Surprised By Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit Of Rebels

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Surprised By Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit Of Rebels

by Tullian Tchividjian

4.04 · rating details · 94 ratings · 21 reviews

God's compassion and pardon are utterly shocking in their lavishabundance--that's a lesson God himself pounded into the epiclife-story of one man who kept resisting in whatever way he could.Surprised by Grace retells that man's true story--ina gripping presentation that will open readers' eyes wider thanever to God's relentless, purposeful, and inexhaustible grace.

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Hardcover, 192 pages

Published 2010 by Crossway

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Jan 27, 2011

Matthew Robbins rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

It’s one of the most familiar stories in the Old Testament. All Christians know it. Most non-Christians have at least heard of it (if they’ve watched the movie Master and Commander, for example). Some may mock it, but there’s a fascination with the story of Jonah. God tells this guy to go preach doom to some people. He doesn’t want to go and leaves on a ship so God works it out so a whale swallows him alive. After praying inside the whale, the guy is spit out on the beach. Then, he goes to preac...moreIt’s one of the most familiar stories in the Old Testament. All Christians know it. Most non-Christians have at least heard of it (if they’ve watched the movie Master and Commander, for example). Some may mock it, but there’s a fascination with the story of Jonah. God tells this guy to go preach doom to some people. He doesn’t want to go and leaves on a ship so God works it out so a whale swallows him alive. After praying inside the whale, the guy is spit out on the beach. Then, he goes to preach to the people. Moral: Do what God says or he’ll get you.

That’s most people’s basic understanding of the story. But there’s so much more to it than that. God reveals so much more of His character in the story of Jonah than most people realize. In his new book, Surprised by Grace, pastor Tullian Tchividjian takes readers on a grace-filled ride through Jonah’s familiar yet surprising story of God’s pursuit of those who run from Him. It’s a fantastic journey, and one that will have me thinking about Jonah’s story (and God’s grace) differently from now on.

After setting the scene with a brief introduction to the story and some pre-emptive strikes against the objections people might have to the historical accuracy of the story, Tchividjian begins to slowly unpack the numerous layers of meaning and insight in Jonah’s short story. It’s always encouraging to hear the gospel of God’s grace preached from the Old Testament, and that’s exactly what this book does. Tchividjian uses various sources (with large doses of John Calvin) to demonstrate from Jonah that God is sovereign over all events and works all things together for the good of his children by His grace. What appears to be a story about a guy being swallowed by a fish for disobeying God is shown to actually be God’s gracious provision for a man struggling with fear and pride, a state to which all of us can relate.

If, like me, you grew up hearing the story of Jonah but never really listening to it, let me encourage you to read this book. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and the book of Jonah demonstrates that his grace was just as prominent in the Old Testament as during the time of Christ and today. He’s a gracious, loving Father who pursues His children however far from Ninevah they run. I repeatedly saw myself in Tchividjian’s descriptions of Jonah’s responses to God, and this book encouraged me that God’s relentless grace pursues me in exactly the same way it did Jonah so long ago.(less)

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Jun 30, 2010

Nat rated it

Shelves: religious

Knowing a little of the background of the author, I honestly thought that this book would be a little auto-biographical. However, this book is about Jonah.

But in turn, Tullian ultimately uses the book to cause the story of Jonah to be about God. A strong selling point is that God could have used any other prophet or person to go to Nineveh, but why did he keep going after Jonah--especially when it doesn't seem that Jonah gets it? He's doing all these actions on the outside, but his h...moreKnowing a little of the background of the author, I honestly thought that this book would be a little auto-biographical. However, this book is about Jonah.

But in turn, Tullian ultimately uses the book to cause the story of Jonah to be about God. A strong selling point is that God could have used any other prophet or person to go to Nineveh, but why did he keep going after Jonah--especially when it doesn't seem that Jonah gets it? He's doing all these actions on the outside, but his heart is not in it.

The author does a great job showing how God demonstrates grace and mercy with all the characters in the book of Jonah: the sailors, Jonah, the Assyrian king, and the city itself.

I only have two minor gripes with the book. The first is that the author uses some classic and contemporary pieces of art to describe man's take on Jonah. It works well in some parts of the book, but not in others.

