Author Bob Santos writes in the first chapter of his new book "The Divine Progression of Grace" the question "Is there is a Biblical topic surrounded by more confusion than grace?" Perhaps one could try and debate his point, but he may be very accurate to a large degree on this issue, since most Christian believers struggle in their journey through life to both understand and appropriate the grace of God in their everyday lives. It is to the end of 'Blazing a Trail to Fruitful Living' as the subtitle indicates that the author has penned his newest work, helping equip others to walk more intimately with God and to bring forth abundant spiritual fruit for his kingdom.
I have reviewed Bob Santos' previous work "Champions in the Wilderness" on the Refuge blog before. So when the author provided me with a free copy of the book, compliments of 'Search For Me' ministries with no obligation, I was looking forward to reading and sharing my thoughts on the new book. The views entailed reflect my own opinions and I was not required to write a positive review.
First, if there is one topic I have encountered many people struggle with, grace has to be near the top of the list. One of the reasons for this struggle, as is detailed in the pages of the book, is that most people do not understand the 'multi-faceted nature of grace'. The book walks the reader through the progression, starting with relaying the foundations that we have been taught. To give you a better understanding of the process, page 50 offers a chart with definitions that follow on the ensuing pages to help readers form an understanding of how much more there is to grace than simply being born-again in Christ. He continues through the work, touching on the law, Christ's sufficiency, pride, unity and even includes the subject of sex towards the end. What does sex have to do with grace? Plenty, but you'll need to read to find out more.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, but with a few things in mind. First, the book is long, and by that I mean it packs a lot of material. It is not something to sit down and read in one setting. Second, connected to my first point, if you want to get the most out of the material, you need to stop and meditate on the concepts proposed and how they apply to your life. Fortunately, each chapter ends with a "Blazing a Trail to Fruitful Living" post that gives suggestions and sometimes summaries to help you achieve the most from that chapter. Search for Me Ministries also provides additional resources on their website www.sfme.org which will help you along this path. Read, grow, be fruitful. As I said when I read Bob's previous book "Champions in the Wilderness", I'm looking forward to reading any works you may have to offer in the future.
