Charis: God's Scandalous Grace for Us (2024)

Full disclosure: Preston is my cousin. My mom is his dads oldest sister. But that isn't the reason I love this book.

It was published at a time when someone I love needed to hear this message. So I sent him my copy and purchased several others. I hadn't even finished the book at this point. It's that good.

Do you know someone who doesn't feel worthy of God's love? Someone who feels ashamed and can't shake their 'flannel graph theology' to hear the truth of how God really feels about them?

I highly suggest this book for anyone who has a twisted belief system of Biblical truth. For anyone who grew up in a church that preached legalism and pharisaical mumbo-jumbo. (Sorry, I thought mumbo-jumbo was less offensive than what was going through my mind at the time.) This book may reach their shame-filled heart and break through the hardness that has built up keeping them from freedom.

You may be asking yourself, why is this book so much different than the other countless books on grace? While I haven't read them all, this book is different for a few reasons: One…it is approachable. It speaks the language of the youth today. But yet, for this 56 year old his words rang true for my experiences as well. Secondly, Preston does a great job of walking us through the major stories of the Bible, pointing out the hideous behavior of some of the Bibles great heroes, through the lens of God's love for mankind.

It's pretty much an 'in your face, no holds barred' reminder of the truth: There's nothing you can do to make God love you any more than he does right now.

One of the copies I purchased I had to purchase through Barnes and Noble. The person I was sending it to is in prison. The only way an inmate can get books are through approved vendors. Several weeks later I received a letter from this young man. He sits in prison finally accepting God's love for himself. Yet, something in the words that Preston wrote uncovered more hope for his life. I love being an instrument of helping people feel love.

In our world today there are so many broken and wounded people. They hide from God, others…themselves. As a follow of Jesus I want to promote the heart of God, the work of Jesus at the cross and show others how the Holy Spirit today is working to help us understand, live and grow in the relationship with God that brings contentment, joy, happiness, love and freedom.

Preston's books is a fabulous tool in this effort.

God's stubborn love for us

It's challenging to thoroughly discuss God's grace in all of its depth without sounding like an old pair who never learned to relate outside of seminary classes. But Preston Sprinkle manages to capture all of its depth in a completely relatable and scandalous manner.
I have great appreciation when people discuss the reality of all that is uhh the Bible and don't try to make it into a kid appropriate flannel board.
Charis renewed my appreciation and vigor toward Christ and all that God has done to pursue me. It's not an apathetic approach, but intentional and stubborn, in spite of how flawed I am.

A very simple and yet intense read. It's the sort of book you pick up when you are down in the dumps and feel hopeless. Although this book talks about grace, it does give you hope! It takes you through a journey through some of the main stories on the Bible and gets you to re-read it in the light of God's grace. It's wonderful because when I read the Bible now, I no longer see a vengeful God who takes every opportunity to punish His people but rather a loving Abba who cries in his anger, in his grace and in his love.

Quite possibly the best book on grace I've read (and I've read a few). Sprinkle presents grace as "charis", or gift, given from God to us. We cannot earn grace, no matter how good we are. All of this has been covered in other books about grace before. But what sets apart "Charis" is that Sprinkle tackles the dirty, x-rated grace found throughout the Old Testament. Pulling from the stories of Abraham, David, Tamar, the nation of Israel in general, and many more, Sprinkle shows that grace is not for those who have it all together, but only for those who don't (spoiler alert) which is all of us. After 9 chapters of OT grace, in chapter 10 we jump to Jesus on the cross, the ultimate act of grace. When Jesus said, "It is finished," He meant it. God has done all the work on our behalf, we simply receive His sweet gift.

The author is very engaging, pulls no punches, and shows us a God who will not relent in pursuing us, no how messed up we are. Great book, highly recommend.

What a thrilling and compelling read! Love that Preston takes us through the Old Testament to shine the spotlight on the lives of colourful characters where God's grace is at its most dazzling. Especially hit hard with his remix of Ezekiel 16. Of course, the book culminates in the coming of Jesus, and ultimately on the cross. Also love that he draws the comparison between the Old Testament people to present-day equivalents -- the psychotic, cannibals, prostitutes, thugs, cowards, the down-and-out, suburbanites -- to show that God gifts his grace to the unlikeliest of people -- like you and me. I liked that he used raw, punchy language with the clear purpose of exclaiming how unimaginably scandalous God's grace is, and that this turns lives upside down -- including you and me. Also a helpful epilogue on the friendship between grace and obedience. Highly recommended!

