The Mustard Seed
January 2007
Happy New Year
Holiness The older I get the more it seems as though the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas gets shorter - did someone steal a week? There were, however, a few moments for quiet reflection. One of them came while reading J. C. Ryle’s (Anglican Bishop of Liverpool in the 1890’s) Holiness, in which he explores Christian sanctification in some depth. Ryle had a strong conviction that worldliness in the church “had eaten out the heart of lively piety in too many of us.” If Ryle could write that of the church over a century ago, what might he write today? Holiness - sanctification - is the subject of a considerable portion of the New Testament. It is impossible to do justice to the subject in a few brief lines, other than to say with the writer of Hebrews that it is vital, for without it no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). Holiness is essential. Is it possible to capture the essence of it, to reduce it to a few concise words? Yes: Holiness is Christ likeness. Peter captures the importance of holiness in a very straightforward statement - but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). | Thus, the vital question is: are we holy? Are we like Christ? Or, has the world, to use Ryle’s language “eaten the heart out of our Christian piety.” Did the hectic pace of the last few weeks turn what should have been a beautiful time of joy into something ugly and joyless? In the “run up” to Christmas did we think more or less of Jesus and the real reason we celebrate? Did we act more or less like Christ, or were we so pressed into the world’s holiday pattern, that, like the world, we gave little thought to Christ? This past Christmas we probably adorned ourselves with the gift of perfume, jewelry or clothes and we put on our best bib and tucker. But, did we put on the very best - did we put on the Lord Jesus Christ and so adorn the doctrine of God our Savior (Tit. 2:10)? I don’t know about you, but in 2007 I want to be more like Jesus than I was in 2006. I want to be more holy, more sanctified in every aspect of my life. I want to please God and live so as to adorn the doctrine of God my Savior. So, my prayer for In Pastor Ron |
Book Report: Faithfulness and Holiness, by J. I. Packer; Crossway; 2002 (about $15).
This is actually two books in one. The first part is a brief biography of the life of John Charles Ryle (1816-1900). Ryle was the first Bishop of Liverpool, England and the leading Anglican Evangelical of the nineteenth century. He was a contemporary of C.H.Spurgeon and although the two men differed on the organization of the church they were in complete agreement when it came to the essentials of the Christian faith. The second part of the book is a reprint of the first edition (1879) of Ryle's classic book titled: Holiness, which in an expanded edition has gone through multiple printings and is available today from Evangelical Press.
This is a great book. The biographical section, although brief, provided useful background information and highlights the character and passion of Ryle. But, it is the second part that is the best. Ryle had a great concern that in his day that personal godliness has fallen sadly into the background. The standard of living has become painfully low. The immense importance of adorning the doctrine of God our Savior and making it lovely and beautiful by our daily habits and tempers has been far too much overlooked... Any modern Christian who is familiar with the Bible would have to agree with Ryle that his words reflect the state of affairs in the church today. Given this fact, Ryle explores the subject of (practical) holiness and the vital importance of that which, if a man does not posses, he will not see the Lord.
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