Book Review: The Story of His Glory by Brian G Hedges

The Bible contains 66 books of the inspired word that God wanted His people to know. The Bible tells us the story of God. The Bible is about God, not us.

There are many books on the Bible that are hundreds even thousands of pages long. Most of them are great reads, but to a new believer or a lost person, it may a little intimidating. There are some books that gives us the story of the Bible in a simple format that a maturing believer can take a new believer or lost person through it.

Brian G Hedges' latest book takes us through the Bible in just a few pages. The book is titled, The Story of His Glory. Hedges wrote that this book tells the story of "God's gracious rescue of the world through the gift of his Son and the sending of his Spirit. It is a story of creation and judgment, crime and punishment, grace and glory. It is a story filled with drama, tension, power, beauty, and hope...At the heart of this story is the revelation of God's glory in the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus. The Story is true and is found in the narratives, laws, parables, poems, sermons, songs, visions, prophecies, oracles, and letters that make up the sixty-six books of Scripture. At the heart of this story is the revelation of God's glory in the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus. This story, the story of God's glory, is the most important story in all of human history. And it is a story that can change your life. This is that story in a nutshell."

Hedges beings this story in creation, which is where the story of the Bible beings. We were made for God's glory and in his image. Adam and Eve (the first people created) were in perfect fellowship with God till sin came into the world. God made a promise to bring a Messiah. The Messiah came, lived a perfect life, died the death we deserved, was buried, and rose from the dead. Our response to this good news that Jesus is our Messiah, is to put our faith in Him. Once we trust in Christ, we are given a new life where we live to please the Father. We are to share this story with everyone around us and share our lives with the people God has rescued from their sins, the church.

I have been a fan of Hedges' writing for some time. I think I have every book he has written. To be honest, I thought this book was going to be longer. I finished it in one day which was quite shocking. After reading this, I came to the conclusion that this book will be perfect for those who are new believers in Christ as well those who do not understand the Bible. This book is small enough that churches can have plenty of them on hand to give their members so they can give them to their friends.

Thanks Crossway for letting me review this book.

Quotes from Watchfulness

All quotes are from Watchfulness: Recovering a Lost Spiritual Discipline by Brian G Hedges:

All believers regardless of their station and season in life, need to be watchful.

The Christian life is a journey, a race, and a battle.

Believers are citizens of heaven but pilgrims on earth, strangers in a strange land beset by dangers, toils, and snares.

We cannot pay attention to the gospel without at the same time paying attention to ourselves. Watchfulness involves considering our hearts and our ways.

It is never sufficient to keep a close watch only on ourselves. Our eyes must be Christward. Only Christ can keep us from temptation (Rev. 3:10).

Sin's dominion over us is broken, but its seditious influence remains. The heart must be watchful...Sin still dwells within.

The believer's fear is the reverent, loving fear of a child for his father, not the servile terror of a tyrant's slave.

It is not a sin to be tempted, but when we do not flee temptation, sin will follow in its wake. If we grasp this, we will not take it lightly. Instead, we will resist the devil (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9) and flee from sin (1 Cor. 6:18; 10:14; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22).

Watchfulness is necessary for assurance because it is an essential part of the obedience and perseverance in faith and holiness.

The more we understand our weakness, the more we come to rely on the strength of God's grace.

The Holy Spirit is the author of regeneration, the agent of our sanctification, the illuminator of biblical truth, and the Helper who leads us into the things of Christ.

As Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "There is no such things as a holiday in the spiritual realm."

The basis for pastoral watchfulness is the Holy Spirit appointment of elders as overseers of God's precious flock, obtained by Christ's blood-shedding death. The church is God's dearly beloved people, whose redemption He has purchased at great cost to Himself.

The church does not belong to the Pastor, it belongs to Christ. He loved the church enough to die for it. Pastors watch over the souls of Christ's people on His behalf and will give an account to Him.

But watchfulness is not only the responsibility of elders and overseers; it is also the mutual responsibility of church members to one another.

Until Christ returns or takes you home, you will still have battles to fight. Only when your body is laid to rest and your soul awakes in glory will your watch be over.

