight I learned from that story. It made me read through the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) and count the number of “what-abouts” implied in the story.
I would give Andy’s book a SOLID 5 stars and would recommend it for both the new as well as the seasoned believer.
**I received, “The Grace of God,” free of charge in exchange for a non-biased review.