The Hole In Our Holiness (Book Review)
Written by Nathan Johnson, published October 2022.
Holiness is not an easy topic to understand or discuss, much less implement. Christians understand from Scripture that the Lord is holy, but we rarely see holiness as an aspect of the Christian life. Kevin DeYoung has written an excellent, short book on Christian holiness, why it matters, and how we are to pursue it. DeYoung is a celebrated conference speaker and author of many noteworthy books and blog articles, and he serves as a seminary professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, and senior pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. His writing is thorough yet concise, steeped in Scripture, and accessible to a broad audience.
The Hole in our Holiness is a brief but adequate discussion of holiness as it relates to the Christian life. He begins by pointing out the disconnect between our love for the gospel and our love for personal holiness. He does not advocate for legalism or self-righteousness, but he does make a compelling case for the biblical idea and practice of holiness. For those who see holiness as a hopeless impossibility, DeYoung provides a careful and clear articulation of the doctrine of union with Christ: the Holy Spirit’s work to bring about the righteousness of Christ in God’s people for his glory. For those who object to the call for holiness out of fear of legalism, DeYoung is quick to show that Christ’s imputed righteousness to us provides a beautiful transformation in the lives of believers. He encourages his readers toward the good work of pursuing holiness, killing sin, and grace-driven effort for the glory of God.
DeYoung’s flow of argument begins with an introduction to the topic of holiness and explaining why it is a difficult topic for Christians. He then argues that God saved his people so they would be holy, bringing him glory. He carefully defines holiness and its counterfeits, and addresses why God commands his people to pursue holiness: for the Lord’s joy and ours as well. We pursue holiness through faithful Spirit-led obedience, fueled by God’s grace to us in Jesus. DeYoung does a great job of briefly outlining the concept of union with Christ (how the Holy Spirit applies the righteousness of Christ to us) as it relates to holiness. He highlights Scriptural teachings on holiness and sexual immorality to drive his points home, encouraging the reader to abide in Christ and also to obey his commands, explaining that growing in holiness takes time.
DeYoung’s writing is clear, concise, humorous, and easy to read. He makes difficult topics easy to understand, and he does a great job remaining faithful to Scripture as he applies it to a contemporary context. The numerous footnotes throughout each chapter provide links to solid church history and theology resources which are worth diving into for further study. An added bonus to The Hole in our Holiness is DeYoung’s study questions at the end of the book (broken down by chapter), which help reinforce his arguments for the reader’s personal application.
For its depth and the weighty topic, The Hole in our Holiness is surprisingly accessible and clear. Some readers may be unfamiliar with all of the language DeYoung uses, but he is careful to define his terms and move methodically through his points. DeYoung has served his readers well, providing a solid resource for a broad audience without oversimplifying the concepts. Whether a new or more mature believer, anyone can find something of use in The Hole in our Holiness, as we all wrestle with holiness in some way, and would benefit from DeYoung's instruction and helpful reminders.