At the recommendation of a preacher friend of mine, and some good reviews about it from other sources, I picked up (or uploaded to my Kindle Fire) Surprised by Grace by Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) and read it as my maiden voyage with my new Kindle Fire. Books are often like movies, sporting events, and other heavily promoted items and events – your expectations are so high going in that there is no way it will live up to hype. That was NOT the case for this book with me.
I am in the habit of highlighting in my Kindle when I read (BTW – one small aspect of the Fire that could be improved upon), and this is by far the most I have ever highlighted of one book. Never before have I read something that so concisely and clearly painted a picture of the fullness of grace for not only the unbeliever, but more importantly, the believer. Unfortunately for many Christians, grace and the Gospel are relegated to their conversion experience and those times when repentance is needed for daily sin. But God’s grace is so much more than just that and Surprised by Grace points us to that liberating truth.
What may be even more surprising is that he uses the book of Jonah as his text in laying out for us the fullness of God’s grace. My only disappointment is that I have recently preached through the book of Jonah and I did not have this book to help shed some valuable insight for my study and preparation.
While I, as a non-Calvinistic Baptist, would definitely not agree with all that Tullian Tchividjian would teach and believe, this work on God’s grace is one of the best I have ever read and would be a blessing to preacher and layperson alike.
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