Holiness In Words

A strategy for reading Heschel's major works, as well as a new route to understanding religious writing in general: a lucid study of modern religious and ethical thought using literary criticism.

Central to God’s character is the quality of holiness. Yet, even so, most people are hard-pressed to define what God’s holiness precisely is. Many preachers today avoid the topic altogether because people today don’t quite know what to do with words like “awe” or “fear.” R. C. Sproul, in this classic work, puts the holiness of God in its proper and central place in the Christian life. He paints an awe-inspiring vision of God that encourages Christian to become holy just as God is holy. Once you encounter the holiness of God, your life will never be the same.

This book lays out the requirements and difficulties that will come with the pursuit of holiness in our Christian lives. Ryle starts out with the way to achieve holiness and the difficulties that arise with pursuing a holy life, and then going throughout the Bible giving true examples of the cost of holiness and the rewards it brings as the Bible promises us. To often we sing and pray for such a life without being willing to undergo the necessary life changes and adjustments to get there. This book lays out what we can expect in such a journey and what God will ask of each of us to get us to the point He wants us to be.

Most of the English translation of the New Testament contain words such as "holy", "sanctify", "holiness" and "sanctification" in reference to the God, Jesus Christ and the Spirit of the God, and also referrring to those called out and sent out by the God. The translated word "holy" is often to describe temple and places where the presence of the God and also His dwelling place. There are hardly any writing detailing the meaning and significance of "holy", "sanctify", "holiness", "sanctification" by "Christian authors" according to the New Testament scriptures. Words such as "holy" and "holiness" are used in the world especially by people of other religions describing places and people such as the Dalai Lama and the pope, the head of the Catholic Church. Do those who confess to be believers into the Lord Jesus Christ understand the meaning of "holy", "sanctify", "holiness" and "sanctification" as translated in most English Bibles? We often hear of the saying, "We are sinners saved by the grace of the God" by so-called Christians. This statement is not the truth. The truth is that sinners are saved by the grace of the God, who then makes sinners to become holy ones in order that they may be saved. That is why in the New Testament scriptures the apostles often described believers as "holy ones" or "saints" because unless those called by the God to salvation become holy they will not enter into the kingdom of the God or will not receive everlasting life. It is therefore important that those who are called out by the God to salvation must not only understand the meaning of "holy", "sanctify", "holiness" and "sanctification", they must also ultimately become holy before the God in order that they may inherit everlasting life. To many professing believers today the words "holy" and "holiness" are rather nebulous or vague to them. They mostly link holy and holiness to the God, Jesus Christ, the angels and the prophets of the God. And if the believers are called holy ones, they understand that they are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, even though they still live and walk according to their own thinking of what is good. This Book Number 21 is released to reveal the true meaning of five Greek words relating to holy, sanctify, holiness and sanctificatioin, and how they are linked to the salvation of those the God called/calls to salvation. Since all mankind ar born sinners, how are those mankind who are called to salvation made holy or become holy? The five Greek words appearing in the New Testament scriptures revealed in this book are "hagios", "hagiazo", "hagiasmos", "hagiosune" and "hosiotes". Their meaning and significance to the gospel of salvation are also revealed according to the contexts in its appearance in each scripture. The relationship between holy and righteous is also revealed according to the New Testament scriptures. Believers are told to pursue to holiness without which they will not see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14) and Peter told believers that they must be holy in all behaviour and that believers must become holy because the God is holy(1 Peter 1:15-16). This book reveals the essentials according to the New Testament scriptures the meaning of holy, holiness and how to become holy in order for believers to be blameless before the God to receive everlasting life.

Holiness in Words: Abraham Joshua Heschel's Poetics of Piety is both an introduction to reading Heschel's works in English, and an in-depth study of the way his literary style can transform the consciousness of readers. Heschel's life and works respond to the contemporary crisis in religion, formulating positions on faith and despair, racism and social justice, the Holocaust, interreligious dialogue, and the availability of God's presence. We study Heschel's theory and use of literary language, his "poetics of piety," in order to elucidate his narrative strategy to teach God-centered (or prophetic) thinking. The book traces the major themes of his "depth theology," awe and radical amazement, the meaning of symbol, ritual, prayer, and mystical insight. Historical and biographical information clarifies Heschel's implicit polemic with Martin Buber and a supplemental study guide provides sources for each chapter and suggestions for further thought and discussion.

In the sixteenth century the Western Church was rent asunder by the quarrel over justification. Today scholars from churches on both sides of the controversy are carefully rethinking the question. Dr. Toon shows how contemporary biblical scholarship and exegesis are attempting to resolve the thorny question of justification without compromising the integrity of either side. Provocative and far-reaching in its analysis and conclusions, Justification and Sanctification gives the student an invaluable introduction while providing the scholar a fresh look at the issue.

Thomas Schreiner, a respected scholar and a trusted voice for many students and pastors, offers a substantial and accessibly written overview of the whole Bible. He traces the storyline of the scriptures from the standpoint of biblical theology, examining the overarching message that is conveyed throughout. Schreiner emphasizes three interrelated and unified themes that stand out in the biblical narrative: God as Lord, human beings as those who are made in God's image, and the land or place in which God's rule is exercised. The goal of God's kingdom is to see the king in his beauty and to be enraptured in his glory.