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The Quest for Holiness: A Biblical, Historical and Systematic Investigation
Adolf Koberle's 'The Quest for Holiness' is a significant contribution to world religious literature and a work of abiding value. As such it well deserves translation into the English language and widespread distribution among English language readers. Although written by a profound scholar, this book is not merely for theologians but for all who desire a sound, scriptural setting forth of the truths and the implications for each individual embodied in the steps of justification and sanctification. For simplicity, clarity, and completeness on this subject, this book is unsurpassed. It is written not merely with ink but with the lifeblood of the true believer striving daily for greater holiness and God-pleasing perfection.
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 27, 2025
Bro really dropped the greatest work on sanctification.
In all seriousness, this book was fantastic. I can’t recommend it enough.
It takes extreme focus and time to properly appreciate this work. My only "complaint" is that the book is full of untranslated Latin phrases and philosophical jargon. Yet I can’t consider it a complaint because the difficult language forced me to slow down and digest every word.
Chapters I and II explain how humans, because of their complete corruption and utter depravity due to sin, cannot reach God. Köberle refutes every human-devised means of reaching God. The general categories of moralism, mysticism, and speculation are all shown to be lacking and unsatisfactory.
Chapter III explains the Biblical response to the question of how humans can reach God. Only through justification by faith in Christ do we have reconciliation and access to God. Humans access God not by their ascent to him, but by his descent to us.
Chapter IV explains how the good news of our justification produces a renewal that applies to all facets of the Christian’s life: body, soul, understanding, emotion, will, and deed.
Chapter V reemphasizes and explains that humans can offer nothing to God to save themselves. At the same time, humans possess the terrifying ability to cast away the salvation that has been offered to them and destroy themselves for eternity. Saving faith causes Christians to engage in prayer, self-discipline, and service to God and others out of loving thankfulness and fearful obedience. I believe Köberle’s insistence on these paradoxical distinctions are the real strength of the book.
Chapter VI is highly valuable because of its explanation of sin. Köberle maintains a faithful teaching that all sin, whether major or minor, condemns us and separates us from God. Yet on the other hand, he explains that there are various “levels” of sin by analyzing the consequences of sins of thought, word, and deed.
Chapter VII wraps up the book nicely. It revisits the paradoxical nature of the orthodox Christian faith and the necessity of both law and gospel.
This book came to me at the right time. It corrected some antinomian tendencies that I was beginning to develop. I am invigorated to go forth from this book, eager to hold the position that “holds fast to both sides completely; that maintains justification and sanctification, not as a weak mediating synthetic fusing of two halves, but as a unity existing above both” (268).
In all seriousness, this book was fantastic. I can’t recommend it enough.
It takes extreme focus and time to properly appreciate this work. My only "complaint" is that the book is full of untranslated Latin phrases and philosophical jargon. Yet I can’t consider it a complaint because the difficult language forced me to slow down and digest every word.
Chapters I and II explain how humans, because of their complete corruption and utter depravity due to sin, cannot reach God. Köberle refutes every human-devised means of reaching God. The general categories of moralism, mysticism, and speculation are all shown to be lacking and unsatisfactory.
Chapter III explains the Biblical response to the question of how humans can reach God. Only through justification by faith in Christ do we have reconciliation and access to God. Humans access God not by their ascent to him, but by his descent to us.
Chapter IV explains how the good news of our justification produces a renewal that applies to all facets of the Christian’s life: body, soul, understanding, emotion, will, and deed.
Chapter V reemphasizes and explains that humans can offer nothing to God to save themselves. At the same time, humans possess the terrifying ability to cast away the salvation that has been offered to them and destroy themselves for eternity. Saving faith causes Christians to engage in prayer, self-discipline, and service to God and others out of loving thankfulness and fearful obedience. I believe Köberle’s insistence on these paradoxical distinctions are the real strength of the book.
