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Called to Be Holy
An eminent Old Testament scholar guides us on a thoughtful tour of the Bible's teaching about a Spirit-filled life. Also available in Spanish.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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June 3, 2014
A human being can NOT be "holy" as God is holy by human effort (even if that human considers himself/herself to be a Christian, to believe in God, and to strive to live a good life--free of most of the WORST sins.) So what gives here? How than can the Apostle Peter urge believers to "be holy as your Lord God is holy"? Is he saying just pretend? Or keep up appearances? Or, worse yet, it's hopeless, guys?
John Oswalt in Called to Be Holy makes the case that both the Old Testament and the New Testament together give humanity a unified message of God's mission among us. God's purpose is "the transformation of human behavior in this world with the consequent possibility of living with God through all eternity. The Old Testament shows us what that transformation is, and the New Testament shows us what God has done to make the transformation possible.”
Oswalt warns of heresy creeping into Christianity:
"the Christian gospel is not primarily about having one’s sins forgiven and spending a blissful eternity with God after somehow getting through this life with one’s faith reasonably intact. This view, which I do not hesitate to call heretical, is the result of a misreading of the New Testament.”
Called to Be Holy explains how the Exodus covenant between the Israelites and God was initiated by God as a means for people to have fellowship with Him. The Law (or commandments) were designed by God to teach His people how to act out His holy character. In other words, they were given the opportunity to learn God's holy character by practicing the Law in their lives and community.
By the time of Jesus, there were a number of Jewish teachers of the Law who had come to a different conclusion about the purpose of the Law. For the Pharisees, at least the ones Jesus confronted, the Law was seen as a means of earning God's favor--a matter of pride and self-effort.
Oswalt highlights the point that Jesus came not only to die for our sins but also for another often overlooked reason. Jesus is the one who came to baptize with Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God makes appearances in the Old Testament. This person of God is given by God to certain individuals in the OT. Those persons have a greater opportunity to be used of God. Sometimes they show themselves faithful and worthy of God's Spirit, and sometimes (disastrously) they go their own way. However, with the coming of Christ, now all who believe in Jesus the Christ may receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit!
Until I started to see the significance of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, I didn't understand how the disciples in the Gospels could act so differently, so much more holy and powerful after Jesus ascended into heaven. Those weak, selfish, frightened, and sometimes faithless disciples were transformed into strong, selfless, courageous, and faithful apostles by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. And we today as Christ believers and Christ followers can receive the same baptism and the same transformation, if only we believe--if only we surrender the throne of our lives to Him and receive His Spirit within us! And this transformation of our character is not for our own sake or benefit alone, but for God's purpose of bringing us into eternal fellowship with Him.
I could say so much more about this book, but I'll wind down here. It's a book I'm already rereading and one I plan to read with study groups in the future. There's much wisdom and insight here. I'm excited to have learned that it's not up to my effort to rid my life of sin. (Lord knows I've tried that for years!) It's not a case either of me PUTTING IN NO EFFORT WHATSOEVER. My ongoing pursuit is fellowship with God through prayer, scripture reading and meditation, and actually following Jesus with the goal of loving God with my whole heart, strength, and mind and to love my neighbor as myself. I'm called to be cooperative with what God wants to do within me and through me. Such a life takes attentiveness to His Holy Spirit within me. If I neglect the leading of the Holy Spirit, I'm wresting back control of my life from God--or at least trying to do so.
The part no one could have done by effort has been done for us, the punishment we all deserved has been taken out of the way. Jesus died for my sins. He broke the chains of sin that bound me. And then He sent His Holy Spirit to do it's transforming work in me. If I cooperate and listen, I have the freedom to make righteous choices, to resist temptations with the help of the Counselor (the Holy Spirit), and I can see the victory that God is accomplishing in me whereby I'm seeing a decreasing frequency of sin in my life and an increasing frequency of righteous. In this condition, I am in fellowship with my Father God and am of use to Him and the purposes of His Kingdom. Praise God!