Si tuviera palabras en este momento, estoy seguro que podría articular mycho mejor mi reseña. Pero no las tengo. Simplemente me quedo con un corazón saturado, y un entendimiento cautivado por la tan grande gracia. ¡Felix culpa quae talem et tantum meruit habere redemptorem!

An excellent review of the popular people from the Bible, and how their stories are about Gods grace on humanity.

While I think there is room to be careful in attitude in Preston's writing style in this book, I do think it was worth reading to begin to get a glimpse of how great God's grace is for even someone like me.

This book opened my eyes. I finally feel like I understand God's gace for us. Sad and a bit embarrassing, I know, as I grew up in church, but I am so grateful to have read this book.

An excellent exposition of God's grace, in the Bible and in the lives of Christians.

Textual error: he's / he'd.

We read this for our "Life of David " class in School of Worship. Coming from a Calvary Chapel back round, at first I didn't really like the book. To be honest, I thought it was too easy on sin, if you know what I mean. But God started humbling my heart, and at the end I began to see how God not only used people like Ruth, the tribe of Judah, and the like to display His grace, but how he takes the mess that I make and my sin, and uses me! Our class had some good discussions on this topic from the chapters in the book. The story of grace and the gospel is clearly displayed here, and if you like to read, I'd say do give it a shot!

In his book Charis: God's Scandalous Grace for Us, author and Bible professor Preston Sprinkle calls readers to see the Old Testament in a new light, tracing God's grace throughout the Old Testament story. It's a refreshing and sometimes eye-opening look at what God's grace really is. If you're looking to recapture the beauty and mystery of God's scandalous grace, don't miss out on Charis.

Rather than reading morally (looking for examples to live by), Sprinkle encourages readers to read the Old Testament theologically, asking, "What do I learn about God and His character?" He shows readers how to put God at the center of their Bible reading instead of humans.

Charis looks at characters like Adam and Eve, Abraham, Judah, Tamar, Moses, Rahab, Samson, Ruth, David, Hosea, and even a few New Testament characters like Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. By looking at all the broken, sinful, and messed up characters in the biblical narrative, Sprinkle helps readers see that "Divine grace is God's relentless and loving pursuit of His enemies, who are unthankful, unworthy, and unlovable."

Sprinkle goes on to tell readers, "You can't make God love you. God loves you because of who He is and because of what Christ has done. His love is not based on what you do, or what you don't do."

While he helps readers grasp how truly scandalous God's grace is, Sprinkle also warns against taking it for granted or treating it too lightly, saying, "If we never hug a harlot, befriend a beggar, or forgive our enemy seventy time seven, then we confess grace with our lips but mock it with our lives."

With such a huge focus on grace, some might be concerned that Sprinkle presents an unbalanced view of grace. This is not true, though. In the epilogue, Sprinkle illustrates that obedience is not grace's enemy and shows readers how obedience is a actually a by-product of grace.

The cover alone draws readers in with "Charis" tattooed on two hands. If that's not enough to spark readers' interest, check out some of the chapter titles:
Creator,
Tent,
King,
whor*,
Tattoo,
Manger, and
Thug.

This is a must-read for anyone new to the Christian faith or anyone who wants to recapture the joy of their salvation. Basking in God's scandalous grace will inspire, refresh and moisten the most shriveled soul.

About the Author
Preston Sprinkle is the vice president of Eternity Bible College's extension site in Boise, Idaho. He coauthored the New York Times bestseller Erasing Hell with Frances Chan and is the author of the recently published book Fight: A Christian Case for Nonviolence. He resides in Idaho with his wife and four children.

* I received a copy of the book from NetGalley for this honest review.

A couple of years ago I met Preston Sprinkle at the Audiofeeed festival and have read his previous book, "Fight: A Christian Case for Non-Violence". When I got a chance to pick up his new book, "Charis" I did just because I thought his non-violence book was pretty good.

