The Hole in Our Holiness

I don't think I've read a book by Kevin DeYoung that I didn't like, and this book is no exception.  In The Hole in Our Holiness, Pastor DeYoung addresses the concern that there's a disconnect between what we believe (or say we believe) about the gospel and godly living.  We've seen the harm that legalism has done, so there's a temptation to swing to the opposite extreme where we fear that any hint of calling Christians to holiness is a return to that bondage. But this should not be and is not the case.

DeYoung calls believers to live lives consistent with what they believe - not to earn their salvation but because they have been saved. This is not a contradiction of the gospel of grace but a manifestation of the power of that gospel in our lives. We are becoming and should want to become who the gospel has declared us to be.

Holiness is not:

Mere rule keeping.
Generational imitation.
Generic Spirituality.
"Finding Your True Self".
The way of the world.

Holiness looks like:

The renewal of God's image in us.
A life marked by virtue instead of vice.
A clean conscience.
Obedience to God's commands.
Christlikeness.

Rather than guilt-tripping the reader, this book is encouraging. We are pointed back to the gospel again and again as the impetus for the desire for holiness. Although our obedience will not be perfect, grace renders those acts of obedience pleasing to God because of Christ. DeYoung also discusses the theological foundation for our pursuit of holiness including our union with Christ, the Holy Spirit's enabling, the truth of the gospel, and the promises of God.

The book is engaging, accessible, and would be helpful for believers at all stages of spiritual growth. The chapter on "Saints and Sexual Immorality" is spot on, so I would highly recommend this book for young, single believers. However, we can all benefit from being spurred on to holiness. There are study questions as well as general and scripture indices. I also appreciated the author's use of footnotes rather than end notes.

We see all the virtues of holiness perfectly in Christ... In all Jesus Christ did, during his whole life and especially as his life came to an end, he loved God with his whole being and he loved his neighbor as himself.

If somewhere down the road you forget the Ten Commandments or can't recall the fruit of the Spirit or don't seem to remember any particular attributes of God, you can still remember what holiness is by simply remembering his name.

The Hole in Our Holiness, Kevin DeYoung, Crossway, 2012, pg. 47.