"The Holiness of God"

Since returning the USA about a month ago, I have had the opportunity to read a few books that I have wanted to dive into for some time. R.C. Sproul's "The Holiness of God" is one of those books.

Sproul is recognized as one of the leading Bible scholars and teachers of today. Most of his resources can be found at Ligonier Ministries. He has written many other books including "Chosen by God," "Loved by God," and "Surprised by Suffering."

As I approached this book, I was both excited and intimidated. The excitement stemmed from the glowing reviews that my friends had given about the book. The intimidation was due to the fact that I assumed the book would be at least a bit dense, thick, and difficult to read. Being a slow reader anyway, I figured it would take me quite a while to wade through this text.

As soon as I began reading, I was pleasantly surprised to find that "The Holiness of God" is very readable. Sproul does a masterful job of discussing deep theological truths while at the same time writing in a conversational tone. I'm not sure how Sproul accomplishes this, but he makes reading this book a joy.

Within the book, the one aspect that I appreciated the most was Sproul's concise discussion of what God's holiness is. According to Sproul, most people tend to think of God's holiness as being synonymous with His purity and/or moral perfection. I know that I tend to think of holiness this way. Sproul, however, points out that the primary biblical meaning of God's holiness is that He is "transcendentally separate." God is separated from this world and its carnality.

When I think of God's holiness in these terms, it makes His willingness to come to earth in the incarnation even that much more amazing. What a glorious God we serve!

If you have not read this book before, I would highly recommend it. It probably is not in my top three favorite books, but it is certainly in my top ten.