The Holiness of God (1985)

We read this out loud. This book really engaged my kids. I remember at the end of one chapter they were asking me eagerly to go to the next chapter. I loved it, and think it served us all.

Christian - 4 stars
Julia - 41/2 stars ( )

Sproul is good as apologist. He's easy to read, a great communicator who liberally decorates his arguments with examples that resonate. He makes a good case for the other-ness of God, but I find his analysis of violence and justice unsatisfactory. He makes no attempt to reconcile the contrast between his portrayal of a violent God with the character of Jesus who is, according to the writer of Hebrews, "the very representation of God." For another view, I suggest "Cross Vision: How the Crucifixion of Jesus Makes Sense of Old Testament Violence" by Gregory A. Boyd. ( )

Of the many R.C. Sproul (pronounced like "bowl") books I have read, few have impacted me like The Holiness of God. Writing for the masses, Sproul sheds his academic verbiage for a more colloquial approach to an important topic. He dismantles the flippant image of God that modern society has crafted. He leaves no room for a cosmic Santa Claus or a friendly, bearded Homer Simpson god. Sproul takes the reader on a journey through Scripture, making stops in the Church History section along the way, introducing the reader to an awe-inspiring, fear-cultivating, righteously-wrathful God. Hopefully his faithful treatment of a plethora of Bible passages will help readers see the veracity to his writing.

This book needs to be read! Sproul brings forth a biblical vision of God that is absent from much of the American religious landscape. Discovering and responding to the God of the Bible is the only hope anyone has. ( )

I received this book free. Having read it I am surprised it is a classic. The author covers various passages of Scripture to try and demonstrate the holiness of God. He makes some good points especially in relation to those who ask how a God of love can allow suffering/send people to Hell. He reminds us that we all deserve Hell due to our sin which is an affront to God's holiness and that it is only by God's grace that we are saved (through faith.) Although the book is biblically sound I found it hard going and a bit dis-jointed. Some of the chapters seemed to have been added randomly. The book just doesn't flow very well as a read-through but it might be useful for reference.

Recommended for Christian readers who want to understand God's holiness. ( )

The Holiness of God will be the text for the next session of Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries' Discipleship 101 'A Soldiers's Call to Know God's Holiness'