Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today

by John W. Kleinig

The longing for spiritual fulfillment, inevitably paired with spiritual frustration, is common among Christians. Do we read and study the Bible enough? Do we worship often and in the right way? Do we pray enough, in the correct way, and for the right things? How do we become truly spiritual? And the answers from numerous self-help spirituality books only lead to confusion and the fear of missing key steps on the road to becoming spiritual. In response, John W. Kleinig clarifies that there is no process for becoming spiritual. Instead, God graciously gives to us every spiritual gift that we need, beginning with the very gift of faith in Christ, our Savior. Because God has joined us to Christ, He continually comes to give us life.

Genres: Theology, Christian Living, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality, Faith

287 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[R.L.S.D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to get on my knees and beg everyone I know to read this book (the first I've ever re-read in less than two years).

This is a decisive script flip on popular ideas that conceive of spirituality as a ladder to climb or a journey from earth to heaven. Many of us Christians have uncritically accepted the notion that spiritual development means ascending from our baser, bestial natures to higher and more transcendent regions of the mind and soul where we can contemplate God less encumbered by our sinful appetites. This paradigm accords fairly comfortably with most religions and with our natural human inclinations to understand the spiritual life, Christian or otherwise, as something we create and work towards.

With gentle, but assertive, pastoral care, Kleinig shows us from the Scriptures that our life in Christ is characterized not by our ascent but by God's descent - not just once at the incarnation but weekly and daily. Our spiritual life is not our response to him for saving us - it is in fact his gift. "Our whole life as children of God is a life of reception."

This spiritual life begins and ends *here on earth* (no ascending) in a cycle that starts with prayer for the gift of the Holy Spirit (oratio), concentrates on the reception of the Holy Spirit through meditation (meditatio), and results in spiritual attack (tentatio). This attack is what leads us back to further prayer and intensified meditation. (Kleinig, 16)

The Christian is fundamentally a begger receiving everything from the triune God. I am personally reckoning with the humiliation of this reality. I would prefer to make God my polite requests, take whatever he gives home with me, and use it to ascend beyond the need for asking for help every day. I like dependence in theological theory, but in practice I want God to be proud of my spiritual resources. I want my spiritual life to be visible to myself and those around me. In reality, my spiritual life is not just poetically "hidden with God in Christ" - its battles and its victories which are being fought in my conscience, are genuinely not visible - not to the world around me and sometimes not even to myself.

My life, every single day, is one of shaking an alms bowl crying out as the poor of the ancient near east did "kyrie eleison!" Our spiritual poverty is the mark of our discipleship. "Jesus' sermon on the mount begins with an astonishing summary of His teaching: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven'....As we follow Jesus, we learn, bit by bit, the art of begging from God the Father until at our death we can do nothing but say, 'Lord Jesus, have mercy on me!'"

[Ben Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading that I simply cannot recommend highly enough. If there is any justice in the world, this will be considered a devotional classic in the coming decades. A book to be savored and read slowly and often.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Already using ideas presented in it. Contains much on proper personal and corporate piety. Many books on Christian living leave me feeling I could never measure up, or with a huge to do list. Not this one.

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is unlike any other ”how to live the Christian life” books out there. Kleinig approaches prayer, meditation, and spiritual battle in ways I have not considered. Well worth the read.

[John Damon Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A balm to the soul. This wonderful work instantly deserves a reread. I've never encountered a devotional work dealing with prayer, discipline, and spiritual warfare be so incredibly centered on the grace of the cross.

[Kirstie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of comfort for the heavy-hearted, rest for the heavy-laden, exhortation for the self-reliant, peace for the troubled, and guidance for the confused and discouraged. Besides Scripture, this is the most resonantly true and helpful book about faith I have ever read.

[Jared Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every year I read a book that seems to elevate and transform my thinking. Although I never set out to read a "book of the year," these books invariably seem to be the early on in the year. This seems to be that book for 2021.

I particularly love John Kleinig's emphasis on Christian spirituality as something we receive from the Lord, rather than some disciplines we give to God and use to come nearer to Him. Most books on spirituality (Christian and otherwise) present a sort of "stairway to heaven" approach. Kleinig insists upon receiving what Christ has already won for us--grace upon grace. This was a message I desperately needed to hear at this time.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one goes straight to the reread list. It’s finally resolving mental conflicts between 22 years of being raised Methodist/nondenominational and 26 years of being a confirmed Lutheran.