John Oswalt in Called to Be Holy makes the case that both the Old Testament and the New Testament together give humanity a unified message of God's mission among us. God's purpose is "the transformation of human behavior in this world with the consequent possibility of living with God through all eternity. The Old Testament shows us what that transformation is, and the New Testament shows us what God has done to make the transformation possible.”
Oswalt warns of heresy creeping into Christianity:
"the Christian gospel is not primarily about having one’s sins forgiven and spending a blissful eternity with God after somehow getting through this life with one’s faith reasonably intact. This view, which I do not hesitate to call heretical, is the result of a misreading of the New Testament.”
Called to Be Holy explains how the Exodus covenant between the Israelites and God was initiated by God as a means for people to have fellowship with Him. The Law (or commandments) were designed by God to teach His people how to act out His holy character. In other words, they were given the opportunity to learn God's holy character by practicing the Law in their lives and community.
By the time of Jesus, there were a number of Jewish teachers of the Law who had come to a different conclusion about the purpose of the Law. For the Pharisees, at least the ones Jesus confronted, the Law was seen as a means of earning God's favor--a matter of pride and self-effort.
Oswalt highlights the point that Jesus came not only to die for our sins but also for another often overlooked reason. Jesus is the one who came to baptize with Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God makes appearances in the Old Testament. This person of God is given by God to certain individuals in the OT. Those persons have a greater opportunity to be used of God. Sometimes they show themselves faithful and worthy of God's Spirit, and sometimes (disastrously) they go their own way. However, with the coming of Christ, now all who believe in Jesus the Christ may receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit!
Until I started to see the significance of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, I didn't understand how the disciples in the Gospels could act so differently, so much more holy and powerful after Jesus ascended into heaven. Those weak, selfish, frightened, and sometimes faithless disciples were transformed into strong, selfless, courageous, and faithful apostles by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. And we today as Christ believers and Christ followers can receive the same baptism and the same transformation, if only we believe--if only we surrender the throne of our lives to Him and receive His Spirit within us! And this transformation of our character is not for our own sake or benefit alone, but for God's purpose of bringing us into eternal fellowship with Him.
I could say so much more about this book, but I'll wind down here. It's a book I'm already rereading and one I plan to read with study groups in the future. There's much wisdom and insight here. I'm excited to have learned that it's not up to my effort to rid my life of sin. (Lord knows I've tried that for years!) It's not a case either of me PUTTING IN NO EFFORT WHATSOEVER. My ongoing pursuit is fellowship with God through prayer, scripture reading and meditation, and actually following Jesus with the goal of loving God with my whole heart, strength, and mind and to love my neighbor as myself. I'm called to be cooperative with what God wants to do within me and through me. Such a life takes attentiveness to His Holy Spirit within me. If I neglect the leading of the Holy Spirit, I'm wresting back control of my life from God--or at least trying to do so.
The part no one could have done by effort has been done for us, the punishment we all deserved has been taken out of the way. Jesus died for my sins. He broke the chains of sin that bound me. And then He sent His Holy Spirit to do it's transforming work in me. If I cooperate and listen, I have the freedom to make righteous choices, to resist temptations with the help of the Counselor (the Holy Spirit), and I can see the victory that God is accomplishing in me whereby I'm seeing a decreasing frequency of sin in my life and an increasing frequency of righteous. In this condition, I am in fellowship with my Father God and am of use to Him and the purposes of His Kingdom. Praise God!
November 11, 2024
I will attach below a critical review I had to write of this book for my paper. Though I think Oswalt's language was a little unclear on some very important things, reading the rest of this book and his other works I understand his view. Such as his full throated affirmation of Sola Fide, though on one page the language seems almost like a rejection of it (but he does affirm it not only personally stated as such but also clearly affirmed in several places of this work). The citations and such will not be present here, but unless they are Scripture they are pulled directly from this work. Warning there are massive spoilers below! But Oswalt's writing style is often to put the premise of the book and exactly what he will be arguing in the introduction (at least from what I've read), then the book is simply the case made for each point. Which I can say I greatly appreciate as someone who does a lot of reading, research, and citing.
