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Holy in Christ: 31 Days to Spiritual Transformation
THERE is not in Scripture a word more distinctly Divine in its origin and meaning than the word holy. There is not a word that leads us higher into the mystery of Deity, nor deeper into the privilege and the blessedness of God's children. And yet it is a word that many a Christian has never studied or understood.
There are not a few who can praise God that during the past twenty years the watchword BE HOLY has been taken up in many a church and Christian circle with greater earnestness than before. In books and magazines, in conventions and conferences, in the testimonies and the lives of believers, we have abundant tokens that what is called the Holiness-movement is a reality.
And yet how much is still wanting! What multitudes of believing Christians there are who have none but the very vaguest thoughts of what holiness is! And of those who are seeking after it how many who have hardly learnt what it is to come to God's Word and to God Himself for the teaching that can alone reveal this part of the mystery of Christ and of God! To many, holiness has simply been a general expression for the Christian life in its more earnest form, without much thought of what the term really means.
In writing this little book, my object has been to discover in what sense God uses the word, that so it may mean to us what it means to Him. I have sought to trace the word through some of the most important passages of Holy Scripture where it occurs, there to learn what God's holiness is, what ours is to be, and what the way by which we attain it. I have been specially anxious to point out how many and various the elements are that go to make up true holiness as the Divine expression of the Christian life in all its fulness and perfection. I have at the same time striven continually to keep in mind the wonderful unity and simplicity there is in it, as centred in the person of Jesus. As I proceeded in my work, I felt ever more deeply how high the task was I had undertaken in offering to guide others even into the outer courts of the Holy Place of the Most High. And yet the very difficulty of the task convinced me of how needful it was.
There are not a few who can praise God that during the past twenty years the watchword BE HOLY has been taken up in many a church and Christian circle with greater earnestness than before. In books and magazines, in conventions and conferences, in the testimonies and the lives of believers, we have abundant tokens that what is called the Holiness-movement is a reality.
And yet how much is still wanting! What multitudes of believing Christians there are who have none but the very vaguest thoughts of what holiness is! And of those who are seeking after it how many who have hardly learnt what it is to come to God's Word and to God Himself for the teaching that can alone reveal this part of the mystery of Christ and of God! To many, holiness has simply been a general expression for the Christian life in its more earnest form, without much thought of what the term really means.
In writing this little book, my object has been to discover in what sense God uses the word, that so it may mean to us what it means to Him. I have sought to trace the word through some of the most important passages of Holy Scripture where it occurs, there to learn what God's holiness is, what ours is to be, and what the way by which we attain it. I have been specially anxious to point out how many and various the elements are that go to make up true holiness as the Divine expression of the Christian life in all its fulness and perfection. I have at the same time striven continually to keep in mind the wonderful unity and simplicity there is in it, as centred in the person of Jesus. As I proceeded in my work, I felt ever more deeply how high the task was I had undertaken in offering to guide others even into the outer courts of the Holy Place of the Most High. And yet the very difficulty of the task convinced me of how needful it was.
252 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2013
189 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Murray
1,226 books550 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Murray was Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Murray became a noted missionary leader. His father was a Scottish Presbyterian serving the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, and his mother had connections with both French Huguenots and German Lutherans. This background to some extent explains his ecumenical spirit. He was educated at Aberdeen University, Scotland, and at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After ordination in 1848 he served pastorates at Bloemfontein, Worcester, Cape Town, and Wellington. He helped to found what are now the University College of the Orange Free State and the Stellenbosch Seminary. He served as Moderator of the Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church and was president of both the YMCA (1865) and the South Africa General Mission (1888-1917), now the Africa Evangelical Fellowship.
He was one of the chief promoters of the call to missions in South Africa. This led to the Dutch Reformed Church missions to blacks in the Transvaal and Malawi. Apart from his evangelistic tours in South Africa, he spoke at the Keswick and Northfield Conventions in 1895, making a great impression. upon his British and American audiences. For his contribution to world missions he was given an honorary doctorate by the universities of Aberdeen (1898) and Cape of Good Hope(1907).
Murray is best known today for his devotional writings, which place great emphasis on the need for a rich, personal devotional life. Many of his 240 publications explain in how he saw this devotion and its outworking in the life of the Christian. Several of his books have become devotional classics. Among these are Abide in Christ, Absolute Surrender, With Christ in the School of Prayer, The Spirit of Christ and Waiting on God.
Murray was Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Murray became a noted missionary leader. His father was a Scottish Presbyterian serving the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, and his mother had connections with both French Huguenots and German Lutherans. This background to some extent explains his ecumenical spirit. He was educated at Aberdeen University, Scotland, and at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After ordination in 1848 he served pastorates at Bloemfontein, Worcester, Cape Town, and Wellington. He helped to found what are now the University College of the Orange Free State and the Stellenbosch Seminary. He served as Moderator of the Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church and was president of both the YMCA (1865) and the South Africa General Mission (1888-1917), now the Africa Evangelical Fellowship.
