Holiness
Holiness
By J.C. Ryle
By J.C. Ryle
"This book is also the most practical and helpful of all the counseling resources I keep in my library" (p.7).
"Ryle wrote Holiness to answer some fashionable but dangerous teachings about sanctification, the Christian's struggle with sin, and the so-called deeper life... The result [of these teachings] was widespread confusion regarding the biblical doctrine of sanctification" (p.7).
"Ryle, like his great masters [the Puritans], has no easy way to holiness to offer us, and no 'patent' method by which it can be obtained; but he invariably produces that 'hunger and thirst after righteousness' which is the only indispensable condition to being 'filled'" (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, p.13).
"No doubt the need [for this book] is actually greater than ever, because we live in a generation that has shown a declining interest in doctrinal understanding, while a multitude of churches are decreasing their emphasis and their dependence on Scripture. Ryle's book offers a helpful antidote to all those issues" (p.13-14).
"Sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4)
"The plain truth is that a right knowledge of sin lies at the root of all saving Christianity. Without it such doctrines as justification, conversion, sanctification, are 'words and names' that convey no meaning to the mind. The first thing, therefore, that God does when He makes anyone a new creature in Christ is to send light into his heart and show him that he is a guilty sinner" (p.19).
"Dim or indistinct views of sin are the origin of most of the errors, heresies, and false doctrines of the present day" (p.20).
"I say, furthermore, that 'a sin,' to speak more particularly, consists in doing, saying, thinking, or imagining, anything that is not in perfect conformity with the mind and law of God" (p.21).
"We shall do well to remember that when we make our own miserably imperfect knowledge and consciousness the measure of our sinfulness, we are on very dangerous ground" (p.22).
"Of all the foolish things that parents say about their children there is none worse than the common saying, 'My son has a good heart at the bottom... but he has fallen into bad hands...' The truth, unhappily, is diametrically the other way. The first cause of all sin lies in the natural corruption of the boy's own heart, and not in the school" (p.23-24).
"For my part, I know no stronger proof of the inspiration of Genesis and the Mosaic account of the origin of man, than the power, extent, and universality of sin" (p.26).
"I do not think, in the nature of things, that mortal man can at all realize the exceeding sinfulness of sin in the sight of that holy and perfect One with whom we have to do" (p.27).
"[M]en try to cheat themselves into the belief that sin is not quite so sinful as God says it is, and that they are not so bad as they really are... We are too apt to forget that temptation to sin will rarely present itself to us in its true colors, saying, 'I am your deadly enemy, and I want to ruin you forever in hell'" (p.30).
"Awful and tremendous as the right view of sin undoubtedly is, no one need faint and despair if he will take a right view of Jesus Christ at the same time" (p.34).
"[A] scriptural view of sin is one of the best antidotes to the extravagantly broad and liberal theology that is so much in vogue at the present time. The tendency of modern thought is to reject dogmas, creeds and every kind of bounds in religion. It is thought grand and wise to condemn no opinion whatsoever, and to pronounce all earnest and clever teachers to be trustworthy, however heterogeneous and mutually destructive their opinions may be... The atonement and substitution of Christ, the personality of the devil, the miraculous element in Scripture, the reality and eternity of future punishment, all these mighty foundation stones are coolly tossed overboard, like lumber, in order to lighten the ship of Christianity, and enable it to keep pace with modern science... Now, I know nothing so likely to counteract this modern plague as constant clear statement about the nature, reality, vileness, power and guilt of sin" (p.36-37).
"It may be that the vast increase of wealth...has insensibly introduced a plague of worldliness, and self-indulgence, and love of ease into social life... There has been of late years a lover standard of personal holiness among believers than there used to be in the days of our fathers... Once let us see that sin is far viler, and far nearer to us, and sticks more closely to us than we supposed, and we shall be led, I trust and believe, to get nearer to Christ" (p.41-42).
"But sure I am, as I said in the beginning of this chapter, we must begin love, if we would build high. I am convinced that the first step toward attaining a higher standard of holiness is to realize more fully the amazing sinfulness of sin" (p.43).
"Sanctify them through Thy truth." (John 17:17)
"This is the will of God, even your sanctification." (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
"If the Bible is true, it is certain that unless we are 'sanctified,' we shall not be saved" (p.45).
"He who lacks any one of these three things (justification, regeneration, and sanctification) is not a true Christian in the sight of God, and, dying in that condition, will not be found in heaven and glorified in the last day" (p.45-46).
"The Lord Jesus has undertaken everything that His people's souls require; not only to deliver them from the guilt of their sins by His atoning death, but from the dominion of their sins, by placing in their hearts the Holy Spirit; not only to justify them but to sanctify them" (p.47-48).