"Charis" is a book about the gift of God's grace. As the author himself says, do we really need another book on grace? The quick answer, after reading this book, is yes. Sprinkle opens the book by saying that God gave the gift of grace to a cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer. Bam! he had me right there. (Previously in my blog, kud sez "huh?", I wrote about a song by a band called Roomful of Walters titled "Jeffrey Dahmer Went to Heaven.) In this book Sprinkle does a study of grace in the Old Testament, writing in an earthy style that is very compelling.

This year I have taken an interest in the fight against human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of girls. Sprinkle writes about God's grace being extended to prostitutes that I would like to quote here as I think it is extremely relevant to a victim of human trafficking:

"The Bible certainly doesn't approve of sexual immorality or prostitution, but in line with the dictum that God loves the sinner and hates the sin, God finds great pleasure in extending grace to sexually immoral people.

There's just something about prostitution that makes it a powerful backdrop for grace. Many streams of sin, pain, loneliness, and guilt collide when a woman rents out her body for sex with a man she'll never see again. Or maybe she will. Prostitution is the epitome of depravity and the pinnacle of pain."

There is hope and healing and grace...no matter how dire the past. That is the message of this book.

In another chapter Sprinkle talks about God being tattooed. Like the author I would like to get tattooed but my wife won't let me. Sprinkle's source for this assertion is Isaiah 49:16: Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

I gotta go...read the book.

Good book 3.5 stars if Goodreads would allow it, in some ways it exceeded my expectations. I got this book for free of the David C. Cook newsletter and it sat on Kindle for a few months. When I got to reading it, I was gripped with his opening story about Jeffrey Dahmer. I felt like that picture was microcosm of what Sprinkle was teaching and what the Bible says about grace. There were stories sprinkled through that also demonstrated that and his handling of the scripture was good. I was somewhat familiar with his writing through his contribution to Erasing Hell and a couple online articles I've read by him and I do appreciate his ministry. There were a couple big takeaways for me and one was the importance reading the Old Testament not through a primarily moral lens but through a theological lens realizing the brokenness and deep flaws of the people that were only used because of a great God that chose to do so. I was also challenged to remember just how big God's grace is and to not write people off so quickly.

Sometimes his voice came through a little forced where he'd make jokes that were a little corny, that distracted some. But I nonetheless enjoyed his writing overall. When his main premise was looking at God's grace through the Old Testament, I was excited because there are some questions that I have regarding violence in the Old Testament that I thought he'd address within this framework. Unfortunately for me that wasn't the angle that he took and it was more a look at different people with the Old Testament and how God used them. Luckily, after I finished another book by his popped up on my Kindle that actually addresses a Christian case for non-violence. Maybe I'll get more answers there as I've already put it on my to-read list. Good book, worth the read for sure.

Excellent read.

My first read by this author will read more. The chapter on Mary Magdalene left me beautifully weeping. Grace is a gift.

Charis is translated to be grace in the Bible. However after reading this book I realise that it is a term that is so poorly understood. Many just think it is goodness or kindness, and these are true of God. Some understand it as generosity, and it is definitely that, but this book makes it clear that generosity an enormous understatement of the way God relates to us.
Each chapter of this book takes a part of the Bible and shows how much bigger God's grace is than we can ever understand. God deals with us way beyond the way any human can ever relate to another human. Instead God reaches out to love us His enemies, and pay our debt way beyond imaginable suffering, to make us His. He uses pictures and characters from modern times such as thugs, prostitutes, "bag lady", to show how no human could ever love us the way God does in Jesus.
So, this book shows that the whole Bible is God's record of Him reaching out in grace to His people who despise what He has so generously given us. We do well to keep this in mind when we are surrounded by those who want to paint the Old Testament God as somehow different to the New Testament God.
The Epilogue is an essential read, and should not be left off as an afterthought. Obedience is portrayed as grace at work...
"Divine grace is so relentless, so powerful, so committed to transform sinners into saints that it will keep chipping away at our sin-encrusted humanity until it finds and releases our Edenic beauty. ...
"We are prone to wander, but God is prone to purse. And He's faster."
Each chapter of the book leaves me praising God for His grace. The Epilogue leaves me praying for that same grace to be evident in my life.