---SPOILERS BELOW---
Joshua Pearsall
John Oswalt's Called to Be Holy, Critical Review
The Church must recover a biblical doctrine and focus on Holiness or it will falter under it´s lack of a truly strong doctrine of Holiness. We must not forget, it is faith alone that saves, but we must not let go of the Biblical command and call to holiness attached to it. The modern church has lost its pursuit of holiness and is suffering because of it. To understand Biblical holiness we must start with the Old Testament for, “it is there that we learn what the human character is and what God's character is.” Unlike modern writing styles, the New Testament authors assume you know the Old Testament and its content, and write building on top of it without explaining much of it.
They speak of the transforming power of God & relationship with Him rather than retelling the same content. They speak more about what Christ has illuminated for us and what that means for us than telling us all of the information that sits underneath all of their writing. It is the underlying thoughts of the Old Testament we need, otherwise it is “easy to overlook this [the purpose God has for the transformation of man] and focus solely upon forgiveness.”
The Bible is likened to a two-part manual. “The first part [the Old Testament] explains how the machine is constructed and how it accomplishes its works. The second part [the New Testament] of the manual explains how to operate the machine.” You need both parts, otherwise, you simply lack everything you need to know and understand everything about the machine.
Why does God appear to Abraham and give Him the covenant? To address death makes a mockery of all our achievements, which can only be done by restoring what was broken in the curse of Genesis 3. A bridge must be built, and only God can build it because He is transcendent. This is what He does with Abram and later the Hebrews, He seeks to make a way to reside amidst His people in relationship with Him, without His holiness destroying them. And from them to the whole world.
Oswalt highlights the important, and often neglected, structure of Exodus to Numbers Leviticus is the book on holiness, situated as the bridge between Ex 19 & Num 11, the central image behind them. Ending with the climax of the Lord filling the Tabernacle. As he lays out the Structure: “Book of the Covenant (Ex 19-24)... account of the Tabernacle (Ex 25-40)... Manual of worship (Lev 1-17)... The Holiness Code (Lev 18-27)... [and] preparations for departure (Num 1-10.11)...”
Through God’s covenants we learn of God’s grace, righteousness, & faithfulness (22-38). “To reveal the true nature of reality, beginning with Yahweh’s sole lordship and his transcendence and continuing through the incredible worth of humans… to reveal his holy character… to show what his intent for human life is… [and] to reveal the human character… the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ” From the covenants of Noah to Moses to Jesus. It is God’s work that saves us, not our efforts, we like the Hebrews “were saved from Egyptian bondage by the grace of God and nothing else. Furthermore, that grace could only be received if they acted in faith in the promises of God… grace through faith.” We are saved by the one and only holy God, creator of all.
It reveals the character and ethical quality of God in His consistency and care for humanity, something so starkly different from so many false faiths of human history. God commands not to murder because He values life as sacred, He commands the fields not to be gleaned so the poor and sojourner can be fed, and He commands it to be left ungleaned because He values work which is why the poor and sojourner must do the harvesting themselves. He called for the building of the Tabernacle because He wants a relationship with His people. God is not like the deities of the pagans who view people as objects to be used.
There is special focus for us His people on the need of the shedding of blood for atonement (Heb 9.22; Lev 17.11), which is why Abel’s sacrifice was accepted over Cains. God is a holy God, and sin has a serious consequence as Nadab and Abihu taught us through their foolishness. And the image of salvation is portrayed clearly through this. That God’s people will be holy! Delivered from bondage so that we may live in fellowship with the Lord as a holy people. A holiness that is faithful and kind, enduring and steadfast, merciful when His people break their covenant and ready to give them another chance.
A holiness He invites us into, but that we cannot obtain. We ruined ourselves in the fall, and could not obey the obvious perfection of the law. But God made provision for us and paved the way for His plan of redemption, the sacrifice and transforming power of the cross.
