The Holiness of God

This book really spotlights the holiness of God and shows us how irreverant we are as worshipers. I think this is a must read for any who take God seriously and think about their walk with Him

As its title promises, The Holiness of God probes into the depths of the character of God with great reverence. Few authors possess the keen ability to move readers into the presence of God. We are raised to hear how God is Love, yet few ever speak of His justice and holiness. In his chapter "The Trauma of Holiness," we come to realize the uniqueness and otherness of God. This is not a God, as Sigmund Freud waxes, that was created to serve as a `crutch' of comfort, but instead a living and true God who terrifies us with the stark realization of our own sinfulness were we in the presence of the Holy One. This book reveals the God who is; who not only brings comfort in time of need but also in whose Holy presence drives us to our knees in reverential worship.

One of the most important theological books of this age, The Holiness of God is engaging, easy to read and powerfully emotive. Whether espousing on Isaiah's encounter with the Living God or Martin Luther's mad quest for perfection, Dr. Sproul keeps the focus on our unfathomable, wondrous God. The read is left with a deeper, more profound understanding of God and His separateness from us, while at the same time, a clearer picture of our depravity and unworthiness before God. The result is re-affirmation of our spiritual growth in Christ and commitment to confession and the soul's cleansing. Overall, this book is in my top twenty all-time favorite Christian works.

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One of the best books I've read recently (or ever!), The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, is an excellent exposition of a difficult subject, which most of us fail to explore. With a better understanding of God's holiness, I believe I have a better understanding of His grace and mercy, which Sproul ties into his discussion. I have enjoyed hearing his radio broadcast for several years, and the book is even better, because I can go back over it and review the parts I struggle with mentally (although it reads very easily). Two of the very difficult concepts, for most of us are: How can a compassionate God allow the suffering we see in the world? and: How people who struggle with God can come away defeated but with a renewed sense of peace due to His mercy. This book is a very important aid to developing an intimate relationship with God, which is not possible without understanding His holiness!

The holiness of God is one attribute of God usually treated in standard systematic theology texts. In this book, Prof. Sproul goes deeper into the subject; a much needed reminder since we live in a profane age that, coupled with our falleness, pollutes our view of God. The introduction doesn't impress me much as Sproul talks about his midnight encounter with the holiness of God at the campus chapel. But he did very well in bringing up what the holiness of God means in the subsequent chapters. The holiness of God consisting of not only his moral perfection but also his transcendent separateness is best learned when we study the kind of responses we give as fallen creatures toward it as the Scripture teaches. The responses include immense trembling, hatred, discomfort, awe and humble adoration.

Isaiah's encounter with God gives us an idea about the sense of terror when a fallen human being is brought into a direct presence of a holy God (Isa 6:1-5) that results in what Sproul describes as a personal disintegration (p.35). "In that single moment, all of his (Isaiah's) self-esteem was shattered. In a brief second, he was exposed, made naked beneath the gaze of the absolute standard of holiness. The instant he measured himself by the ultimate standard, he was destroyed - morally and spiritually annihilated" (p.36).

A hostile response toward holiness can be learned from the account of the Pharisees' encounters with Jesus recorded in much of the New Testament. The Pharisees, being the persons of counterfeit holiness are not only uncomfortable, but also raging mad when exposed by the Person of true holiness, Jesus Christ. There is much to think about here. "Jesus saved his severe comments for the big boys, the theological professionals. With them, He asked no quarter and gave none. The presence of Jesus represented the presence of the genuine in the midst of the bogus. Here authentic holiness appeared; the counterfeiters of holiness were not pleased... nothing dispels a lie faster than the truth; nothing exposes the counterfeit faster than the genuine" (p.78). Here is what strikes me. As I look at the proliferation of famous preachers and Christians being broadcast everywhere in the cyberspace, there is a tremendous temptation and pressure for the less-famous or even to the relatively unknown to be famous as well; to be the darlings in the evangelical circle like them, by showing off my advanced theological knowledge through blogs and other social media. What I often forget is unless my theology is a head and heart theology, not head only, I become like the Pharisees. In fact, the inordinate consuming narcissistic desire to be a renown Christian itself for the sake of the praise of man is a dangerous symptom of a Pharisaical hypocrisy. This may also show up in what Sproul calls "majoring in minors" that often displays itself in a harsh, bitter and contentious spirit, picking fights with other Christians over matters of secondary importance for the sake of winning an argument to show that I am right and you are wrong, or I belong to the right club and you don't. "Our marks of piety can actually be evidences of impiety. When we major in minors and blow insignificant trifles out of proportion, we imitate the Pharisees" (p.197). Dreadful is the condition where, God forbid, one shows himself to the world to be an eminent example of a seeming godliness, while the reality behind the scene proves otherwise.

I enjoy the chapter about Luther's insanity where the theme is Luther seems to be possessed by an extreme guilt complex. Such a condition might be the result of the fact Luther studied law and he was burdened continuously by the question how he can be righteous before God. In other words, Luther understood God's standard and demand of perfect conformity to His law. "[Luther] concluded that if the Great Commandment was to love God with all the heart, then the Great Transgression was to fail to love God with all the heart. He saw a balance between great obligations and great sins" (p. 107). Sproul calls it bizarre that Luther exercised a habit of daily confession (p. 103) which I thought is great, but not until I read the kind of excess Luther struggled with that led him to spend six hours in confessing his sins (p. 104) until he discovered the liberating grace in Christ as he read Romans. But my guess is the problem today is not that we are excessively but too lightly burdened by our sense of guilt. Thus Sproul writes that if Luther were insane in his struggle with guilt complex, then may "God send to this earth an epidemic of such insanity that we too may taste of the righteousness that is by faith alone" (p. 116).

Sproul teaches the lesson of the sense of awe and adoration toward the glory of God being an inseparable link to His holiness from the Psalmist in Psalm 8 in which he covered three other attributes of God that point to His holiness; goodness, truthfulness and beauty (p.239). At the end of each chapter, there are useful questions worth mulling over intended to help the readers to reflect and put what they learn into actions; for examples, "Describe your recent experience in which God revealed Himself to you through nature? How can you cultivate the sense of God's presence and holiness in your life?" (p. 243, 265).

When read and studied seriously, this book could be a life-altering book for the better, not only through the content, but also through the heart-searching questions.

This tremendous book is an awesome presentation of the holiness of God, of our sin, and of God's grace. Very highly recommended. I agree with those other reviewers who label this book a 'must read'. Sproul brings out God's holiness in a way that makes the reader think most seriously and reverently of God.