I had been "stalking" this book since I first heard about it through David C. Cook so was tickled pink when I won a copy of it. And, yes, I had my highlighter handy throughout. *wink*

In this book, Mr. Sprinkle goes through the Old Testament showing us God's grace and how, well, scandalous it really is. Often, we (collectively speaking) tend to not see the big picture of grace. At least, that's my observation (and I am guilty of this as well). But I saw the Old Testament in a new light. Don't get me wrong, some areas, I already saw God's grace. But in others, it was like "huh...never noticed that before!" I believe one of my favorite chapters was chapter 6 titled "whor*" (eyebrows raised yet?). Yep...think I had tears falling throughout that chapter. Now, Mr. Sprinkle doesn't sugar coat this stuff and he does warn you in the preface! But I think that's what some people need. This will be one I will read again...and probably again. :)

"So dust off your Old Testament, and let's take a journey - a familiar journey perhaps, but with fresh eyes. A journey into God's autobiography, where harlots are hugged, enemies are enjoyed, whor*s are made whole, and really bad people receive really good things from a Creator who stubbornly delights in undelightful people." -Charis: God's Scandalous Grace for Us by Preston Sprinkle

Many songs have been written that proclaim God's amazing grace. Sadly, "grace" is often misunderstood and/or explained according to a "decaffeinated definition" (pg. 23). Thankfully, God has graced us with this book Charis, which I believe sets the record straight.

From beginning to end, author Preston Sprinkle exalts God who grants grace to vile sinners. Sprinkle does this by highlighting key—and downright dirty—stories within the biblical narrative, in which God's stubborn delight for sinners magnifies His grace.

This is not your typical "Sunday School" teaching. Dr. Sprinkle does not hold back! He says it like the Holy Spirit says it in Scripture, which at times is p*rnographic ("p*rno comes from p*rneia, which means 'fornication,' and graphic comes from grapho, which means to write.' Ezekiel 16 writes about fornication; it’s—literally—divinely inspired p*rnography," pg. 97). By telling it like it is, Dr. Sprinkle exposes the wonderful beauty and scandal of God's grace.

In the future, when I'm asked to recommend a book about grace, this is the book I'll recommend first.

"Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled."

("Grace Greater Than Our Sin" by Julia H. Johnston)

Fantastic book about grace. This is one that I want to read again. There are some chapters that I would like to chew on a bit more. Definitely recommend.
I have to share a quote, but this is one of those books that I am reluctant to pull a quote from. Everything is in a context that adds to the whole and makes every word more meaningful- so I want you to read the whole book, not just a quote.

But this one grabbed me, "Too often, we think of our relationship with God in terms of how we are pursuing Him. If someone were to ask you, "How are you doing spiritually?" you would probably answer in light of how many hours you have spent praying or reading your Bible (or not), how many times you've witnessed to your coworkers, or how many days it's been since you've looked at p*rn. All of these are important, yet they all focus on you and your pursuit of God.
Grace, on the other hand, means that God is pursuing you. That God forgives you. That God sanctifies you.
When you are apathetic toward God, He is never apathetic toward you.
When you don't desire to pray and talk to God, He never grows tired of talking to you.
When you forget to read your Bible and listen to God, He is always listening to you.
Grace means that your spirituality is upheld by God's stubborn enjoyment of you."

Our God carves our names into His hands. He enters into our pain and finds us under the bridge.

"There will always be only grace, ready to roll up its sleeves, delightfully meet us in our filth, and pull us out of the sewer again and again." I did enjoy this book. I love how the author shows that Gods grace is throughout the bible from old to new testament. That each and every one of us is pursued by God. You never agree on every point with someone but I do believe God's grace is for every single person on this planet. That God loves us no matter what. Mr. Sprinkle does a fine job of explaining Charis (grace), of how it goes so far beyond what we think. That Gods Charis will make us question our thinking our reasoning. That is a good thing. I do recommend this book. Do not take offense to his way of getting his points across. See and hear what is being explained and rejoice that God showers his grace on each of us just learn as I am that we just need to let that Grace flow over and through us.

