Jerry Bridges went to be with the Lord this past week. He is a respected author, whose books have impacted millions of leaders. He is most known for his book The Pursuit of Holiness which is a primer on Christian sanctification, and what it means to grow in holiness as we follow Christ. Bridges served with the Navigators ministry for many years, and left us with incredible godly wisdom which will live on, long beyond his lifetime.
Here are some of our favorite quotes from his books:
Every day is important for us because it is a day ordained by God. If we are bored with life there is something wrong with our concept of God and His involvement in our daily lives. -Jerry Bridges
Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace. -Jerry Bridges
Scripture speaks of both a holiness which we have in Christ before God, and a holiness which we are to strive after. -Jerry Bridges
Only as we accept our responsibility and appropriate God’s provisions will we make any progress in our pursuit of holiness. -Jerry Bridges
God has made provision for us to live holy, but He has also given us definite responsibilities to pursue holiness. -Jerry Bridges
“Holy” is used to prefix God’s Name in Scripture more than any other attribute. -Jerry Bridges
In the deceitfulness of our hearts, we sometimes play with temptation by entertaining the thought that we can always confess and later ask forgiveness. Such thinking is exceedingly dangerous. God’s judgement is without partiality. He never overlooks our sin. He never decides not to bother, since the sin is only a small one. No, God hates sin intensely whenever and wherever He finds it. -Jerry Bridges
It might be good if we stop using the terms victory and defeat to describe our progress in holiness. Rather, we should use the terms obedience and disobedience. When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from under my responsibility. I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me. -Jerry Bridges
We’re more concerned about our own “victory” over sin than we are about the fact that our sins grieve God’s heart. -Jerry Bridges
Even our tears of repentance need to be washed in the blood of the Lamb. -Jerry Bridges
We obey God’s Law, not to be loved but because we are loved in Christ. -Jerry Bridges
Faith enables us to claim the promises of God, but it also enables us to obey the commands of God. -Jerry Bridges
As we grow in the knowledge of God’s holiness, even though we are growing in the practice of holiness, it seems the gap between our knowledge and our practice always gets wider. This is the Holy Spirit’s way of drawing us to more and more holiness. -Jerry Bridges
The Holy Spirit makes us aware of our lack of holiness to stimulate us to deeper yearning and striving for holiness. But Satan will attempt to use the Holy Spirit’s work to discourage us. -Jerry Bridges
God’s plan and His ways of working out His plan are frequently beyond our ability to fathom and understand. We must learn to trust when we don’t understand. -Jerry Bridges
Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelms us. -Jerry Bridges
In adversity, we must remember, God will allow nothing to spoil the good He is working in us and for us. -Jerry Bridges
Only when we’re thoroughly convinced that the Christian life is entirely of grace are we able to serve God out of a grateful and loving heart. -Jerry Bridges
When we see how extravagantly and undeservedly loved we are in the gospel, we see how much God can be trusted and depended on. -Jerry Bridges
Every Christian who makes progress in holiness spends regular time in the Bible. There is simply no other way. -Jerry Bridges
God’s primary means of searching our hearts is through His Word. -Jerry Bridges
