The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges is an inspiring book that looks at holiness which is a tremendous challenge and an awesome reminder of God’s desire for His children to walk in light of His word.
The Pursuit of Holiness
If you want a fresh challenge to holiness, then I would encourage you to purchase and read this book by Jerry Bridges.
Here are some quotes from the book that may inspire you to read this classic.
“The shrill ring of the telephone shattered the stillness of the beautiful, crisp Colorado morning. On the other end was one of those utterly impossible individuals God seems to have sprinkled around here on earth to test the grace and patience of His children.”
“He was in top form that morning – arrogant, impatient, demanding. I hung up the phone seething inside with anger, resentment, and perhaps even hatred. Grabbing my jacket, I walked outinto the cold air to try to regain my composure. The quietness of my soul, so carefully cultivated in my quiet time with that morning, had been ripped into shreds and replaced with a volatile, steaming emotional volcano.”
“As my emotions subsided, my anger turned to utter discouragement. It was only 8:30 in the morning and my day was ruined. Not only was I discouraged, I was confused. Only tow house before, I had read Paul’s emphatic declaration, ‘For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.’ But despite this nice-sounding promise of victory over sin, there I was locked in the vise-like grip of anger and resentment.”
“‘Does the Bible really have any answers for real life?’ I asked myself that morning. With all my heart I desired to live an obedient, holy life; yet there I was utterly defeated by one phone call” (Quote from pages 13 – 14).
“Are we willing to call sin ‘sin’ not because it is big or little, but because God’s law forbids it? We cannot categorize sin if we are to live a life of holiness. God will not let us get away with that kind of attitude” (Quote from page 19).
“In the deceitfulness of our hearts, we sometimes play with temptation by entertaining the thought that we can always confess and later ask forgiveness. Such thinking is exceedingly dangerous. God’s judgment is without partiality. He never overlooks our sin. He never decides not to bother since the sin is only s small one. No, God hates sin intensely whenever and wherever He finds it” (Quote from page 29).
“Paul said, ‘For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12). The same grace that brings salvation teaches us to renounce ungodly living. We cannot receive half of God’s grace. If we have experienced it at all, we will experience not only forgiveness of our sins but also freedom from sin’s dominion” (Quote from page 34).
“God does not require a perfect, sinless life to have fellowship with Him, but He does require that we be serious about holiness, that we grieve over sin in our lives instead of justifying it. and that we earnestly pursue holiness as a way of life” (Quote from pages 35 – 36).
“The One who makes our service effective and who empowers us for service is the Holy Spirit. Note well that He is called the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of Holiness. When we indulge our sinful natures and dwell in unholiness, the Spirit of God is grieved (Ephesians 4:30) and will not prosper our service. These are not times when we fall into temptation and immediately seek God’s forgiveness and cleansing, but lives that are characterized by unholy living” (Quote from page 37).
Holiness is For You!
Jerry Bridges shares an incident of how one phone call shattered his pursuit of holiness. A phone call that left him seething inside with anger, resentment and perhaps even hatred.
He had just finished his Quiet Time with God contemplating the promises of victory over sin. His desire was to live an obedient and holy life, and yet there he was utterly defeated by one phone call.
Jerry had to ask himself that morning, “Does the Bible really have any answers for real life?” With all your heart, you desire to live an obedient and holy life, and yet a conflict at home, an uncontrollable temper at work, an immoral habit or a besetting sin can shatter your pursuit of holiness and you can feel utterly defeated. In fact, God commands it.
Most people these days see the concept of holiness as somewhat archaic. It tends to conjure up images of yesteryear. For others there’s the idea of those holier than thou people who attack and criticize anything modern. However, holiness is a biblical concept. In fact, the idea of holiness is woven throughout the fabric of Scripture.
There are several false concepts of holiness. Jerry Bridges names three in particular. There is the concept that holiness is a list of do’s and don’ts usually in such areas as smoking, swearing, drinking, etc. etc. This concept of holiness fosters self-righteousness and a judgmental spirit. Others see holiness as a particular style of dress or mannerisms. Still others see holiness as unattainable perfection. This concept can lead to delusion and discouragement.
While these concepts have some truth; nevertheless, they miss the true understanding of biblical holiness. So what is biblical holiness? As Jerry Bridges himself puts it, “To be holy is to be morally blameless. It is to be separated from and, therefore, consecrated to God. The word signifies separation to God, and the conduct befitting those so separated.”
When the New Testament refers to holiness, it does so in contrast to something. For example, Paul used the term holiness in contrast to immorality and impurity. Peter used the term holiness in contrast to the evil acts we did when we were without Christ. John used the term holiness in contrast to those who do wrong and are vile. So, to live a life of holiness implies a life that conforms to the moral instructions in the Bible as opposed to the sinful ways of the world.
Now that we know the concept of holiness and the necessity of holiness for the Christian life, why does holiness allude us? Why is it that many Christians feel defeated when it comes to their struggles with sin? Why is it that churches seem more like the world than God? Jerry Bridges suggest three basic problem areas.
1. Our Attitude Toward Sin is More Self-Centered Than God-Centered
Bridges makes a very interesting point here. He states that our focus is often on victory over sin. We are so focused on the victory that we fail to see that victory is a byproduct of obedience. Bridges writes, “God wants us to walk in obedience – not victory. Obedience is oriented toward God; victory is oriented toward self…as we concentrate on living an obedient, holy life, we will certainly experience the joy of victory over sin.”