A key part of this, and something the modern Church often lacks, is the pursuit of completely following God’s commands, of perfectly following them. As Oswalt argues many simply think this is impossible, but with Leviticus being the bridge of Exodus and Numbers God’s standard is clearly meant to be met. However, many disagree, and the fact that the terms using the Hebrew root tmm (תמים) and its variants that mean or imply perfection are translated differently in terms of humanity seems to confirm this. Whether it’s the completion of a process or object (Num 14.35) or being upright (Ps 18.25) to the spotless sacrifices of animals (Ex 12.5; Lev 1.3, 10; 22.21; etc.) the various words all point to completion and perfection/spotlessness, yet when speaking of humans are translated differently. We must look at these various texts and not balk at them, we must see that David’s ways in 2 Samuel are compared to God’s ways, and God is called as the one who can make our way perfect. We must see Christ’s command to be perfect as God is perfect (Mt 5.48), and acknowledge it for what it is.
But here we must also look at what Scripture is portraying as perfection, rather than how many people think of it. Elihu doesn’t have perfect knowledge, but he isn’t speaking a known falsehood, he speaks to Job uncorrupted by selfish motives. Of David he is not saying that he had no errors, simply that he strove after God with complete integrity, he is not moved from corrupt desires to serve the Lord. He is serving God, to serve God and nothing else, thus his behavior is unblemished. This of course doesn’t mean we have special insights into hidden motives that need to be cleansed from us, as David himself prays for several times in the Psalter, but it can mean for us perfection as the community of Christ may very well be more about intention than performance.
We are to have a wholeheartedness toward God, and through that be a witness to the world. The temple of Solomon was to be a symbol of the relationship between the divine & human, and through our declarations and life shine out to others like a light on a hill so that they will come to us and ask of the Lord as the people all around came to Solomon. A relationship that without true faith and devotion from people, is disgusting to the Lord as Isaiah himself portrays in the opening of his work, and something we must always keep in mind, and is exemplified in the life of Solomon who was once faithful to the Lord and then strayed into the ways of the flesh rather than that of the Spirit. All of this is possible only by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, to overcome our fallen state and lift us toward God. He must overcome our “twisted Spirit.” That which was made desolate must be made “a fertile field” again (Isa 32.13-20). We must be cleansed, restored, and renewed into new life through Christ by the Spirit.
For it is from Christ that we receive the baptism of the Spirit, through His ascension that the Spirit is sent, and the Spirit is then poured out on His people. It is His blood that cleanses the temple so the Spirit may come and be poured out, that we may be restored and raised to new life. That the Kingdom of God may reign here and now on Earth through His work and victory. The Messiah foretold by the prophets, marked by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. The culmination of Christ’s earthly ministry can be said to be this very baptism of the Spirit, through which we will be able to fulfill the covenant as God has called us to patterned as the Old Testament was. Only by God’s grace can we enter the covenant, to continue in that relationship we must be faithful to the covenant; which we cannot do with our own effort, knowledge, or strength but only by relying entirely on the Spirit who transforms us into the image of Christ. It is through this that Christ’s earthly ministry ended, and the start of the Apostle’s ministry empowered by the Spirit began. To call people not only to repent of their sins and be baptized, saved by grace through faith, but transformed to live lives of the Spirit in radical holiness.
Through their ministry they will show the world what union with Christ is, called into the very life of the Trinity, evidenced by their obedience and love. Through this witness people will see and know they are in sin by not doing the same, by ignoring the call to come to Christ and submit to Him, to live a life of faithful obedience in gratitude of the salvation freely offered, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the promise, command, and call of God’s word to His people. To accept His free offer of grace, and enter into an eternal life of perfect and holy submission that pours out from us and into the world that others may join the family of Christ. As the Prophet Isaiah said:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.
Isaiah 61
---SPOILERS BELOW---
Joshua Pearsall
John Oswalt's Called to Be Holy, Critical Review
The Church must recover a biblical doctrine and focus on Holiness or it will falter under it´s lack of a truly strong doctrine of Holiness. We must not forget, it is faith alone that saves, but we must not let go of the Biblical command and call to holiness attached to it. The modern church has lost its pursuit of holiness and is suffering because of it. To understand Biblical holiness we must start with the Old Testament for, “it is there that we learn what the human character is and what God's character is.” Unlike modern writing styles, the New Testament authors assume you know the Old Testament and its content, and write building on top of it without explaining much of it.