[Tellef Granaas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful

The riches of christian spirituality unveiled and described as only a mature christian is able to. This book is an eye-opener to grace of God.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that enriches your faith as you ponder on the great aspects of grace presented in this book. I would love to be a part of a Bible Study involving this book. He covers the topics of: Receptive Spirituality, The Mystery of Christ, The Mystery of Meditation, The Mystery of Prayer, The Hidden Battle, and Hidden Holiness, all of these are based on what God does for us and accomplishes in us through faith in Christ.
One of the last paragraphs of the book:
"Through His Word and Holy Spirit, Christ makes and keeps us holy. He covers us with His own holiness. And because we are holy, we who have open access to God and His grace live in His holy presence already now here on earth. We are called to walk daily with Christ in His holy way and serve Him as His fellow priests. All this is so simple and yet so profound. In our spirituality, we go with Christ along His way. The way of Christ is the way of our participation in His holiness by receiving grace upon grace from Him."
Goes along well with my favorite Bible verse: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." -Ephesians 2:8-10

[Adayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure. I probably have some highlighting on every other page. Reverend Kleinig is such a compelling writer.

Looks like I started this back in December (seven months ago). I'm glad I didn't read through this any faster than I did. It's easy to read a single page and have something worthwhile to consider for the rest of the day.

There is a lot in this. I will add that I especially came away with a new appreciation and awe for the gift we have of prayer.

Highly recommend.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! Loved it and will refer to it often when I need a reminder of Christ's sufficient sacrifice and our life within grace.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I digested this book v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y… the thoughts Kleinig offers on the mysteries of Christ were simple enough to digest by the lay-reader, but profound enough that I wanted to want to meditate on small nuggets of wisdom at a time.

I found here, most specifically, 1) reassurance to persist in my worship and daily devotion habits, 2) encouragement to fortify my prayer life, and 3) profound insight into the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged at all times.

“As Christians, we live and work by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, a power that we never possess but always receive. We can achieve nothing spiritually by ourselves. Only as long as we are attached to Christ and receive the Spirit from Him can we live the life of Christ and do the work of God the Father..” - p. 107-8

Kleinig explains this profound mystery in comforting and practical ways, using scriptural encouragement and reassurance. Will it take everyone a year to read it? Probably not. Am I glad I digested it slowly? Absolutely! For me, this book has been a wonderful backdrop to the past year of challenges and temptations… and it may be a book to which I return for encouragement in future seasons.

[Scott Gamble · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the most practical and beneficial book on spirituality I have ever read. Kleinig presents Scripture in a way that clearly declares that God, faith, the Word does what it says. That may not seem revolutionary, but being a fairly intellectual Christian, I often forget that faith has very real and practical applications for daily living, and one does not have to put themselves through any kind of mental, spiritual, ethical wringer to access them.

That being said, if I had tried to read this book any earlier in life I don't think I would have been successful. Kleinig writes clearly and convincingly, but lacks any sense of drama or engagement. He presents a long series of very true and amazing things, but would likely be very dry for the average person to consume. I hope I can find a way to either lead others through this book, or take parts of it to share with others (in a more personal and engaging way).

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, Kleinig’s academic writing style makes Grace Upon Grace somewhat hard to wade through (don’t try to read it in bed), but the insight that can be gleaned from it is profound. This book shows how true spirituality is all about Christ working for us, not us working for Him. Our relationship towards Him is only enabled by His amazing grace. This book changed the way I think about spiritual disciplines such as prayer, reading the Bible, fasting, etc. I used to beat myself up for not reading the Bible or praying enough, but this book made me adopt a new perspective on why I do those things, and that perspective actually frees me to do them more. Kleinig points out that there is no process for becoming spiritual. Instead, God graciously gives to us every spiritual gift that we need, beginning with the very gift of faith in Christ, our Savior. The book is very profound and speaks a needed voice for the world today, where everything on the spirituality market seems to be about self-help. Kleinig points out that we can't help ourselves, we must rely on Christ. My only critique is that he is a little dry and sometimes unnecessarily so. Don't read this book right before bedtime. The content is outstanding and worth the read, but it takes some discipline to "get started" in this book.

[Elizabeth Ahlman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some really wonderful insights and practical advice with regard to spirituality and how worship, devotion, and prayer intersect. One of the most helpful chapters was the one on Spiritual Warfare, I think. I would have liked to see things go a bit more in depth in some places, but it is written in such a way that it can be really helpful to lay people.

One thing that bothered me (and this is very minor and a pet peeve of mine), was when he suggested that one pray instead of singing hymns after Communion. Now,this is a good and pleasing thing if it is helpful to you, of course, but I think he missed out on the idea that hymns are prayers in and of themselves. Many communion hymns, for instance, pray in song for God to make us worthy of his gifts or for others to come to the faith, etc. Singing hymns is a form of prayer, and I think the book missed the boat on this one.

All in all, though, a good and worthwhile read.

[Michael Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Dr. Kleinig is a must read! There is much for the practical life of the Christian. It will have an impact on my pastoral ministry.

[Jared Mindel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give it a 3.5 if possible. Was pretty good for what it was, just not my specific interest.