Chapter VI is highly valuable because of its explanation of sin. Köberle maintains a faithful teaching that all sin, whether major or minor, condemns us and separates us from God. Yet on the other hand, he explains that there are various “levels” of sin by analyzing the consequences of sins of thought, word, and deed.
Chapter VII wraps up the book nicely. It revisits the paradoxical nature of the orthodox Christian faith and the necessity of both law and gospel.
This book came to me at the right time. It corrected some antinomian tendencies that I was beginning to develop. I am invigorated to go forth from this book, eager to hold the position that “holds fast to both sides completely; that maintains justification and sanctification, not as a weak mediating synthetic fusing of two halves, but as a unity existing above both” (268).
December 22, 2025
Köberle presents the paradox of justification and sanctification as a dialectical experience. The experience itself is the work of God on the believer who at any moment may disturb the dialect nature of belief and action and fall into one sided error. Or worse, the believer may reject the Spirit’s work and fall from grace through lawlessness or self-righteousness.
The work is complex but worth reading. If you are not aware of the diverse positions on the issues you will need time to look outside the text for explanation on names and theories. The Latin is left untranslated which demands extra time as well. I would recommend this to any Christian who finds themselves anxious about living on either side of “the quest for holiness.”
The work is complex but worth reading. If you are not aware of the diverse positions on the issues you will need time to look outside the text for explanation on names and theories. The Latin is left untranslated which demands extra time as well. I would recommend this to any Christian who finds themselves anxious about living on either side of “the quest for holiness.”
December 19, 2025
This book is fantastic. It took me roughly 4 times as long to read as normal with a. book of this size, but that was partly because I kept writing down quotes. Particularly good is Chapter 7. Chapters 5 and 6 were a little much at times, but 7 really pulls it all together. I highly recommend this read.
January 13, 2020
Excellent study of justification and sanctification and their relationship. Köberle's points are just as relevant today as ever. I think he's quite right that the truth about justification and sanctification exist in tension and paradox. It's too easy to fall to one side or the other, which is what we usually end up doing. I've honestly grown in my appreciation of these issues because of Köberle's work. I'm very thankful for this.
My main criticism is that in the beginning I think that he's a bit unfair to the Christian mystical tradition. It feels like he has a need to group everything into neat categories and legitimate differences and nuances get lost in this. His use of latin phrases constantly made reading challenging, however, I understand that this is just a factor of the difference between my own theological education and that of Germany nearly a hundred years ago.
My main criticism is that in the beginning I think that he's a bit unfair to the Christian mystical tradition. It feels like he has a need to group everything into neat categories and legitimate differences and nuances get lost in this. His use of latin phrases constantly made reading challenging, however, I understand that this is just a factor of the difference between my own theological education and that of Germany nearly a hundred years ago.
July 4, 2023
This was an insightful and deeply enriching text to delve into, particularly since Lutherans are especially susceptible to divorcing justification and sanctification for the sake of preserving the gospel and thereby avoiding a righteousness by works. In his own words, "if Pietism was too much inclined to neglect the element of [Christian] freedom, neo-Protestantism is indifferent to the need of discipline" (187). Koberle's admonitions regarding the absolute necessity of sanctification in one's Christian life for the sake of not only our own faith but especially for the sake of the neighbor are incredibly important words to hear. His summative principles of justification and sanctification are apt in immersing the Church today once more not only in the waters of baptism but in the resulting fruit of those waters:
Sanctification: (1) Faith that does not heed nor use this divinely given gift of renewal perishes through its self-imposed poverty. (2) Faith that proves its vitality in sanctification grows thereby in strength and constancy. (3) Faith that exercises itself in holiness is just the faith that turns men to repentance and teaches the one who is doing good works to seek after the promises of forgiveness.
Justification: (1) Without the continual return to justification, sanctification falls into Pharisaism and the wildest exaggeration. (2) When, however, we hold fast to the condemning and pardoning word of forgiveness, sanctification receives its true modesty and its true vitality (246, 250).