They speak of the transforming power of God & relationship with Him rather than retelling the same content. They speak more about what Christ has illuminated for us and what that means for us than telling us all of the information that sits underneath all of their writing. It is the underlying thoughts of the Old Testament we need, otherwise it is “easy to overlook this [the purpose God has for the transformation of man] and focus solely upon forgiveness.”
The Bible is likened to a two-part manual. “The first part [the Old Testament] explains how the machine is constructed and how it accomplishes its works. The second part [the New Testament] of the manual explains how to operate the machine.” You need both parts, otherwise, you simply lack everything you need to know and understand everything about the machine.
Why does God appear to Abraham and give Him the covenant? To address death makes a mockery of all our achievements, which can only be done by restoring what was broken in the curse of Genesis 3. A bridge must be built, and only God can build it because He is transcendent. This is what He does with Abram and later the Hebrews, He seeks to make a way to reside amidst His people in relationship with Him, without His holiness destroying them. And from them to the whole world.
Oswalt highlights the important, and often neglected, structure of Exodus to Numbers Leviticus is the book on holiness, situated as the bridge between Ex 19 & Num 11, the central image behind them. Ending with the climax of the Lord filling the Tabernacle. As he lays out the Structure: “Book of the Covenant (Ex 19-24)... account of the Tabernacle (Ex 25-40)... Manual of worship (Lev 1-17)... The Holiness Code (Lev 18-27)... [and] preparations for departure (Num 1-10.11)...”
Through God’s covenants we learn of God’s grace, righteousness, & faithfulness (22-38). “To reveal the true nature of reality, beginning with Yahweh’s sole lordship and his transcendence and continuing through the incredible worth of humans… to reveal his holy character… to show what his intent for human life is… [and] to reveal the human character… the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ” From the covenants of Noah to Moses to Jesus. It is God’s work that saves us, not our efforts, we like the Hebrews “were saved from Egyptian bondage by the grace of God and nothing else. Furthermore, that grace could only be received if they acted in faith in the promises of God… grace through faith.” We are saved by the one and only holy God, creator of all.
It reveals the character and ethical quality of God in His consistency and care for humanity, something so starkly different from so many false faiths of human history. God commands not to murder because He values life as sacred, He commands the fields not to be gleaned so the poor and sojourner can be fed, and He commands it to be left ungleaned because He values work which is why the poor and sojourner must do the harvesting themselves. He called for the building of the Tabernacle because He wants a relationship with His people. God is not like the deities of the pagans who view people as objects to be used.
There is special focus for us His people on the need of the shedding of blood for atonement (Heb 9.22; Lev 17.11), which is why Abel’s sacrifice was accepted over Cains. God is a holy God, and sin has a serious consequence as Nadab and Abihu taught us through their foolishness. And the image of salvation is portrayed clearly through this. That God’s people will be holy! Delivered from bondage so that we may live in fellowship with the Lord as a holy people. A holiness that is faithful and kind, enduring and steadfast, merciful when His people break their covenant and ready to give them another chance.
A holiness He invites us into, but that we cannot obtain. We ruined ourselves in the fall, and could not obey the obvious perfection of the law. But God made provision for us and paved the way for His plan of redemption, the sacrifice and transforming power of the cross.
A key part of this, and something the modern Church often lacks, is the pursuit of completely following God’s commands, of perfectly following them. As Oswalt argues many simply think this is impossible, but with Leviticus being the bridge of Exodus and Numbers God’s standard is clearly meant to be met. However, many disagree, and the fact that the terms using the Hebrew root tmm (תמים) and its variants that mean or imply perfection are translated differently in terms of humanity seems to confirm this. Whether it’s the completion of a process or object (Num 14.35) or being upright (Ps 18.25) to the spotless sacrifices of animals (Ex 12.5; Lev 1.3, 10; 22.21; etc.) the various words all point to completion and perfection/spotlessness, yet when speaking of humans are translated differently. We must look at these various texts and not balk at them, we must see that David’s ways in 2 Samuel are compared to God’s ways, and God is called as the one who can make our way perfect. We must see Christ’s command to be perfect as God is perfect (Mt 5.48), and acknowledge it for what it is.