2. We Have Misunderstood Living by Faith
Bridges points out that this misunderstanding involves the thought that no effort at holiness is required on our part. That is, any personal exertion on our part is not required.
Of course, this is not correct. As Bridges writes, “We must face the fact that we have a personal responsibility for our walk of holiness.”
In other words, we can put away any habit that besets us if we truly desire to do so. Of course, God plays a part in this process too as we do also.
3. We Do Not Take Some Sin Seriously
As Bridges writes, “We have mentally categorized sins into that which is unacceptable and that which may be tolerated a bit…it is compromise on the little issues that leads to greater downfalls.”
Bridges further notes, “Are we willing to call sin ‘sin’ not because it is big or little, but because God’s law forbids it? We cannot categorize sin if we are to live a life of holiness. God will not let us get away with that kind of attitude.”
Bridges concludes this chapter by saying, “Will you begin to look at sin as an offense against a holy God, instead of as a personal defeat only? Will you begin to take personal responsibility for your sin, realizing that as you do, you must depend on the grace of God? And will you decide to obey God in all areas of life, however insignificant the issue may be?”
The Holiness of God
The call to holiness is without exception. Regardless of our status or position, every Christian is called to be holy.
Bridges writes, “This call to a holy life is based on the fact that God Himself is holy. Because God is holy, He requires that we be holy.” Of course, this is inferred in 1 Peter 1:15-16, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'”
We must be aware of cultural holiness. Christians often develop culture holiness whereby they conform to the character and behavior pattern of those Christians around them. However, God has not called us to be like those we associate with; instead, God has called us to be like Him. Therefore, holiness is conforming to the character of God.
Holiness is an attribute of God, which describes His majesty and the purity and moral perfection of His very being. Holiness is an essential part of the nature of God. In fact, His holiness is necessary for all His other attributes like wisdom and knowledge. God not only knows what is right but also He can only do what is right. That’s the attribute of holiness.
We are different. We do not always know what is right. And even when we do know what is right, we are reluctant to do the right thing. But this is not true of God, God never vacillates. He is holy.
1. God’s Holiness is Perfect Freedom From All Evil
The apostle John said that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). In other words, we can look at the holiness of God as the absolute absence of any evil in Him.
John used light and darkness in a moral sense. He said God is absolutely free from any moral evil. In fact, God is Himself the essence of moral purity.
2. God’s Holiness is Perfect Conformity to His Divine Character
In other words, all of God’s thoughts and actions are absolutely consistent with His holy character. God always acts consistently with His holy character.
However, this is not always the case with Christians. As we mature, we reach a certain degree of Christian character but we are not absolutely consistent with our Christian character. We can fall into sin and be dismayed with ourselves because our actions are not consistent with our character. This never happens to God.
Because God is holy, all His actions are holy. This should be a great comfort to us. This means that God would not treat us unfairly. In many ways, to complain against God is to deny His holiness. We need to be very careful when we begin to complain.
Because God is holy, He cannot tempt us to sin. When we find ourselves in difficult situations, we are at times tempted to blame God. However, James makes it very clear that God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone (James 1:13).
Because God is holy, He hates sin. This may be a strong word but when it comes to sin, this strong word makes it very clear where God stand with sin.
God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. As Bridges writes, “This is blessedly true, but too often we quickly rush over the first half of this statement to get to the second. We cannot escape the fact that God hates our sins. We may trifle with our sins or excuse them, but God hates them. God is not impartial when it comes to sin. He never overlooks sin. Because God hates sin, we need to cultivate the same attitude in our lives.
3. God’s Holiness is a High Standard – a Perfect Standard
As Bridges writes, “But it is nevertheless one that he holds us to. He cannot do less. While it is true that He accepts us solely through the merit of Christ, God’s standard for our character, attitudes, affections and actions is, ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ we must take this seriously if we are to grow in holiness.”
The Pursuit of Holiness
I have read this book personally and I have found the book informative and very practical. It is a book that will inspire you and challenge you to increase your pursuit of holiness with God.
J.I. Packer writes, “This classic still makes one think, pray, get real with God, repent and find joy in wise obedience more effectively than any other book I know. i cannot recommend it too highly.”
John MacArthur writes, “The Pursuit of Holiness richly deserves to be regarded as a modern classic. Jerry Bridges dispels some dangerous misconceptions while motivating readers with a passion for true holiness. This is surely one of the most important books produced in the past fifty years.”
R.C. Sproul writes, “When Jerry Bridges speaks, I listen. His teaching on holiness is not an exercise in abstraction; it is an expression of a passion that has gripped his life and ministry.”
After reading and studying The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, I decided to summarize the seventeen chapters in my own words so that I could share the practical applications with others who saw a need to increase the pursuit of holiness in their lives.
Chapter 1 – Holiness is for Your: Holiness is for You looks at why many Christians do not experience personal holiness in their daily walk with God and why many Christians feel constantly defeated in their struggle with sin.
Chapter 2 – The Holiness of God: The Holiness of God is the basis on which God called us to be holy. “Be Holy because I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16).
You can purchase The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges by clicking on the following link The Pursuit of Holiness and you can download the study guide by clicking on The Pursuit of Holiness Study Guide.