The second minor quibble happens in the last chapter of the book. The author uses two poetical writings, one by John Piper and one by Robert Frost. I guess they were used to speculate what happened to Jonah after Nineveh. (We don't really know. The story in the Bible just ends without a change in Jonah's life up to that point). Passages of Piper's poem were quoted, while Frost's was described (maybe the author couldn't get copyright?). Perhaps the author wanted to convey Frost's take on Jonah's life, but it just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the book. It's also odd that the description of the play goes on for a few pages as if a friend was describing it to you in person without quoting it.

Then the kicker comes. A quote from the book after going through the speculation:

"The bottom-line focus on God is why any speculation about Jonah's post-Nineveh experiences, as well as search for the more psychological details behind his actions and words in this story, are relatively unimportant."

I'm glad we took ten pages to examine that.

However, my comments above may seem harsh. Please don't take them to be an overwhelming negative about the book. I found it to be a rather enjoyable read, and I believe that the author did a great job of going through the book of Jonah passage by passage.

I also learned a few things about the sailing, Hebrew, and Assyrian cultures along the way that helps the book of Jonah make a lot more sense in regards to their actions.(less)

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Oct 25, 2011

Travis rated it

Tullian Tchividjian is a name that not everybody knows and almost nobody can spell, but his impact on the work of the kingdom is growing rapidly. In Surprised by Grace, this author/pastor walks his readers through the book of Jonah with an eye to the gospel impact of a well-known but not well-understood Old Testament book. Throughout the work, Tchividjian points his readers to the amazing, pursuing, overcoming grace of God.

Positive

Tchividjian has a great handle on t...more Tullian Tchividjian is a name that not everybody knows and almost nobody can spell, but his impact on the work of the kingdom is growing rapidly. In Surprised by Grace, this author/pastor walks his readers through the book of Jonah with an eye to the gospel impact of a well-known but not well-understood Old Testament book. Throughout the work, Tchividjian points his readers to the amazing, pursuing, overcoming grace of God.

Positive

Tchividjian has a great handle on the grace of God, and that grace comes forth in every chapter of the book. We see the grace of God in the fish that swallowed Jonah, in the repentance of the people of Nineveh, and in the hard lesson of the worm and the vine. At the same time, readers of this work see how similar we are to the disobedient prophet who was hounded by a gracious and holy God.

Tchividjian handles the text of Scripture very well in the book, drawing out solid points from every part of the Jonah narrative—a fact which is no surprise. What is unique in this writing, however, is Tchividjian’s interaction with the arts and in historical representations of Jonah. I was regularly struck by the different portrayals of Jonah in poetry, art, and literature that Tchividjian used to help his readers to understand the different interpretations of the book that men have put forth. I can’t say that this is a big deal in general, but it was refreshing to read data of a different sort in a still useful Christian book.

Negative

This work is not overly-long, and thus it cannot explore every nuance of the book of Jonah. The chapters feel more like sermons than scholarly work. Don’t get me wrong, the work is not shallow and the application is excellent, but this is certainly a more popular-level handling of the biblical account. I write this as a weakness merely because some who look at this book as a treatment of Jonah might want more. However, on the whole, this is not much of a negative at all.

Recommendation

I very much enjoyed reading Surprised by Grace. I found that the pages flew by with ease. The focus on the grace of God for a sinner like me is very refreshing, and it is certainly needed in the church today. I would recommend this book with no reservations, because we all need a better grasp of the grace of God.

Audio

For this review, I listened to the excellent audio version of the book from ChristianAudio.com. this recording meets the high standards that I have come to expect from this fine company.
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Jul 19, 2010

Kara rated it

Shelves: reviews-crossway, gospel, reviews-all

Pastor Tullian Tchividian's newest book, Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels, published by Crossway, is a unique, gospel-centered study of the book of Jonah. After encouraging us to set aside "the notion that Jonah is primarily a story about a man gulped down by a fish", he takes us verse by verse through the book, showing us that the story of Jonah reveals both God's heart and our own, explicitly contrasting them in a way no other story in the Bible does. Through th...more

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Jan 17, 2011

Brett rated it

Shelves: bible-general, christian-living, theology, ot

Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels (Tullian Tchividjian; Crossway 2010). Pastor Tullian moves artfully through the book of Jonah, pointing out gospel landmarks and Jesus-sightings along the way. Surprised by Grace is moving and powerful as it reminds us that it's grace all the way down - God's unthinkable grace to Jonah; His scandalous grace to the Ninevehites; God's amazing grace to you and me; His immeasurable grace both to reckless rule-breakers and legalistic rule-mak...more