But here we must also look at what Scripture is portraying as perfection, rather than how many people think of it. Elihu doesn’t have perfect knowledge, but he isn’t speaking a known falsehood, he speaks to Job uncorrupted by selfish motives. Of David he is not saying that he had no errors, simply that he strove after God with complete integrity, he is not moved from corrupt desires to serve the Lord. He is serving God, to serve God and nothing else, thus his behavior is unblemished. This of course doesn’t mean we have special insights into hidden motives that need to be cleansed from us, as David himself prays for several times in the Psalter, but it can mean for us perfection as the community of Christ may very well be more about intention than performance.
We are to have a wholeheartedness toward God, and through that be a witness to the world. The temple of Solomon was to be a symbol of the relationship between the divine & human, and through our declarations and life shine out to others like a light on a hill so that they will come to us and ask of the Lord as the people all around came to Solomon. A relationship that without true faith and devotion from people, is disgusting to the Lord as Isaiah himself portrays in the opening of his work, and something we must always keep in mind, and is exemplified in the life of Solomon who was once faithful to the Lord and then strayed into the ways of the flesh rather than that of the Spirit. All of this is possible only by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, to overcome our fallen state and lift us toward God. He must overcome our “twisted Spirit.” That which was made desolate must be made “a fertile field” again (Isa 32.13-20). We must be cleansed, restored, and renewed into new life through Christ by the Spirit.
For it is from Christ that we receive the baptism of the Spirit, through His ascension that the Spirit is sent, and the Spirit is then poured out on His people. It is His blood that cleanses the temple so the Spirit may come and be poured out, that we may be restored and raised to new life. That the Kingdom of God may reign here and now on Earth through His work and victory. The Messiah foretold by the prophets, marked by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. The culmination of Christ’s earthly ministry can be said to be this very baptism of the Spirit, through which we will be able to fulfill the covenant as God has called us to patterned as the Old Testament was. Only by God’s grace can we enter the covenant, to continue in that relationship we must be faithful to the covenant; which we cannot do with our own effort, knowledge, or strength but only by relying entirely on the Spirit who transforms us into the image of Christ. It is through this that Christ’s earthly ministry ended, and the start of the Apostle’s ministry empowered by the Spirit began. To call people not only to repent of their sins and be baptized, saved by grace through faith, but transformed to live lives of the Spirit in radical holiness.
Through their ministry they will show the world what union with Christ is, called into the very life of the Trinity, evidenced by their obedience and love. Through this witness people will see and know they are in sin by not doing the same, by ignoring the call to come to Christ and submit to Him, to live a life of faithful obedience in gratitude of the salvation freely offered, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the promise, command, and call of God’s word to His people. To accept His free offer of grace, and enter into an eternal life of perfect and holy submission that pours out from us and into the world that others may join the family of Christ. As the Prophet Isaiah said:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.
Isaiah 61
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2024
A refreshing biblical understanding of holiness. One I'll keep referring to in the future.
February 9, 2022
John does a good job tracing holiness in the Old Testament and tracing its development in the New Testament. I appreciated the truth shared here and was greatly challenged. The One True Holy God is wanting a Holy people.
“Holiness is first of all a matter of the heart and a relationship.”
“Holiness is first of all a matter of the heart and a relationship.”
August 8, 2018
A required read for me in seminary I LOVED it then. Oswalts explanation of Old Testament covenant blew my mind. It changed the way I viewed God's vengeance in the Old Testament and opened me up to a new way of thinking.
My Sunday School class read it this year. I should preface this by saying the Wesleyan Advocates are no ordinary Sunday School class. It's some of the smartest people I've ever had the joy of spending time with sitting around discussing books (everything from Dark Matter and Dinosaurs to Called to Be Holy). Sometimes I can't keep up, it's not very often I'm the dumbest person in a room but these people are BRIGHT.
Anyway, we read Called to Be Holy and, boy, did they rip it a new one. They pointed out a ton of logical fallacies to me as well as theological inconsistencies. They wondered if God could ever be in a fair covenant with humans because the power differential is so vast. Geesh... everyone calm down.
