The Pursuit of the Holy: A Divine Invitation
It’s the most extravagant—and audacious—invitation ever sent: Or in the words of Jesus: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” But can that really happen? Is holiness an achievable goal for sinful human beings? That’s the ultimate focus of this thoughtful, thorough, and engaging study of what it means to be holy. Drawing on the Bible and Christian thinkers through the ages, Simon Ponsonby affirms that because of God’s gracious love and desire for communion with us, he has done what is possible for us not only to pursue holiness, but to achieve it. While we can never count on attaining moral perfection in this life, we need not settle for less than increasing victory over sin. And as more and more Christians choose to partner with God in the ongoing process of sanctification, we set the stage for revival.
Top Highlights
“Holiness is a return to Eden’s ideal and a taste of paradise. The holy life is a foretaste of heaven on earth. It is not God’s burden for us but God’s best for us.” (source)
“‘everything begins and ends in our Christian theology with the holiness of God.’1” (source)
“Our holiness is never a factor in God’s love for us—all our efforts cannot increase his love one iota. The call to holiness is the call from love to love; our pursuit of holiness is the straight highway of response of our love for the Beloved.” (source)
“holiness is not simply about commands to comply with; it is about a state to live in.” (source)
“Holiness, then, is one of the most central concepts in biblical theology” (source)
Product Details
- Title : The Pursuit of the Holy: A Divine Invitation
- Author: Ponsonby, Simon
- Publisher: David C Cook
- Publication Date: 2010
- ISBN: 9781434702500
The pastor of theology at St. Aldates Church in Oxford, England, Simon Ponsonby is author of More, God Inside Out, and And the Lamb Wins. He holds two degrees in theology from Trinity College Bristol. A passionate evangelist and thoughtful theologian, Simon is married to Tiffany and they have two children.