"The faith that has not a sanctifying influence on the character is no better than the faith of devils... where there is no sanctification of life, there is no real faith in Christ" (p.49).
"Sanctification... is the outcome and inseparable consequence of regeneration... A regeneration that a man can have, and yet live carelessly in sin or worldliness, is a regeneration invented by uninspired theologians, but never mentioned in Scripture" (p.49-50).
"Sanctification... is the only certain evidence of that indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is essential to salvation... The Spirit never lies dormant and idle within the soul; He always makes His presence known by the fruit He causes do be borne in heart, character, and life" (p.50).
"Sanctification... is the only sure mark of God's election... But if there is one thing clearly and plainly laid down about election, it is this - that elect men and women may be known and distinguished by holy lives" (p.51).
"Sanctification... is a thing for which every believer is responsible... I maintain that believers are eminently and peculiarly responsible, and under special obligation to live holy lives" (p.52-53).
"Sanctification... is a thing that depends greatly on a diligent use of scriptural means... I lay it down as a simple matter of fact, that no one who is careless about such things must ever expect to make much progress in sanctification" (p.54-55).
"Sanctification... is a thing that does not prevent a man having a great deal of inward spiritual conflict... I shall never hesitate to tell people that inward conflict is not proof that a man is not holy, and that they must not think they are not sanctified because they do not feel entirely free from inward struggle" (p.55-56).
"Sanctification... is a thing that will be found absolutely necessary as a witness to our character in the great day of judgment... He who supposes works are of no importance, because they cannot justify us, is a very ignorant Christian" (p.58).
"Sanctification... is absolutely necessary in order to train and prepare us for heaven. Most men hope to go to heaven when they die; but few, it may be feared, take the trouble to consider whether they would enjoy heaven if they got there" (p.58-59).
"Let us urge on everyone who exhibits new interest in religion to be content with nothing short of the deep, solid, sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost" (p.62).
"True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them" (p.63).
"It is doing our duty in that state to which God has called us - like salt in the midst of corruption, and light in the midst of darkness - which is a primary element in sanctification. It is not the man who hides himself in a cave, but the man who glorifies God as a master or servant, parent or child, in the family and in the street, in business and in trade, who is the scriptural type of a sanctified man. Our Master Himself said in His last prayer, 'I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil' (John 17:15)" (p.64).
"Sanctification does not consist in the occasional performance of right actions. It is the habitual working of a new heavenly principle within, which runs through all a man's daily conduct, both in great things and in small" (p.64).
"Whatever others may please to say, I will never shrink from saying that genuine sanctification is a thing that can be seen, and that the marks I have endeavored to sketch out are more or less the marks of a sanctified man" (p.69).
"The nature and visible marks of sanctification have been brought before us. What practical reflections ought the whole matter to raise in out minds? For one thing, let us all awake to a sense of the perilous state of many professing Christians. 'Without holiness no man shall see the Lord'; without sanctification there is no salvation (Heb. 12:14). Then what an enormous amount of so-called religion there is which is perfectly useless!... If unsanctified souls can be saved and go to heaven, the Bible is not true" (p.72-73).
"Believers who seem at a standstill are generally neglecting close communion with Jesus" (p.74).
"Holiness, without which no man shall see the LORD." (Hebrews 12:14)
"In this hurrying, bustling world, let us stand still for a few minutes and consider the matter of holiness" (p.79-80).
"Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God... It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgment - hating what He hates - loving what He loves - and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word. He who most entirely agrees with God, he is the most holy man" (p.81).
"A holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment... He will have... a greater fear of displeasing Him than of displeasing the world" (p.81).
"A holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ" (p.81).
"A holy man will follow after meekness, longsuffering, gentleness, patience, kind tempers, government of his tongue. He will bear much, overlook much, and be slow to talk of standing on his rights" (p.83).
"A holy man will follow after temperance and self-denial. He will labor to mortify the desires of his body - to crucify his flesh with its affections and lusts - to curb his passions - to restrain his carnal inclinations" (p.83).
"A holy man will follow after charity and brotherly kindness... He will strive to adorn his religion by all his outward demeanor, and to make it lovely and beautiful in the eyes of all around him" (p.83-84).
"A holy man will follow after purity of heart. He will dread all filthiness and uncleanness of spirit, and seek to avoid all things that might draw him into it" (p.84).
"A holy man will follow after the fear of God... I mean rather the fear of a child, who wishes to live and move as if he was always before his father's face, because he love him" (p.85).
"Holy persons should aim at doing everything well, and should be ashamed of allowing themselves to do anything ill if they can help it... Holiness is worth little indeed, if it does not bear this kind of fruit" (p.86).
"In short, to talk of men being saved from the guilt of sin, without being at the same time saved from its dominion in their hearts, is to contradict the witness of all Scripture" (p.91).