My one criticism of the book is mostly in its formatting. Koberle writes at a high level and includes many Latin words and phrases which aren't translated anywhere in the book. The text could also benefit from headings/subheadings throughout the lengthy chapters. Overall, while it can be hard to sometimes understand or track Koberle's thought, approaching this book slowly and carefully pays massive dividends and allows for a renewing look at the Christian life of faith in Christ.
Sanctification: (1) Faith that does not heed nor use this divinely given gift of renewal perishes through its self-imposed poverty. (2) Faith that proves its vitality in sanctification grows thereby in strength and constancy. (3) Faith that exercises itself in holiness is just the faith that turns men to repentance and teaches the one who is doing good works to seek after the promises of forgiveness.
Justification: (1) Without the continual return to justification, sanctification falls into Pharisaism and the wildest exaggeration. (2) When, however, we hold fast to the condemning and pardoning word of forgiveness, sanctification receives its true modesty and its true vitality (246, 250).
My one criticism of the book is mostly in its formatting. Koberle writes at a high level and includes many Latin words and phrases which aren't translated anywhere in the book. The text could also benefit from headings/subheadings throughout the lengthy chapters. Overall, while it can be hard to sometimes understand or track Koberle's thought, approaching this book slowly and carefully pays massive dividends and allows for a renewing look at the Christian life of faith in Christ.
November 1, 2013
This book clarified a few key things. It does a good job walking the tight rope presented for the paradox in Lutheran theology of justification and santifcation and highlights the importance of the ordo salutis. Lots of great quotes throughout the book. My only complaint is I think he doesn't present some schools of philosophy in their best light, by that I mean I tend to think he can be unfair, I am thinking of his handling of neoplatonism in particular. He seems to be a little too influenced by Harnack, but maybe that has more to do with his context. Overall, great read and recommend to anyone who wants to understand the paradoxical relation of justification to sanctification in conservative Lutheran theology.
February 11, 2022
This is a wonderful book. This is scripture and Luther distilled into a single volume. If I had only ten books to keep on my shelf, The Quest for Holiness would make the cut. While I shelve it with other systematic works it also lays a thorough groundwork for the study of pastoral care and personal piety.
The only improvements I can imagine would be to restore the original title from the german edition and call it "Justification and Sanctification" for it is really this dialectic that drives the text. And then, until classical education makes a more complete comeback, a translation of the Latin quotations, come of which can be quite lengthy, would help the modern American ready.
The only improvements I can imagine would be to restore the original title from the german edition and call it "Justification and Sanctification" for it is really this dialectic that drives the text. And then, until classical education makes a more complete comeback, a translation of the Latin quotations, come of which can be quite lengthy, would help the modern American ready.
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July 21, 2021I'm not sure I'm qualified to rate this-- besides quite a bit of the beginning being over my head, it seems like this was written for pastors.
It is, however, a great explanation of the relationship between justification and sanctification, and the uniquely Lutheran belief of J & S both being the work of God entirely, while also holding man alone responsible for his own condemnation.
It is, however, a great explanation of the relationship between justification and sanctification, and the uniquely Lutheran belief of J & S both being the work of God entirely, while also holding man alone responsible for his own condemnation.
January 17, 2025
Masterful treatment on the paradox surrounding justification and sanctification in evangelical Lutheran tradition.
March 22, 2013
THE definitive work on the Lutheran understanding of the relationship between Justification and Sanctification. It's original title in German was just that -- Justification And Sanctification. How in the world it was ever given the unfortunate name "The Quest for Holiness" in the States is a mystery. Still, a great read...though not an easy read.
February 23, 2010
Five stars go to the first chapter: "Man's attempts to sanctify himself in God's sight."
Do not rejoice in the "pledges of divine reconciliation" (p. 53), but rather in the divine reconciliation itself (p. 63).
Do not rejoice in the "pledges of divine reconciliation" (p. 53), but rather in the divine reconciliation itself (p. 63).
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews