Freed From Sin: A Primer on Holiness

by Tom Brennan

In Freed From Sin Tom Brennan has written another excellent book. In this timeless tome he tackles the subject of holiness. His solid doctrinal foundation, his personal transparency, his clear, easily readable style of writing, and his practical applications make this an extremely valuable book. I am very glad to recommend it.
-- R. B. Oullette, Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church, Bridgeport, Michigan


Pastor Tom Brennan is a gifted communicator and writer and God has given him the ability to take difficult material and bring it down so all of us can comprehend and understand. His past book, Schizophrenic, A Diagnosis of the Independent Baptist Movement was straight forward and dealt squarely and fairly with both the strengths and weaknesses of the independent Baptist movement of the twenty and twenty-first century. This work on holiness is sure to be a classic of our day! The need for holiness in this generation is huge. The need for holiness in each of our lives as believers is great, and we are commanded by God to be holy. Reading this book will help develop a consciousness of this matter. Hopefully it will create the desire in each of us to keep working on developing holiness in fear of God.
-- Kevin Folger, Pastor Emeritus, Cleveland Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio

Genres: Christian

438 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2019

About the author

After six years establishing a church in rural Pennsylvania and sixteen years revitalizing an inner-city church in Chicago, in 2019 Tom Brennan accepted the call to pastor the Bible Baptist Church of Dubuque, Iowa. He and his lovely wife, Mandy, have been married since 1999. They have three children. He is happiest at home, surrounded by his family, with a cup of tea to hand and a large stack of books within easy reach. Failing that, he can be found hiking one of the many beautiful trails in Dubuque or slowly barbecuing something on his smoker.

In addition to pastoring, the Lord has given him an active writing ministry. Birthed in 2014, Brennan's Pen includes a blog, daily emails designed for men in ministry, and five books to date. You can find more about his writing by perusing his blog, concerningjesus.blogspot.com, or his author website, brennanspen.com.

Reviews

[Scott Petty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much needed book on a much neglected subject. Deeply thought out and meticulously supported by scripture, this book cries out to be read and read again. Convicting and illuminating. Definitely a book which should be read by every Christian. Highly recommended.

[Wesley Palla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would more likely give this 4.5-4.7 stars if able.

Tom Brennan has undertaken an important task that has been avoided amongst many of his independent baptist peers: to methodically, thoroughly, and boldly expound what the Scriptures have to say about God's intention for His children to live in, grow daily in, and consistently reflect His holiness, and to give this goal the priority it deserves in the life of the believer. And to do so from the independent baptist perspective.

Certain things become quite obvious as you work your way through the book. 1) Tom Brennan loves the Lord. His passion and gratitude for and to his Savior are not hard to perceive in every chapter and every page. 2) He loves God's Word with a holy fear and reverence. The tone he strikes when dealing with Scripture and biblical principles throughout the book is one that assumes biblical inerrancy and authority in the life of the believer. He also writes as though there is no debate as to whether the reader should accept and obey what Scripture is telling him in an effort to spur him/her on to personal holiness. 3) And perhaps most uniquely in comparison to other contemporary writers who have produced books on the subject, Tom Brennan loves the church, the bride of Christ. It practically jumps off the page. He does not write to lecture; he does not write to impress. As I worked my way slowly through the book, I could not help but feel as though he was striving to make an impassioned plea to me personally to heed the Scriptures, to understand them, and to humbly yet boldly follow them in obedience so that I may become more like Christ. For in so doing, I would live a blessed life in sweet fellowship with the Savior, to which nothing in this world will ever compare. And the book felt as though it was because he loved me, he cared about me, and he wanted me to experience the blessings in the christian life of a life lived in holiness to God, no longer a slave to my sin and sinful passions.

The book strikes me as a labor of love. And it helped the medicine go down smoothly as a result.

The book is not a fast read, nor do I believe it should be. But it is a good one. A worthwhile one. One that at different times convicted me, brought tears to my eyes, and sent me to my knees in humble prayer seeking the Lord's help.

Well done, sir. And thank you.

[Russell Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another spectacular book.

This book is saturated in what matters; the Word of God. I found myself wishing the section on Romans would continue through the end of that book. I appreciate the focus on being Biblical. The subject matter is heavy and not for the faint of heart. However the time taken to read and understand is well worth it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to develop their understanding and growth in genuine, Bible fueled holiness. I look forward to revisiting this book in the future, perhaps with a Sunday School class. I believe the format would lend itself well to such a use.

[Timothy Smallwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep. Thorough. Balanced.

You can trust this book to remain true to the Word of God. The concept of holiness has been abused and mistreated in our day, but this book is a great start to getting things back on track. I started the book in a zoom class with the author and had to finish afterward on my own. In both settings, it was amazing. You will learn and grow in your walk with God by applying what you learn in this book.

[Philip Harrelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This an important book on holiness that I found accidentally (providentially) when I Googled "modesty" several months ago. I found Tom Brennan's blog where he had did a series on modesty that was very good. He comes from an IFB background and writes well. This book is worth the price of the bibliography at the end. I had a number of the books already listed but ended up buying at least 15 more that I did not have. I will dig into those books with some Bible study series at a later point.

[Chad Delhotal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written book

While I did find a few things to critique, Bro. Brennan gives a well balanced and nourishing development of the topic that is well worth reading.

[Jessica Sullivant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt. I love how, just when you are faced with some difficult truth, he turns and writes “beloved” and then continues. In essence, he is calling us to be what we’ve already been given positionally in Christ.

Several of my own views were challenged. I was shocked to find myself agreeing with a certain quote, only to have him explain its utter shallowness and Scriptural ignorance.

As I started, I felt a renewed since of purpose in my walk with the Lord but that quickly faded. I was frustrated. Everyone knew I wasn’t like the world. What was there left to do? I almost quit reading at one point. I had fallen again. Why keep trying?

And then in Part 8, nearing the final chapter, he says “what they have not emphasized is that we should be like Jesus.” Yes, I had arrived in a sense. My heart had been challenged by setting personal standards but had grown restless. Now I realize that the real journey is becoming like Christ. Ok, that may sound basic, but to me, seeing it put that way, in the context of the larger work, has been transformative. I haven’t arrived. I’m just beginning. Christ is set before me.

[Michael Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book by my pastor friend. As the Unshackled Radio program's tagline states, this book makes you face yourself and think! This is an important book that you ought to add to your library if you care to draw closer to the Lord.

[Emma Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on a subject that took this author countless hours of study and hard work.
It is not easy to read. But the substance will have you chewing for the rest of your life.