"We must be holy, because this is the only proof that we love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity... Surely that man must be in an unhealthy state of soul who can think of all that Jesus suffered, and yet cling to those sins for which that suffering was undergone" (p.92).
"We must be holy, because this is the only sound evidence that we are true children of God... If men have no likeness to the Father in heaven, it is vain to talk of their being His 'sons'" (p.93).
"We must be holy, because this is the most likely way to do good to others... Our lives will always be doing either good or harm to those who see them. They are a silent sermon, which all can read... There is a reality about such living that makes men feel, and obliges them to think. It carries a weight and influence with it that nothing else can give. It makes religion beautiful, and draws men to consider it, like a lighthouse seen afar off... You may talk to persons about the doctrines of the Gospels, and few will listen, and still fewer understand. But your life is an argument that none can escape... They may not understand justification, but they can understand love....
"Fight the good fight of faith." (1 Timothy 6:12)
"It is of this warfare [Spiritual Warfare] that I propose to speak in this chapter. I hold the subject to be closely connected with that of sanctification and holiness. He who would understand the nature of true holiness must know that the Christian is 'a man of war.' If we would be holy we must fight" (p.110).
"True Christianity is a fight... The true Christian is called to be a soldier, and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death... If the Bible is the rule of his faith and practice, he will find his course laid down very plainly in this matter. He must 'fight'" (p.110-111).
"The principal fight of the Christian is with the world, the flesh, and the devil. These are his never-dying foes. These are the three chief enemies against whom he must wage war... with a corrupt heart, a busy devil, and an ensnaring world, he must either 'fight' or be lost" (p.112).
"In time of war it is the worst mistake to underrate your enemy, and try to make little war. The Christian warfare is no light matter" (p.114).
"The believer is a soldier. There is no holiness without a warfare. Saved souls will always be found to have fought a fight" (p.117).
"So long as we have breath in our bodies, we must keep on our armor, and remember we are on an enemy's ground" (p.118).
"A general faith in the truth of God's written Word is the primary foundation of the Christian soldier's character. He is what he is, does what he does, thinks what he thinks, acts as he acts, hopes as he hopes, behaves as he behaves, for one simple reason - he believes certain propositions revealed and laid down in Holy Scripture" (p.119-120).
"A special faith in our Lord Jesus Christ's person, work, and office is the life, heart, and mainspring of the Christian solder's character" (p.121).
"Nothing makes the anxieties of warfare sit so lightly on a man as the assurance of Christ's love and continual protection. Nothing enables him to bear the fatigue of watching, struggling, and wrestling against sin like the indwelling confidence that Christ is on his side and success is sure" (p.122).
"May we never forget that without fighting there can be no holiness while we live, and no crown of glory when we die!" (p.136).
"Which of you, intending to build a house, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost?" (Luke 14:28)
"The point I want to consider is another one altogether. It is what a man must be ready to give up if he wishes to be saved. It is the amount of sacrifice a man must submit to if he intends to serve Christ. It is in this sense that I raise the question, 'What does it cost?' And I believe firmly that it is a most important one" (p.139).
"For one thing, it will cost a man his sins. He must be willing to give up every habit and practice that is wrong in God's sight. He must set his face against it, quarrel with it, break off from it, fight with it, crucify it, and labor to keep it under, what ever the world around him may say or think... Our sins are often as dear to us as our children: we love them, hug them, cleave to them, and delight in them. To part with them is as hard as cutting off a right hand, or plucking out a right eye. But it must be done, The parting must come" (p.141).
"For another thing, it will cost a man his love of ease. He must take pains and trouble, if he means to run a successful race toward heaven. He must daily watch and stand on his guard, like a soldier on the enemy's ground. He must take heed to his behavior every hour of the day, in every company, and in every place, in public as well as in private, among strangers as well as at home. He must be careful over his time, his tongue, is temper, his thoughts, his imagination, his motives, his conduct in every relation of life. He must be diligent about his prayers, his Bible reading, and his use of Sundays, with all their means of grace. In attending to these things he may come far short of perfection; but there is none of them that he can safely neglect. 'The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat' (Prov. 13:4)" (p.142).
"For want of 'counting the cost,' hundreds of professed converts, under religious revivals, go back to the world after a time, and bring disgrace on religion. They begin with a sadly mistaken notion of what is true Christianity. They fancy it consists in nothing more than a so-called 'coming to Christ,' and having strong inward feelings of joy and peace. And so, when they find, after a time, that there is a cross to be carried, that our hearts are deceitful, and that there is a busy devil always near us, they cool down in disgust, and return to their old sins. And why? Because they had really never known what Bible Christianity is. They had never learned that we must 'count the cost'" (p.147-148).