Mortification Is About Indwelling Sin, Not the Physical Body

Some people associate mortification with the medieval Roman Catholic practice of “mortification of the flesh,” which employed ascetic techniques such as self-flagellation and wearing rough clothing. Others equate mortification with less severe forms of asceticism, prescribing vows of fasting, solitude, poverty, or celibacy as the path for fighting sin—as if food, companionship, possessions, or sex were evils in themselves.

But Scripture cautions against this approach to spirituality. Paul alerts us to the danger of false teachers who “forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods
that God created to be received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:3). In another passage, he warns against those who say, “‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’” with the goal of promoting “self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body” (Colossians 2:21–23). These people advocate spiritual advancement through a lifestyle of bodily renunciation. But Christianity is not against the body. As C. S. Lewis said,

Christianity is almost the only one of the great religions which thoroughly approves of the body—which believes that matter is good, that God himself once took on a human body, that some kind of body is going to be given to us even in Heaven and is going to be an essential part of our happiness, our beauty,and our energy.

No, our physical bodies are not evil. God made the body and sent his Son to redeem it. What, then, does Paul mean when he says, “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13)? By “the flesh,” Paul doesn’t mean the physical
body, but indwelling sin, the sinful disposition of the fallen human nature. By “deeds of the body,” he doesn’t mean all the deeds of the body, but those that are sinful. This is the obvious interpretation when we compare Romans 8:13 with two other verses. Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” This list of sins clarifies that when Paul says we should put to death “what is earthly in you,” he means sinful deeds and desires. This interpretation is even clearer in Galatians 5:24, which describes our relationship to sin in terms of crucifixion. We’ll take a closer look at why Paul compares mortification to crucifixion in chapter 7, but for now notice what he says is crucified: “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” So, “the flesh” is our fallen and sinful disposition towards evil, which has passions that war against the desires of the Spirit (Galatians 5:17), and those desires must be killed. The focus of mortification, then, is not our physical body, but our sinful desires and the sinful deeds they produce.

Adapted from Licensed to Kill: A Field Manual for Mortifying Sin by Brian G Hedges

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Take Out The Root

If we want to kill sin, we must aim at the right target. That target is not merely bad behavior but the sinful desires of the heart that produce the behavior. Mortifying sin will certain bring about changes in what we say and do, but we need more than external reformation. Many people change their behavior without changing their heart to any significant degree. But Jesus is concerned about the root and motivation of sinful behavior-our drives and desires-not simply the behavior itself...The only way to kill sin is to mortify the roots of sin in the motives, desires, and drives of the heart. But to detect these desires we have to look comprehensively at our lives. You can't measure holiness by simply taking one or two slices of behavioral patterns...mortifying sin is not merely changing behavior, but rather addressing sinful desires in the heart.

Brian G Hedges, Licensed to Kill: A Field Manual for Mortifying Sin

Book Review: Christ All Sufficient by Brian G Hedges

Not too longer ago, my church recently went through the book of Colossians, which is one of the New Testament letters written by the Apostle Paul. The book has only four chapters like the book of Philippians and contains so much depth that is took 22 sermons to go through this book. Paul writes about many things in this short letter from the greatness of Jesus to the church's identity.

Many commentaries have been written on the book of Colossians while a few of them are link with a couple of other writings from the Apostle Paul. Brian G. Hedges has written a new commentary on Colossians which is dedicated to make much Jesus called, Christ All Sufficient. Like more commentaries, this one begins with an introduction to the book of Colossians and give a detailed outline as to what the letter is about.

Hedges goes through each chapter and verse of Colossians, not only to communicate the message of Paul's writing, but to help his readers apply the truths taught in each verse. This commentary does give historical background to each verse, but it does not go overboard as you were sitting in a seminary class. This commentary is more like listen to an expository sermon whether you in the worship center or on a podcast. As I was reading this commentary, I felt like I was reading Hedges' manuscript to sermons he has preached on Colossians.

I really enjoyed this commentary. I know when I read through Colossians again, I will consider reading this book along with it.

Thanks Shepherd Press for letting me review this book.