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Feb 12, 2011

Dan rated it

The author did a good job breaking down the book of Jonah and I gleaned a few insights I had never before considered. Most of the book is really just a compilation of quotes from other sources, which is alright but I was also hoping for more original content. It's mostly just a compiled bible study on Jonah. This doesn't invalidate it, though. He does a nice job tying in the Gospel and pointing to Jesus throughout the book, which is good. Overall, it would be probably be a good book for a group ...more

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Feb 09, 2011

Nathan rated it

Shelves: immeasurable-grace

In many ways, this is the OT equivalent of Tim Keller's NT masterpiece, Prodigal God. Tullian walks us through the book of Jonah and shows morally self-righteous rebels our desperate need for grace. He builds on the work of men such as Jack Miller, Tim Keller and Jerry Bridges by bringing the gospel into all of life. Christians of all generations should read this book. It not only confronts self-righteous rebellion, but it also offers gospel-centered hope. The gospel is the power of God for salv...more

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Mar 05, 2011

Philip rated it

The writer takes his readers on a picturesque journey through the book of Jonah. Fascinating historical details and excellent illustrations are made that all point the reader to a deeper understanding of this wonderful book of Scripture. All in all, Tullian expresses that sin is man running from God and grace is God chasing him. Grace, then, is found in the storm, in the fish, and in the heat of the sun. Though fugitives from grace, we find mercy by turning, as did the Ninevites, to Him alon...more

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Jun 26, 2011

Aaron rated it

Shelves: christian-living

My full review can be read at Blogging Theologically:

he book of Jonah is one of the most captivating in the Old Testament. The rebellious prophet has inspired more art than nearly any other Old Testament figure, and his story has been told and retold repeatedly in the centuries since the events first occurred.

But Jonah is not only a tale of a prophet on the run—it’s one of the clearest depictions of the gospel in the Old Testament. And in Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless ...more

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Mar 16, 2011

Billy Schiel rated it

Tullian does a great job shining the light on the Gospel theme of Grace through the narrative of Jonah. Tullian has a deep grasp on the Gospel and has the ability to apply it to every area of Christian life. I read anything Tchividjian puts out there.

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Nov 01, 2011

Bauer Evans rated it

Shelves: favorites

Great read ... this is my second time through Surprised by Grace. The author's exceptional descriptions ability capture effectively God's missionary heart for his people towards the world, all told through the life of this runaway prophet. This is a book I am giving away to friends!

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Jul 25, 2011

Bill rated it

Shelves: christian-life, commentary-bible

I picked up this book because I was preaching through Jonah, because Tullian T has a good reputation, and because it was in the bargain bin! It turned out to be a great combination -- verse by verse examination of Jonah coupled with a Christ-centred examination of grace and rebellion. I enjoyed his references to Jonah inspired artwork too.

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May 11, 2011

Clumpdoodle rated it

I was impressed with the many truths that Tchividjian was able to glean from the story of Jonah. It was a fresh, simple, and pastoral read.

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Jul 07, 2011

Frode rated it

A nice study on the book of Jonah and very readable. "Nineveh wasn't God's project, Jonah was." Good stuff.

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Feb 01, 2012

Jammeshia Burgess rated it

Great book, loved seeing the gospel through the old testament

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Oct 28, 2011

Charles is currently reading it

This is a great book by one of my favorite writers and preachers.

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Mar 03, 2011

Aaron rated it

Shelves: christian, reformed-christian, spirituality

My review is here: http://lunchboxsw.wordpress.com/2011/03/...

Author read and approved: http://twitter.com/#!/PastorTullian/stat...

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Sep 23, 2010

Ricky rated it

Very clear and challenging look at the book of Jonah, showing us that the gospel is not just for those who haven't yet heard it but something that we as Christians need to keep coming back to. The book of Jonah points us to God and how he deals with Jonah's rebellion and ultimately our rebellion.

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Mar 10, 2011

Rick rated it

Basically a layman's devotional commentary on the book of Jonah. It includes some good insights and a beautiful color tip-in of fine art renderings taken from themes in the well known Old Testament story.

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Sep 06, 2010

Jim Suttle rated it

Ok. Not great. But some good quotes

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Aug 02, 2011

Nicole rated it

Shelves: book-club

Better than expected.

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Feb 10, 2012

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About Tullian Tchividjian

William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) is the Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. A Florida native, he is a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and a grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham. Tullian was the founding pastor of the former New City Church which merged with Coral Ridge in April of 2009.

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