“You couldn’t if you tried,” Arthur said. And for the first time, he believed it for himself, too.
Leo blinked. “Isn’t it?”
Every morning, he woke up with a ledger in his head. On one side: Deposits for God . He listed his quiet time (30 minutes), his patience with his forgetful wife (good), his donation to the food pantry ($50), and his avoidance of that gossipy neighbor (barely). On the other side: Withdrawals by God . He worried about his adult son, felt a spike of jealousy when a younger elder was praised, and skipped prayer before a business meeting. transforming grace jerry bridges pdf
“I blew it again,” Leo said, not looking up. “I told God I was done with drinking. Last night, I had two beers. Just two. But a promise is a promise. I’m out. God doesn’t want a quitter.” “You couldn’t if you tried,” Arthur said
And slowly, strangely, grace began to transform him—not into a perfect man, but into a free one. If this story resonates, I highly recommend reading Jerry Bridges’ actual book Transforming Grace (available legally through Christianbook, Amazon, or your local library). It expands this idea into a life-changing study. Would you like a short summary of its key chapters instead? “Isn’t it
Arthur lived by a single, crushing formula: God’s favor today = yesterday’s obedience – today’s failures.
By Saturday night, he was always in the red.