Dr Paul Allen

We have no shortage of excellent books on the subject of holiness. J.C. Ryle’s Holiness has stood the test of time while R.C. Sproul’s The Holiness of God and Jerry Bridges ’ The Pursuit of Holiness represent two modern classics.  We might well ask whether we really need more books on the subject. Kevin DeYoung ’s The Hole in Our Holiness answers with a resounding “Yes!” DeYoung believes there is a hole in our holiness, a gap between gospel passion and the pursuit of holiness. The hole is simply this: that we don’t really care much about holiness. “Passionate exhortation to pursue gospel-driven holiness is barely heard in most of our churches. … I’m talking about the failure of Christians , especially younger generations and especially those most disdainful of ‘religion’ and ‘legalism,’ to take seriously one of the great aims of our redemption and one of the required evidences for eternal life—our holiness.” I have thought about this often over the years and am inclined...

Personal holiness has not been a topic that’s received great emphasis in the churches and ministries. In Rediscovering Holiness , J. I. Packer points to the same reality. Packer identifies 3 evidences that Christians today evidently do not think personal holiness is very important: It’s not the topic of much preaching, teaching, or writing.  It’s seldom valued or expected in Christian leaders. It’s not shared in the message of evangelism, declaring to the world that without holiness, “no one will see the Lord” ( Heb 12:14 ). Apart from Packer’s own book , here are a few more faithful works, listed from older to recent, that I believe are good resources for every Christian in their pursuit of holiness: J.C. Ryle, Holiness . This maybe the classic work on the subject and even Ryle’s greatest contribution to the library of faithful Christian teaching. Fortunately, it’s old enough that it can be read online . And there’s also a recent edition with a nice biographical sketch...

Horatius Bonar (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Is there a silver bullet for increasing Christlikeness ? It’s doubtful that speaking like that will bring more clarity than confusion. But there is biblical precedent for talk about finding “the secret.” In Philippians 4:11–13, the apostle Paul , having thanked his friends for their generous provision of his needs, concedes, Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. There it is, “the secret.” Paul says he’s learned “the secret” for contentment in any situation: Jesus, the one who gives his soul strength. If there’s a secret for contentment, might there be any help in talking similarly about “the secret” to sanctification? It’s a risk, but one that may be worth taking, i...

Portrait of Martin Luther as an Augustinian Monk (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The first question we usually ask when suffering crashes into our lives is, “ Why? ” That is the place to start because there are different reasons for why we suffer. The most obvious (and most repelling) reason is that we suffer due to our sin. As rebellious children of a holy Father , we all deserve corrective discipline. In fact, it is only by His mercy that we are spared from destruction moment by moment. Because of our propensity to sin, we should always ask if God is correcting us. Is there known sin in your life? This is the place to start. However, God sometimes brings suffering to glorify Himself. When we suffer, we should first ask if our suffering is corrective. When we observe another person suffering, we should first ask if their affliction is for God’s glory. The blind man in John 9 is an example of one who suffered many years so that God’s power would be shown forth. Mercifully, this man ...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia The two Christian character traits taught most frequently in the New Testament are love and humility. The classic passage on love is, of course,  1 Corinthians 13 . The classic passage on humility, though it never uses the word, is  Matthew 5:2-12 , popularly known as the Beatitudes . And just as 1 Corinthians describes love, so the Beatitudes describe humility. Jesus began His teaching with, " Blessed are the poor in spirit " ( Matt. 5:3  ). The poor in spirit are those who have become convinced of their spiritual poverty. They see their continued sinfulness even as believers. In contrast to the self-righteous Pharisee who prayed, " God , I thank you that I am not like other men," they identify with the tax collector who cried out, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" ( Luke 18:9-13 ). This is where humility begin...