Book in Review: "Holiness of God"

Holiness. If there is a topic that has been curiously glossed over by much of modern Christianity in the west—this is it. We know of a God of love. We know of “Amazing Grace.” We love to learn about the God who gives rest to the weary—but holiness…holiness is different. But if R. C. Sproul indeed is correct that “how we understand the person and character of God the Father affects every aspect of our lives” we would do well to recover a proper understanding of holiness with a vengeance.

It is THAT central. As Sproul goes on to say:

“Only once in sacred Scripture is an attribute of God elevated to the third degree. Only once is a characteristic of God mentioned three times in succession. The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that he is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy.”

But what is holiness? Sproul breaks it into two definitions: The first refers to holiness to mean purity or cleanliness; the second means to be set apart. To be other. Sproul uses this second definition primarily in how we are to understand God’s holiness. To say that God is holy is to say that He is “transcendentally other.” It is not a mere attribute of God, or just another adjective describing what He is like. Holiness is a synonym of the deity of God.

Sproul discusses what happens then when mortal man comes in contact with this caliber of a God. He describes the complete “woe is me” brokenness of the prophet Isaiah expressed when his sinful being was brought into the presence of the Holy One. He discusses the intrusiveness and hostility felt by Peter when the Holy Christ got too close causing him to exclaim: “Leave me!" (Luke 5:8) Sproul even discusses the hatred we naturally feel against the “unreasonableness” of a holy God.

But through it all, the gospel is not absent. If God is indeed a Holy God of justice there is no way man can escape the righteous fury of His wrath directed towards all sin, both yours and mine. But God made a way. Through Christ the just will now live by faith, and we who are justified await the full transformation of that declaration when we will one day glorified. The reality of the holiness of God only makes that gospel message THAT much more magnificent, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).

I love this book. Sproul, with his vast wealth of philosophical and Biblical knowledge, does a great job of tying in stories and from the past to theological themes. He also has a teacher’s way of bringing the fruit on the top of the tree down for the rest of us to enjoy. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who wants to learn more about God as He really is.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Re-Imgaining Legacy

Image
In a transient world, we chase the permanent. A craving for lasting significance is rooted in every human's heart. We know we will not be here long, so we desire to leave a legacy. We want to be remembered. Which is why I was surprised by the statement Abby Wambach made upon retiring. Wambach retired just a few days ago, and in the recently released Gatorade advertisement (watch here ), the former women's soccer star said: "Forget me."  Not the usual: "cherish the golden moments," or "remember the heights I took us." Simply "Forget me."    To me and my culture's ears this sounds strange, and rightly so. "Forget me" goes against the self preserving fiber of our beings. We know all too well those former athletes that incessantly harken back to the "good ole' days" when they "changed the game." Worn down ex-players and celebrities, like broken records, repetitively tout their memories an
Read more

10,000 views

Image
I have been blogging on here for almost a year and a half, and the intent has always been more selfish than it has been for the benefit of others. As a slower, internal processor of information, writing has been a great way for me to try to form some of the ambiguous and formless thoughts that bounce around in my head, and hopefully make them a little more defined. So for the different things I am wrestling with internally, or impressions I get from different books I am grappling with, or even experiences I may be struggling with personally—writing on here helps me “iron out” what I believe. If God uses it in any way to bless someone else, well that is great! I am pleased to say that “Homeward Bound” has gone over 10,000 views all time this past weekend. With 114 total posts this averages out to about 87 views per post--which is really awesome! We are not viral by any means, but that never has been the objective. You may notice that click bait titles or extreme stances on co
Read more

Beholding with Wonder

Image
Do you remember counting down the days before Christmas when you were a kid? It felt as if nothing could come any slower. Every morning before going on the bus, I remember looking at the gifts in different sizes and shapes, trying to imagine what could possibly be beneath the wrappings. The school days were long in December. The Christmas season was full of anticipation and our lives full of wonder. Wonder is a precious thing. It is hard to find and once it is found it is hard to keep. As the years pass by, traditions and gifts lose their appeal. Mature minds no longer feel the need to see the world with wide eyes. We tell ourselves that Christmas has come before and will always be back next year. What was once sacred is now commonplace—and that is a real shame. Christmas is not the only occasion where this happens. I ran across this quote in Ronald Bainton’s biography of Martin Luther Here I Stand . Bainton paraphrases Luther’s words: “The trouble with Erasmus is that he
Read more