I had remembered from seminary the book covering sanctification from a Wesleyan perspective, but I was wrong. THere's a lot of scripture, and Oswald's scholarship is good, I do believe. But at the end of the day I have moved well past this theology and reading it again ten years post seminary I feel like it just falls... flat.
My Sunday School class read it this year. I should preface this by saying the Wesleyan Advocates are no ordinary Sunday School class. It's some of the smartest people I've ever had the joy of spending time with sitting around discussing books (everything from Dark Matter and Dinosaurs to Called to Be Holy). Sometimes I can't keep up, it's not very often I'm the dumbest person in a room but these people are BRIGHT.
Anyway, we read Called to Be Holy and, boy, did they rip it a new one. They pointed out a ton of logical fallacies to me as well as theological inconsistencies. They wondered if God could ever be in a fair covenant with humans because the power differential is so vast. Geesh... everyone calm down.
I had remembered from seminary the book covering sanctification from a Wesleyan perspective, but I was wrong. THere's a lot of scripture, and Oswald's scholarship is good, I do believe. But at the end of the day I have moved well past this theology and reading it again ten years post seminary I feel like it just falls... flat.
August 1, 2023
This read provides incredible evidence throughout the Old Testament and New Testament that God encourages and expects His people to be holy. It explains how holiness is not based on performance but the manner in which one performs and can be described as a side effect of loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This read also reassures that the path to holiness is nothing we can do by our own own strength. Instead, holiness can only be received by welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives and having faith that the Spirit is truly at work. This is another book that’s changed my life and clarified my call as a Christian.
December 18, 2023
While I don’t disagree with Oswald’s argument about the biblical meaning for holiness, the way that he went about describing it felt nearly impossible until the very last chapter. Holiness felt like this insurmountable obstacle until he described it as simply your relationship and proximity to God.
February 16, 2020
I agree with most of the subject matter. However, the topic and mannerism of the book is just kind of a dry read. Perhaps that is the subject matter. The book was difficult to hold my attention yet being factually correct.
December 29, 2023
Very thorough! Oswalt knows his stuff. It would take me a few reads to even start “grasping” an understanding of the concepts but I enjoyed reading this. Worth the read for a Biblical understanding of holiness.
January 28, 2024
Even if you don’t agree with all of the theology, Oswald has a wonderful articulation of the Doctrine of Holiness/Christian Perfection through both an Old Testament and New Testament lens. I would recommend this book to any wanting to learn more about holiness.
May 1, 2021
A great introduction to the Wesleyan notion of holiness that's at once more biblical and more ecumenical.
September 3, 2009
It is worth reading. He has some good clarifications about what "holiness" means -- a freeing disposition rather than a frustrating effort. It is a helpful reframing and the concept is great (i.e. God can really empower my life). I wonder if the term "holiness" is really salvageable, with all its baggage for my generation.
The author also has a line of deductive reasoning throughout the whole thing that I found really distracting (a kind of "if a, then b. If b, then c. etc, etc." until he got to his point). Don't know why he feels the need to justify everything before he says it.
If I were to go back and read it over, I would just read the last three chapters and then go back to the earlier ones for clarification, as needed.
The author also has a line of deductive reasoning throughout the whole thing that I found really distracting (a kind of "if a, then b. If b, then c. etc, etc." until he got to his point). Don't know why he feels the need to justify everything before he says it.
If I were to go back and read it over, I would just read the last three chapters and then go back to the earlier ones for clarification, as needed.
February 1, 2012
This is a great book concerning the theological issue of holiness. Read for Theology of Christian Holiness class from Wesley Biblical Seminary. (Author did graduate work at Asbury) I really think that Oswalt could be clearer at times, and give more practical application, but he does a wonderful job of explaining what holiness is.
January 23, 2020
I’ve read this book several times, and it never gets old and always seems fresh. Thoroughly biblical, surprisingly practical, and refreshingly hopeful.
May 29, 2014
Some really good, truthful points were overshadowed by a few questionable ideas. Overall, a good book for a well established believer.
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