"These are solemn and painful truths. But they are truths. They all help to show the immense importance of the subject I am now considering. They all point out the absolute necessity of pressing the subject of this chapter on all who profess a desire for holiness, and of crying aloud in all the churches - 'Count the cost.' I am bold to say that it would be well if the duty of 'counting the cost' were more frequently taught than it is. Impatient hurry is the order of the day with many religionists. Instantaneous conversions, and immediate sensible peace, are the only results they seem to care for from the gospel. Compared with these, all other things are thrown into the shade. To produce them is the grand end and object, apparently, of all their labors. I say without hesitation that such a naked, one-sided mode of teaching Christianity is mischievous in the extreme" (p.148-149).
"Does anyone ask what our Lord Jesus Christ's practice was in this matter? Let him read what St. Luke records. He tells us that on a certain occasion, 'There went great multitudes with him: and he turned and said unto them, If any come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple' (Luke 14:25-27). I must plainly say, that I cannot reconcile this passage with the proceedings of many modern religious teachers. And yet, to my mind, the doctrine of it is as clear as the sun at noonday. It shows us that we ought not to hurry men into professing discipleship, without warning them plainly to 'count the cost'" (p.149-150).
"If we desire to do good, let us never be ashamed of walking in the steps of our Lord Jesus Christ.Work hard if you will, and gave the opportunity, for the souls of others. Press them to consider their ways. Compel them with holy violence to come in, to lay down their arms, and to yield themselves to God. Offer them salvation, ready, free, full, immediate salvation. Press Christ and all His benefits on their acceptance. But in all your work tell the truth, and the whole truth. Be ashamed to use the vulgar arts of a recruiting sergeant. Do not speak only of the uniform, the pay, and the glory; speak also of the enemies, the battle, the armor, the watching, the marching, and the drill. Do not present only one side of Christianity. Do not keep back 'the cross' of self-denial that must be carried, when you speak of the cross on which Christ died for our redemption. Explain fully what Christianity entails. Entreat men to repent and come to Christ; but bid them at the same time to 'count the cost'" (p.150-151).
"Count up and compare... the pleasures of sin and the happiness of God's service... The pleasures that the worldly man gets by his ways are hollow, unreal, and unsatisfying. They are like the fire of thorns, flashing and crackling for a few minutes, and then quenched forever. The happiness that Christ gives to His people is something solid, lasting and substantial. It is not dependent on health or circumstances. It never leaves a man, even in death. It ends in a crown of glory that fades not away" (p.153).
"In conclusion, let every reader of this chapter think seriously, whether his religion costs him anything at present. Very likely it costs you nothing. Very probably it neither costs you trouble, nor time, not thought, not care, nor pains, nor reading, nor praying, nor self-denial, nor conflict, nor working, nor labor of any kind. Now mark what I say. Such a religion as this will never save your soul. It will never give you peace while you live, nor hope while you die... A religion that costs nothing is worth nothing" (p.157).
"Think, if you want stirring motives for serving God, what it cost to provide a salvation for your soul. Think how the Son of God left heaven and became Man, suffered on the cross, and lay in the grave, to pay your debt to God, and work out for you a complete redemption. Think of all this and learn that it is no light matter to possess an immortal soul. It is worthwhile to take some trouble about one's soul" (p.157).
"The time is very short. A few more years of watching and praying, a few more tossings on the sea of this world, a few more deaths and changes, a few more winters and summers, and all will be over. We shall have fought our last battle, and shall need to fight no more.
The presence and company of Christ will make amends for all we suffer here below. When we see as we have been seen, and look back on the journey of life, we shall wonder at our own faintness of heart. We shall marvel that we made so much of our cross, and thought so little of our crown. We shall marvel that in 'counting the cost' we could ever doubt on which side the balance of profit lay. Let us take courage. We are not far from home. It may cost much to be a true Christian and a consistent believer; but it pays" (p.158-159).
"Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)
"But to everyone who is in downright earnest about his soul, and hungers and thirsts after spiritual life, the question ought to come home with searching power. Do we make progress in our religion? Do we grow?" (p.163).
The reality of religious growth.
The marks of religious growth.
The means of religious growth.
"When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this - that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual-mindedness more marked. He feels more of the power of godliness in his own heart. He manifests more of it in his life. He is going from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from grace to grace" (p.166).
"Let us know then that growth in grace is the best evidence of spiritual health and prosperity. In a child, or a flower, or a tree, we are all aware that when there is no growth there is something wrong. Healthy life in an animal or a vegetable will always show itself by progress and increase" (p.169).
"Growth in grace is one way to be happy in our religion... the man who feels the most 'joy and peace in believing,' and has the clearest witness of the Spirit in his hears, is the man who grows" (p.169).
"Growth in grace is one secret of usefulness to others...