Book Review: The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

This was the free download of the month on Christianaudio.com, which has got to be one of my favorite free resources ever. The books are consistently quality. This one is was no exception. I had just read Sproul’s The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, and so it was quite nice to “read” another of his books. This is a meaty book, so I think I would have benefitted more from reading it than listening to it, but I still really enjoyed it. Sproul helped me more deeply understand what the holiness of God actually IS and how it is the essence of who He is. Among all the titles and attributes of God, this is the only one that is repeated 3-fold in the Bible, emphasizing its importance and centrality to His character- “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). So obviously understanding the holiness of God is critical to understanding who God is and how we should relate to Him.  

By looking at a variety of Old and New Testament scriptures, Sproul clearly explains the justice and wrath of God and why and how they are intimately intertwined with his mercy and love.  He goes through some of the “difficult” passage of the Old Testament that illustrate God’s holiness. He also talks about the trials and tribulations of Martin Luther, which was a great chapter. Sproul writes clearly and concisely, and so it was easy to follow, even though he was dealing with weighty material. If you’re interested in deeply understanding the holiness of God, this book should certainly be on your list.