I discovered The Holiness of God by R.C Sproul through Tim Challies’ blog. He made a list of 10 books every Christian should read, and it ranked at number two. At the time, I barely knew of the late R.C Sproul. But he has since become one of my favorite teachers, and I have been eager to read his books. And as I hoped, The Holiness of God was excellent.
About the author
Dr. R.C Sproul was a teacher, pastor, theologian, and the founder of Ligonier Ministries. He authored several books, was the general editor of the Reformation Study Bible, the executive editor of Tabletalk magazine and the senior pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel. He passed away in December 2017 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
About the book
As the title implies, this book is about God’s holiness. Many people like to think of God’s love and herald it above all His other attributes. But love isn’t all God is; it isn’t even the attribute the Bible mentions the most. That would be His holiness; the only attribute mentioned three times in a row.
So in this classic, R.C Sproul explains what the holiness of God is, why it is fascinating yet terrifying, how it changes our view of God, and, ultimately, our view of self. He does it by exploring various encounters of ordinary men (including himself) with a holy God and the effects of such a terrific experience.
My Thoughts
I am not an expert on God’s holiness, but I think R.C did the topic justice.
I especially love the way he went about to make us understand the holiness of God. Rather than merely explaining a concept, he demonstrated it through the lives of others. Some of these people are familiar, like Isaiah, Jacob, and Paul. But R.C provided details and explanations that enriched their encounters and helped me grasp the magnitude of God’s holiness. I could almost feel it.
My favorite part was chapter 6 on holy justice. In this section, R.C took on a difficult task of explaining God’s judgment regarding His holiness. He selected the “most difficult, most offensive passages” in the Old Testament and tried to make sense of them. As R.C said, this chapter is not for the faint of heart as he examined the swift justice of God.
But if you ever wondered why God allowed the slaughter of women and children in the Old Testament, why He killed Uzzah, or you just don’t understand why a loving God would let people suffer or send them to hell, this chapter (and entire book) is for you.
It blessed me and helped me understand God’s justice and, consequently, His mercy.
I also loved RC’s writing style: friendly and easy to read. It didn’t feel like a theology book! The beginning was quite creative and unexpected, and I even wondered if I got the right book at first because of the storytelling. I genuinely enjoyed reading it, and I think any Christian can easily read it.
My recommendation
If I were to summarize The Holiness of God, I would use the exact words R.C Sproul used to describe Knowing God by J.I Packer: “a masterpiece by a master theologian.” And I wholeheartedly recommend this book to every Christian!
I think one of the biggest problems in the church is a lack of knowledge and appreciation of the holiness of God. We have created a God that is love, and even tolerant, but not holy. It is a gross mischaracterization of God’s character that results in our disregard for sin.
God is holy, holy, holy, and all His attributes flow out of His holiness. His love is holy, His mercy is holy, His wrath is holy, etc., and its critical we understand His holiness as it is central to who He is and what He does.
And this book is an excellent starting point!
The Holiness of God provided me with a deeper appreciation of God’s holiness and motivated me to treat Him with all the seriousness and respect He deserves. It also made me realize the gravity of sin and how it offends our holy God.
Any book that prompts me to examine my sinful self and repent is well worth it.
Favorite quotes
God’s kingdom will never come where His name is not considered holy. His will is not done on earth as it is in heaven if His name is desecrated here.
Chapter 1: The Holy Grail
Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself.
Chapter 6: Holy Justice
God’s grace is not infinite. God is infinite, and God is gracious. We experience the grace of an infinite God, but grace is not infinite. God sets limits to His patience and forbearance. He warns us over and over again that someday the ax will fall and His judgment will be poured out.
Chapter 6: Holy Justice
We soon forget that with our first sin we have forfeited all rights to the gift of life. That I am drawing breath this morning is an act of divine mercy. God owes me nothing. I owe Him everything. If He allows a tower to fall on my head this afternoon, I cannot claim injustice.
Chapter 6: Holy Justice
When God’s justice falls, we are offended because we think God owes perpetual mercy. We must not take His grace for granted. We must never lose our capacity to be amazed by grace.
Chapter 6: Holy Justice
The most violent expression of God’s wrath and justice is seen in the Cross. If ever a person had room to complain for injustice, it was Jesus. He was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God. If we stagger at the wrath of God, let us stagger at the Cross. Here is where our astonishment should be focused.
Chapter 6: Holy Justice
We must know what it means to fight with God all night if we are also to know what it means to experience the sweetness of the soul’s surrender.
Chapter 7: War and Peace with a Holy God
People in awe never complain that church is boring.
Chapter 7: War and Peace with a Holy God
Only the justified person can be comfortable in the presence of a holy God.
Chapter 7: War and Peace with a Holy God
Sin can be pleasurable, but it never brings happiness.
Chapter 8: Be Holy Because I Am Holy
How can we love a holy God? The simplest answer I can give to this vital question is that we can’t. Loving a holy God is beyond our moral power. The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands. Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds His holy love in our hearts, unless He stoops in His grace to change our hearts, we will not love Him.
Chapter 9: God in the hands of Angry sinners
But a loving God who has no wrath is no Gpd. He is an idol of our own making as much as if we carved Him out of stone.
Chapter 9: God in the hands of Angry sinners
When we understand the character of God, when we grasp something of His holiness, then we begin to understand the radical character of our sin and hopelessness. Helpless sinners can survive only by grace. Our strength is futile in itself, we are spiritually impotent without the assistance of a merciful God.
Chapter 9: God in the hands of Angry sinners