He was one of the chief promoters of the call to missions in South Africa. This led to the Dutch Reformed Church missions to blacks in the Transvaal and Malawi. Apart from his evangelistic tours in South Africa, he spoke at the Keswick and Northfield Conventions in 1895, making a great impression. upon his British and American audiences. For his contribution to world missions he was given an honorary doctorate by the universities of Aberdeen (1898) and Cape of Good Hope(1907).
Murray is best known today for his devotional writings, which place great emphasis on the need for a rich, personal devotional life. Many of his 240 publications explain in how he saw this devotion and its outworking in the life of the Christian. Several of his books have become devotional classics. Among these are Abide in Christ, Absolute Surrender, With Christ in the School of Prayer, The Spirit of Christ and Waiting on God.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 23, 2008
Wow. Reading this book was like being on Daddy's lap. I hated to finish it. A few excerpts:
"There is no holiness but what He has, or rather what He is, and gives. Holiness is not something we do or attain: it is the communication of the Divine life, the inbreathing of the Divine nature, the power of the Divine Presence resting on us... When God calls us to holiness, He calls us to Himself."
"Where God is, there is holiness; it is the presence of God makes holy."
"Holiness is not something we bring to God or do for Him. Holiness is what there is of God in us. God has made us his own in redemption, that He might make Himself our own in sanctification."
"Seek not holiness in the first place in what you are or do; seek it in God. Seek it not even as a gift from God, seek it in God Himself, in His indwelling Presence."
"As we enter in and abide in the holiness of Jesus, it will enter in and abide in us."
"The more I see and have apprehended of the holiness of Jesus, the less shall I see or seek of holiness in myself. He will make me holy: my tempers and dispositions will be renewed; my heart and mind cleansed and sanctified; holiness will be a new nature; and yet there will be all along the consciousness, humbling and yet full of joy: it is not I; Christ liveth in me."
The older I get in the Lord, the more I appreciate the simplicity that is in Christ. I am not smart enough to remember all the steps to make myself good enough for a real Christian. And they have no charms for me. But I can remember Jesus, who gave Himself for me, and lives to make intercession for me, and invites me --ME-- to abide in Him, and He in me. And He wins me over every time I think on Him. His kindness towards me; His patience with me; His work on my behalf sweep my soul off its feet. His love for me is a mystery I do not understand. But I want it, and I am so thankful for it. This book highlights it.
"There is no holiness but what He has, or rather what He is, and gives. Holiness is not something we do or attain: it is the communication of the Divine life, the inbreathing of the Divine nature, the power of the Divine Presence resting on us... When God calls us to holiness, He calls us to Himself."
"Where God is, there is holiness; it is the presence of God makes holy."
"Holiness is not something we bring to God or do for Him. Holiness is what there is of God in us. God has made us his own in redemption, that He might make Himself our own in sanctification."
"Seek not holiness in the first place in what you are or do; seek it in God. Seek it not even as a gift from God, seek it in God Himself, in His indwelling Presence."
"As we enter in and abide in the holiness of Jesus, it will enter in and abide in us."
"The more I see and have apprehended of the holiness of Jesus, the less shall I see or seek of holiness in myself. He will make me holy: my tempers and dispositions will be renewed; my heart and mind cleansed and sanctified; holiness will be a new nature; and yet there will be all along the consciousness, humbling and yet full of joy: it is not I; Christ liveth in me."
The older I get in the Lord, the more I appreciate the simplicity that is in Christ. I am not smart enough to remember all the steps to make myself good enough for a real Christian. And they have no charms for me. But I can remember Jesus, who gave Himself for me, and lives to make intercession for me, and invites me --ME-- to abide in Him, and He in me. And He wins me over every time I think on Him. His kindness towards me; His patience with me; His work on my behalf sweep my soul off its feet. His love for me is a mystery I do not understand. But I want it, and I am so thankful for it. This book highlights it.
March 29, 2022
Although at times it requires a lot of concentration to fully absorb what the author is saying, if you take it in, you will learn a lot about holiness. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of holiness and there is a lot to learn. Every chapter closes with a prayer based on what we have learnt in that chapter. This book is really a great place to learn more about holiness, and inspires and challenges us to grow closer in our relationship with the Lord. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone wishing to grow in their spiritual life.
July 21, 2021
31 chapters dealing in depth with different biblical texts on holiness.
Rich and persuasive, like all of Andrew Murray's works,and I feel I have barely touched the surface and will retain only a tiny portion of the treasure available.
His treatment of what Gen 2:2-3 (creation of the Sabbath) means for the earnest follower of Christ (spoiler: it's not what you think) is one highlight that stood out to me on this reading.
A more difficult read to than "Humility" but well worth the effort.
Rich and persuasive, like all of Andrew Murray's works,and I feel I have barely touched the surface and will retain only a tiny portion of the treasure available.
His treatment of what Gen 2:2-3 (creation of the Sabbath) means for the earnest follower of Christ (spoiler: it's not what you think) is one highlight that stood out to me on this reading.
A more difficult read to than "Humility" but well worth the effort.
February 13, 2022
Holy in Christ Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy Andrew Murray
This book has been so far a great Blessing to me. This book has given me a greater understanding of the Holiness of God.