I just finished reading Preston Sprinkle's book Charis: God's Scandalous Grace for Us. I have to say that I thought it was fantastic. It's probably the best popular level book on grace I've read. The book is basically a biblical theology of grace. He begins in Genesis and works his way through the entire bible showing God's scandalous grace. One interesting thing about the book is that Sprinkle spends most of his time in the Old Testament. Traditionally we've seen Old Testament as law and New Testament as grace. He debunks this and shows that God's grace was present all the time. Another great thing about the book is the epilogue. Sprinkle spends the final chapter talking about how grace and obedience work together. He rejects the notion that obedience doesn't matter, and he also rejects the idea that grace is God's part and obedience is our part. Instead he offers a middle ground, and it's quite compelling. I highly recommend this book. I would even feel comfortable handing a copy to a church member or even a new Christian.

a fresh new take on a very old but always refreshing message of grace.

Too often we put a bookmark between the two testaments of our bible that says BG / AG (Before Grace / After Grace). Preston Sprinkle tears our bookmark into a hundred little pieces by highlighting the obvious truth: that the God of Grace is both the God of Israel, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He does so by revisiting the OT stories, illuminating their context, and highlighting Yahweh's CHARIS - "Grace" - in every line. It's too obvious to say it, but this was the Father that Jesus knew, and who's heartbeat he followed. Sprinkle shows us that Jesus loved sinners, and included outsiders because God has always done so. This is the God of Grace and Truth, the God whom we proclaim as the author of the Gospel we preach.

Sprinkle does a great job of presenting the one-way-love that is charis, God's grace for us. Looking though the biblical narrative he uncovers (or really just dusts off) stories of grace in the Old Testament and in the ministry of Jesus. God chooses whor*s, thugs and worse to build his kingdom and it is accomplished through his grace.

One thing that stands out in Sprinkle's text is the abundance of sexual idolatry that was covered by grace - all biblical, but be ready for mature conversation.

The epilogue on obedience is worth the price of the book. Trusting in God's work in us to live obedient in response to grace. Good stuff.

If you've ever struggled with the Christian Theology of grace, unmerited favor, this is the book for you. Preston expertly walks you through the Old Testament settling on how God's "charis" or gift of grace impacted rough, imperfect people such as I and yourself. Read this book if you think you're too far gone for grace, and if you feel you're 'good enough' for grace just the same. An enjoyable way to make the Gospel real in your life again no matter your current walk. Written at a comprehension level where laity and biblical scholars alike will benefit. I can't suggest this book highly enough.

I'll Never Look at Grace the Same Way Again

Generic Grace. It's something I thought God offered in full. But this book has shown that my name is embedded in every ounce of personal Grace that God poured. The author understood what Grace is. His talent lies in making me understand it starting from the Old Testament.
Grace that begun in Eden is active. It stays current and independent of who we are. This is is because we bring nothing to the table. And God says it's alright.
This is a book that needs tons of tissues beside you. It's a powerful tear-jerker because as the story of Grace unfolds, the more you ask, "Why me Lord?" And you cry even more.

This is a good explanation of grace.

The conclusion explaining the importance of obedience is interesting.

It sways heavily on the Calvanistic view of irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints.

I believe obedience is an outpouring of gratitude and enabled by the Holy Spirit.

The conclusion does not address the gift of the Holy Spirit through immersion nor does it really address falling away.

However the primary purpose of this book is to expose the scandal of grace, which it does.

Overall a good book that I recommend.

Not just another book on grace. But really a book that uncovers and shows grace of God for what it really is. A scandalous, unbelievable, offensive and dirty type of grace. Why? God gets down and dirty. He stooped down to mold us from dirt. He came down to earth and left the glorious and holy heaven to dwell amongst us fornicators, sinners, immorally sexual and whor*s.

Preston uses strong language to describe God's grace, to the point that some might think it sounded offensive, but God's grace is offensive to the self-righteous people.

Another great book by my longtime friend, Preston Sprinkle. In his signature, walk-through-the-Bible approach, he leads readers on a journey of seeing grace in a new light. A raw, sometimes offensive, but thoroughly biblical light. I wouldn't recommend this book for teen readers because of the frank topics discussed, but I appreciate that the author didn't shy away from the truth of Scripture (the Bible, after all, is not a PG book!).

Do you think you are too broken to be fixed?

Tired of "10 steps to feeling better" types of books that leave you feeling hopelessly terrible at finding hope? Preston Sprinkle presents an enthralling image of the hope and restoration experienced from a love that is terrifyingly good. Jesus' love is unmatched. Sprinkle's presentation is easily grasped and scandalously invigorating. I hope you enjoy and are prompted to worship our spectacularly giving God!