[Michael Glaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heavy read, liked reading it in shorter digestible sittings. As the title suggests the book shows great depictions of how Christ gives us grace upon grace upon grace, again and again.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kleinig's book Grace Upon Grace is an excellent book to have on hand when it comes to confessional Lutheran doctrine. It is divided into 5 chapters: The Mystery of Christ, The Mystery of Meditation, The Mystery of Prayer, The Hidden Battle, and Hidden Holiness. It focuses on the idea of receptive spirituality; i.e., everything we have and will have, we receive from God and is not our own, but given by him outside of ourselves: piety, holiness, faith . . . these are given to us freely through Word and Sacrament (the Lutheran Sacraments being Baptism and Holy Communion/The Sacrament of the Altar) by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Kleinig naturally focuses on the necessity of God's Word, it being crucial for Lutheran doctrine and our spirituality as human beings, and how prayer (personal and corporate in the Divine Service) revolve around this. In our daily prayers, we remember our Baptism, and weekly we receive Holy Communion, all of which is centered on the Word of God and the Gospel. In addition, I found Kleinig's view on spiritual warfare to be particularly helpful, as spiritual warfare is a term that seems to be used in various communities and in various ways. Kleinig also describes this as receptive, as the single most powerful tools in situations related to this are prayer and God's Word, working together, again relying on Christ and his power. I like how Kleinig describes spiritual warfare as "guard duty" — it is not our battle to fight, because we have no strength or tools of our own to offer; everything is God's, and so we are only to keep watch and pray.

This receptive spirituality, I think, is summed up quite nicely in this quote from the beginning of chapter 5:

Our spiritual life is a hidden journey with the risen Lord Jesus. As we travel with Him, we receive everything from Him. We share in His divine life as the Son of God the Father; we stand in His shoes and identify ourselves with Him. With Him we travel on a holy way in which He makes and keep[s] us holy.

There are many quotes I like from this book, but this one also deeply resonated with me, as it emphasizes how everything truly comes back to and is meant to rely on the grace of God and the hope of forgiveness: "If we know that someone has sinned, we can pray for their protection from condemnation and plead for God's mercy for them" (270).

[Roger Araujo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite repetitive. I don't think it's really necessary to write a whole book about the topic. A well-written article would suffice to tell us that we grow in the Holy Spirit by Grace through faith in Christ, who saves and sanctifies us - we just need to receive everything from him. Maybe I will get back here to properly finish it.

[Davis Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever thought, "I wish there was a practical book about spiritual life that is rooted in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, but is not centered on ascetic works righteousness"? This is one of the best entry-level works on Lutheranism, but even long-time Lutherans are likely to find it revealing. Truly excellent.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t disagree with anything Kleinig says theologically. However, I do think that his stance on the Divine Service being the end all be all is too high church for me. Divine Service alone doesn’t help you; Christ alone helps you. Idk maybe I’m too much of a heretic to fully understand that

[Ryan Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some gems mixed in with a lot of filler. Really good on spirituality being centered on the gospel and not our performance or productivity, but should have been about 150 pages shorter.

[Jeremiah Gumm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solidly Lutheran (aka Scriptural) throughout, though I do share the concerns of the reviewer @ http://preaching.wlsce.net/review/460. The chapters on prayer and spiritual warfare were my favorites and arguably some of the best I've seen on the subject.

Was a little surprised by how many typos I found in this book. Not enough to detract from the book. Well worth your study if you want to delve into what Christian spirituality really is.

[Philippe Deblois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very readable exposition of what spirituality means from a Biblical perspective. There is so much self-help literature out there billing itself as spirituality that Kleinig's book is a welcome corrective with its focus on "receptive spirituality" - beggars we truly are! There are a few sections (e.g. on meditation) that I didn't find overly edifying but overall, Kleinig's approach and foundation are sound and helpful.

[Ben Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book on spirituality and piety - a topic with very few truly helpful books. The book is full of practical insights and flows very well for the most part. The chapters on piety, meditation and prayer were great. My only gripe is that the chapter on spiritual warfare could have been about 40 pages shorter and conveyed the same message in my opinion, but the final chapter on holiness more than made up for it.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally owe a renewed depth to my daily Scriptural contemplations to the chapter on Scriptural meditation, worth the price of entrance on its own. Still, the other chapters, particularly the chapter on prayer, are a goldmine for Lutherans seeking to deepen their faith through God's action in Word and Sacrament.

[David]

Kleinig's book on spirituality focuses on what God's Word has to say concerning the inner life. He saves the best for last, but the whole book is worth reading. My one complaint is the length of the chapters. If Kleinig would have made the chapters a bit shorter the book would be easier to digest. Highly recommended!

[Jim Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

In reality this was a three and a half star book, not quite 4, there were bits of it were really excellent and helpful, and other parts less so. I will probably reread it for some of its better moments