The Holiness Of God

Summary

The Holiness Of God is a theological and devotional call to recover the fear of the Lord, not as dread that drives us from God, but as reverence that draws us to Him on His own terms. R.C. Sproul writes with the gifts of a teacher who can make weighty doctrine both plain and urgent. He is not trying to impress specialists. He is trying to wake the church up to the majesty of the God we claim to worship.

Sproul begins with the basic biblical reality that God is not like us. His holiness is not merely one attribute among many. It is a way of speaking about His otherness, His moral purity, and His unapproachable glory. That truth is often assumed and rarely felt. Sproul wants it to be felt. He wants our worship to regain its gravity. He wants our preaching to regain its tremble. He wants our assurance to be anchored in the character of God rather than in the mood of the moment.

Strengths

First, Sproul is relentlessly biblical. He returns again and again to the great holiness scenes of Scripture, and he helps us see their meaning without stripping them of their wonder. When we consider passages such as the temple vision, the consuming fire, and the holiness demands of the covenant, Sproul keeps us from sentimental religion. He shows that grace does not minimise holiness. Grace satisfies holiness through the saving work of Christ.

Second, he is pastorally wise about the spiritual condition of the modern church. We are tempted to treat God as familiar in the worst sense, as if He is safe for us to redefine. Sproul challenges that drift. He shows that when we lose holiness, we lose the gospel, because the gospel only makes sense against the backdrop of God’s purity and our guilt. That makes this book an excellent aid for evangelism training, for membership teaching, and for renewing a church’s worship culture.

Third, the book helps preaching. Many pastors know that holiness is central, but we struggle to communicate it without either moralising or crushing. Sproul gives language for holiness that is doxological. He moves from doctrine to worship, and from worship to obedience. He does not present holiness as an abstract topic. He presents it as the reality that stands behind every call to repentance and every promise of forgiveness.

Limitations

A limitation is that Sproul’s style, while clear, can be repetitive, and he often circles the same burden from different angles. Some readers will welcome that as reinforcement, while others will want tighter progression. There are also moments where illustrations and anecdotes carry the argument forward, which may not suit readers who prefer a more tightly exegetical structure. Yet the overall effect is still to deepen reverence and strengthen faith.

How We Would Use It

We would use this as a church shaping resource. It works well for elders reading together, for leaders preparing to teach on worship and reverence, and for personal devotion. It can also help those struggling with assurance, because Sproul anchors comfort in the character of God and the sufficiency of Christ. When we see holiness clearly, we also see why the cross is necessary, and why grace is astonishing.

In sermon preparation, this book is not a text commentary, but it provides theological ballast. When preaching on sin, judgment, atonement, or sanctification, Sproul helps keep the tone right. He encourages seriousness without bleakness, because he keeps returning to the holiness of God revealed and satisfied in Christ.

Closing Recommendation

This is an accessible, reverent, and deeply useful introduction to one of the most neglected realities in contemporary Christian life. We commend it for pastors and churches who want worship that is warm, but also weighty, and who want gospel confidence that is grounded in the holy God who saves sinners through Christ.