Around The Web-Janurary 2, 2015

How to Foster a Gospel Culture by Ray Ortlund

3 Ways Not to Use Greek in Bible Study by Justin Dillehay

4 Reasons to Use Goodreads by Barnabas Piper

Taking Aim at the Seven Deadly Sins by Brian G. Hedges

Resolved: To Read the Bible by David Mathis

When We Grow Passionate in Prayer by Jonathan Parnell

Best Book Lists from Other Bloggers

By now, many news agencies and websites have been releasing this best list of 2014. Many bloggers are doing the same thing with books. Since I am a book lover as well those who are bloggers as well, I thought I would take the time to share their lists for their favorite books of 2014:


Tim Challies

Aaron Armstrong

Kevin DeYoung

The Staff at The Gospel Coalition

Justin Buzzard

Tony Reinke

The Leadership of Servants of Grace

Brian G Hedges

In case you were wondering if I am making a best book list, rest assured. It's coming.

Book Review: Active Spirituality by Brian G Hedges

There has been a lot of talk lately over the debate of law and gospel where we Christians believe that we trust solely on Jesus not our works for salvation yet our works after we are saved is evidence of our salvation. Many Christians struggle that they are not doing enough. Some even feel that God will be done with them if they do not measure up.

Young Christians feel that especially when they are bombarded with messages that say you must do this to secure your salvation rather than giving the assurance they are saved in Christ. I know for myself, I fit into the category, I know God loves me but I will do not want to disappoint him or he will take away. I lived that for a great majority of my Christian life six years ago where God healed me from cancer and He led me to study better theology.

Brian G Hedges has written a book called, Active Spirituality which deals with the assurance of salvation. Instead of being a book where it may seem a little more academic than some books, Hedges decided to write a series of letters to a young believer named Chris, which I felt at times he was talking to me, but Hedges stated that Chris is short for Christian which means he is writing to all believers. He writes, "I've written (these letters) in my own voice, and all of the significant autobiographical details are true of me, but I do claim creative license for some incidental details, which I've sometimes invented or changed for the sake of interest. The letters do build on one another and follow an implicit storyline, so you should read them in order rather than skip around" (pg. 15).

Hedges in each letter addresses different topics that are important for those struggling with assurance. Some of those are doubt, trusting in God, is salvation unconditional, what is an apostate, and even resting in Jesus. These were not very long letters so one can read these in a devotional setting along with their Bible reading. Hedges does not use big theological terms but does point to the Scriptures to back up what he is writing.

For new Christians, this is a must-read book. This is a book for those struggling with their assurance of salvation. This would be good in a small group setting and even in one-on-one discipleship. For church leaders, this is a great book to have for those talking with someone who has doubts about their salvation. I have always enjoyed Brian Hedges' writings and this book did not disappoint.

Thanks Shepherd Press for letting me review this book.

I also recommend Brian Hedges' two other books:

License to Kill: A Field Manual for Mortifying Sin

Christ Formed in You: The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change

Around The Web-May 2, 2014

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The Least Sung Song by Tim Challies

Tennessee will criminalize moms who use drugs during pregnancy

Catechisms for Kingdom Warfare by Jeff Medders

This video featuring Matt Chandler and his wife, Lauren was on Desiring God this past week as they discussed the hurtles they have faced in their marriage.



Here is the trailer to Brian Hedges' next book, Active Spirituality.

Active Spirituality: Grace and Effort in the Christian Life from Brian Hedges on Vimeo.

The Mind Can Be Deceived

The mind is that faculty of the human personality that thinks and discerns. The duty of the mind in relation to sin is to discern its evil nature and its dangers to the soul...One of the functions of the mind is to serve as the surveillance system for the soul. So, for sin to ply its trade on us, it first has to neutralize the mind. And it does this is several ways:

Sinful desire exploits our natural weaknesses and limitations.

Sinful desires trick the mind into thinking that sinning is not big deal.

Sinful desire leads us to abuse God's grace.

Sin also assaults the mind by disassembling the components of theological truths from one another. It tries to separate justification (right standing before God) from progressive sanctification (increasing holiness in our actual lives). It seeks to highlight our pardon from guilt, yet obscure our freedom from slavery. It wants the removal of sin's curse, without the cleansing of sin's stain.

Adapted from Licensed To Kill by Brian G. Hedges

Recommended Reading:

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Tap: Defeating The Sins That Defeat You by Yancey Arrington