The hole in our holiness, Kevin DeYoung argues, "is that we don't really care much about it." And yet's clear from the Bible that "Jesus expects obedience from his disciples." Why is there this gap?
Christians know that we're saved by grace through faith, and that our actions didn't play a role in that- God saved us apart from our works, and even our faith in Him is a gift from Him (Ephesians 2:8-9). So the call to holiness- to obeying God's commands as put forth in the Bible- isn't about legalism (earning salvation through works). But it is necessary. "Faith and good works are both necessary. But one is the root and the other the fruit." Why? God is holy and expects us to be, too. He created us for good works. And "godliness requires exertion on the part of the Christian," for it is God who works in us.
This was an outstanding book. It's easy for Christians to either strive after holiness for the wrong reasons (thinking it earns us salvation), or ignore striving at all (because we distort God's grace towards us and develop a nonchalance towards the topic). DeYoung does a great job of showing how to live as a Christian and the demand to strive for holiness. Not because it saves us, but because we are saved. This convicting book was a humbling wake-up call for me and read at a good time. May 2020 see more striving and progress.
Rating: A
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