This book has been so far a great Blessing to me. This book has given me a greater understanding of the Holiness of God.
May 21, 2015
I would give this 7 stars if I could. If only finishing this book meant I had attained to the subject!! This book has profoundly stirred my heart to respond to the call to "be holy as I am holy."
March 17, 2017
Typical mind and spirit stretching material from Andrew Murray.
May 20, 2022
Andrew Murray wrote in an era when embracing biblical terms, expounding on their concepts and espousing a deep reverence in the process was a common practice. His musings are so thoroughly interwoven around Scriptures that you walk away with a more profound love for the sacred text.
Holy in Christ is a 31 day reflection on what it means to be hidden in Christ's atoning work and living in submission to Christ's eternal purposes. There are no anecdotal stories, no hermeneutical two-steps...here is a line-on-line presentation of what God's Word says about the subject. Murray astutely points out that "holy" is the most common description in the NT that God uses when talking about His people and he takes this point to heart in his writing.
Aside from the exegetical emphasis, other aspects I appreciate in this work is that it contains a pastoral tone void of defeatism. Readers are called to the examples of biblical figures to realize that holiness is indeed the intent of God for the lifestyle of His disciples. What this means as a work of grace and an ongoing process of obedience is well laid out.
Andrew Murray was, above all else, a teacher and his prose in this book gave me a mental images of a godly instructor patiently leading a group of hungry learners through the wonders of what sanctified living really means in our broken world. Thus, for me, cogitating on this spiritual classic was time truly well spent.
Holy in Christ is a 31 day reflection on what it means to be hidden in Christ's atoning work and living in submission to Christ's eternal purposes. There are no anecdotal stories, no hermeneutical two-steps...here is a line-on-line presentation of what God's Word says about the subject. Murray astutely points out that "holy" is the most common description in the NT that God uses when talking about His people and he takes this point to heart in his writing.
Aside from the exegetical emphasis, other aspects I appreciate in this work is that it contains a pastoral tone void of defeatism. Readers are called to the examples of biblical figures to realize that holiness is indeed the intent of God for the lifestyle of His disciples. What this means as a work of grace and an ongoing process of obedience is well laid out.
Andrew Murray was, above all else, a teacher and his prose in this book gave me a mental images of a godly instructor patiently leading a group of hungry learners through the wonders of what sanctified living really means in our broken world. Thus, for me, cogitating on this spiritual classic was time truly well spent.
February 4, 2023
This book is rich, profound, and convicting. While there were moments I wasn’t sure I agreed with Andrew Murray on a particular point or two, I emphasize that these were momentary. Overall, I found the book to be very enlightening and enriching to my perspective. Three key ideas I took away from the book were obedience as the currency or expression of faith; holiness as a state of being rather than solely predicated on acts of righteousness; and seeking the Holy One should be the sole pursuit of the believer: all else follows. To elaborate:
1) It is by obedience we express our faith in God which is why Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments.”
2) The state of being holy happens in deep abiding relationship with God in Christ through the power of the possessive Holy Spirit. This state of being holy then results in acts of righteousness – not the other way around. It is why Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
3) Thus instead of “seeking holiness” we should be seeking the ”Holy One” and in Him alone will we be made holy so that we may live righteously.
I recommend this book highly.
1) It is by obedience we express our faith in God which is why Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments.”
2) The state of being holy happens in deep abiding relationship with God in Christ through the power of the possessive Holy Spirit. This state of being holy then results in acts of righteousness – not the other way around. It is why Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
3) Thus instead of “seeking holiness” we should be seeking the ”Holy One” and in Him alone will we be made holy so that we may live righteously.
I recommend this book highly.
May 8, 2019
This was so much useful information about holiness. It was a lot to process but the chapters were well organized and nothing felt like it was repeated.
June 20, 2021
I love Murray's writings. I'm always drawn to deeper relationship with Jesus.
June 7, 2022
31 insights on Holiness, a good material for morning devotions.
July 28, 2019
The Believer's Secret series is excellent for a first time devotional. Each chapter includes Scriptures for reference, a prayer on the topic of the chapter (pray aloud, if possible), and practical applications. Andrew Murray leaves no stone unturned as he details the purpose and nature of understanding God's holiness. This book is a sweet companion to morning prayers and time in the Word.
January 3, 2016
Solid work, it just didn't connect with me.
Seemed somewhat repetitive. Didn't quite care for some of the ways things were presented. I think it is worth reading, but not everyone will be moved, inspired or convinced by the authors arguments.
Seemed somewhat repetitive. Didn't quite care for some of the ways things were presented. I think it is worth reading, but not everyone will be moved, inspired or convinced by the authors arguments.
January 30, 2012
Andrew Murray is always worthwhile. Highly devotional. Intellectually stimulating as well.
August 28, 2015
I just started "Holy in Christ." It's a wonderful daily study centered around the admonition to "Be Holy, as I am holy." His writing is wonderful and I'm really enjoying it.
May 10, 2016
Another excellent book by Andrew Murray. His writings are always full of good teaching so I would highly recommend this book to all who desire to live as God calls us to.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews